Village is forming remote meeting rules

By MITCH MAERSCH

Ozaukee Press staff

The Village of Belgium is developing an ordinance to create a process for elected officials to remotely attend public meetings.

Members who couldn’t attend in-person had been participating via Zoom, but Clerk Julie Lesar at the Feb. 20 Finance and Personnel Committee meeting cited an article from League of Wisconsin Municipalities’ “The Municipality” magazine in which attorney Brian Sajdak suggested that “specific rules should be established to guide participation in the meeting.”

“It is recommended that we have something in writing to do this,” Lesar said.

Lesar provided ordinances from three communities. The Town of Linn’s was the most detailed, requiring a reason to hold a remote meeting such as natural disasters or weather, and it required the chairman of the committee or the majority of the Town Board determine if a remote meeting should be held.

Green Bay’s was the most basic, allowing for members to attend remotely without cause and without approval by a presiding officer of a committee or council.

The committee preferred keeping the ordinance simple.

“I think on the whole the board would prefer to be in person but like those occasions when (Trustee) Sarah (Heisler) is on vacation or somebody is ill they can still conduct village business appropriately so yeah, it’s a no-brainer to me in this day and age,” committee member Rose Sauers said.

“It makes it easier for all members to attend whether they’re in person or not,” committee member Dan Wolff said.

The committee didn’t think Belgium’s elected officials would take advantage of the ordinance and attend remotely just out of convenience.

“I don’t think you’ve got to worry about the whole board staying home that night,” Committee Chairman and Village President Pete Anzia said.

The three-member committee unanimously agreed to recommend that the Village Board approve the ordinance from Green Bay.

Lesar said she would have the village attorney examine the ordinance before presenting it to the Village Board.