At Tuesday’s strategic planning meeting, Chattanooga City Council Chairman Erskine Oglesby said he will make a recommendation to suspend the Council’s meetings until the end of the month.
Like many other large gatherings and meetings doing the same, the Council is doing so because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
“It is an easy decision,” said Chairman Oglesby. “The health of Chattanooga’s citizens is our top priority.”
He said, “We need to make sure we fall within the requirements of open meeting laws." saying that is the reason a vote is needed to be conducted in a public meeting. The City Council is required by law to make all decisions within this setting in order to comply with state laws.
What he deemed a “responsible recommendation” is something he expects to pass unanimously. The chairman’s recommendation would need five votes to pass. Assuming it does pass at the 2:00 meeting, that day’s 3:00 agenda meeting and 6:00 City Council meeting would also be suspended.
Even though the council would be suspended from holding their usual meetings, Chairman Ogelsby said the council is looking at “alternative methods” of conducting their meetings. Video meetings was mentioned as a possibility. However, he reiterated that the most important thing was “not putting citizens in harm’s way.”
He implored citizens to follow CDC guidelines and Mayor Andy Berke’s plan of action in regards to how to conduct themselves during this pandemic. The most common recommendations are practicing “social distancing” and avoiding large gatherings, self-quarantining when ill, and washing hands often.
“I want to emphasize we’re doing this for the safety and health of our citizens,” said Chairman Oglesby. “Things like this have happened throughout history, and we’ll get through this.”