Bluff reviews code of conduct updates and virtual‑meeting rules; attorney to confirm anchor‑location requirements

Bluff officials reviewed proposed amendments to the town code of conduct March 20, 2025, including audience mobile‑phone etiquette, virtual attendance rules and whether planning commissions may meet electronically without a physical anchor location.

A proposed audience decorum rule would ask "persons in audience [to] refrain from using mobile phones" during public meetings, with specified exceptions for emergency personnel. A speaker explained that recorded meetings create a public record of in‑meeting phone use and that minimizing screen activity preserves decorum. "If you're checking your phone during a meeting or public hearing, it is part of the record," the speaker said.

The group also discussed virtual‑meeting rules and recent state legislation. Members referenced a state Senate bill (referred to in the meeting as SB125) that modifies the Open and Public Meetings Act and requires a public facility at an anchor location for electronic meetings unless a governing body adopts a resolution permitting otherwise. Participants asked the town attorney, Chris, to confirm current requirements and whether Planning & Zoning must adopt its own resolution to permit electronic attendance.

Council members favored keeping virtual attendance options but sought legal clarity and operational details, such as how to record telephone participation and how to handle an Internet outage at the anchor site. A participant recalled prior legal advice that an Internet outage may require terminating the meeting. "If it's a scenario that we are having a virtual meeting or something and our Internet goes down at the building… the advice we got was you have to terminate the meeting, period," the participant said.

There was also discussion of consolidating language for telephone, electronic and telecommunication attendance so all electronic formats follow the same rules. Staff suggested producing anchor‑site signage with QR codes and call‑in instructions to assist members of the public who arrive while a meeting is only virtual.

Next steps: staff will ask the town attorney to confirm legal obligations under the Open and Public Meetings Act, determine whether Planning & Zoning needs a separate resolution to meet virtually, and revise code language to clarify phone/telecommunication procedures and contingencies.

Ending: The council asked for attorney confirmation and editorial cleanup; no code changes or votes were adopted at the meeting. The meeting adjourned by motion at the end of the session.