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Stephens City Council extends emergency ordinance to continue virtual meetings and suspend deadlines
Summary
Council voted May 5 to extend an emergency ordinance tied to COVID-19, authorizing electronic meetings, remote public comment methods, roll-call votes, and suspension of certain statutory deadlines; a May 26 public hearing was scheduled on the extension.
On May 5 the Stephens City Town Council voted to extend its emergency ordinance addressing continuity of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and to hold a public hearing on the extension on May 26. Vice Mayor Jason Nauman made the motion to extend the ordinance and set the hearing; council approved the motion on a roll-call vote with all members present voting Aye.
The ordinance text in the meeting packet cites federal, state, and local emergency declarations and relies on Va. Code §15.2-1413 and related statutory authority. It authorizes public bodies to meet by electronic means without a quorum physically present, requires at least three days' public notice (except for emergency meetings), and directs meetings to state on the record that they are being held pursuant to the ordinance.
Under the ordinance, public comment for hearings may be submitted in advance by e-mail or voicemail and solicited by telephone or other interactive electronic means during the meeting; such comments must be provided to members before decisions and made part of the official record. The text requires roll-call voting for any action taken during electronic meetings and instructs that minutes identify how the meeting was conducted and which members participated.
The ordinance also provides that deadlines requiring action by the town, boards, or officers may be suspended during the emergency so long as public health concerns persist, but it encourages officials to act where practical. Town Attorney Dave Griffin told council he had no legal objection to holding the May 26 hearings remotely under Virginia law. Council set the May 26 virtual hearing date to receive public comment on the ordinance extension and related items.
