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Marion adopts two ordinances to allow electronic meetings, sets visibility and reason rules
Summary
The council adopted two ordinances permitting electronic meetings (Section 2‑182 for declared emergencies and Section 2‑183 for other situations), requiring remote attendees to state reasons in some cases and making remote participants visible on screen; both passed 5–0.
The Town Council of Marion adopted two ordinances on May 4 creating a framework for electronic participation in council meetings. The ordinances address meetings conducted during declared states of emergency (Section 2‑182) and meetings held through electronic communication means in other circumstances (Section 2‑183); both passed on recorded votes of 5 AYES and 0 NOES.
Todd Long, the town's director of IT, reviewed draft language and told the hearing that "the attendees would be visible on screen." Town Attorney Mark Fenyk said the ordinance would require a remote attendee to state the reason for attending electronically if the reason is personal. The drafts were included in the meeting packet and had been advertised in the local newspaper and on the town website prior to the public hearing. After brief public comment from Charles Wassum and David Fulton, the council closed the hearing and adopted both ordinances by unanimous votes.
Council members said implementation costs were modest; Long told the council that reconfiguration of live‑stream equipment was not required and advertising costs were under $400. The ordinances now give Marion a formal process for remote participation; staff were directed to finalize administrative steps for posting notices and managing remote attendees.
