The new pandemic response reality – closed, open governmental meetings

But the governor said law enforcement, media, and governmental functions were immune, if not to COVID-19, at least to the public gathering ban – why not go for 3 out of 3 this morning? – your humble reporter argued. Royal Examiner Photos/Roger Bianchini – Royal Examiner Video & stills/Mark Williams

After a brief debate with the County powers that be over media access to Tuesday morning’s (March 24) Warren County Board of Supervisors Special Meeting from which the public was barred – and we thank County Board Chairman Walter Mabe for his decision to allow the Royal Examiner’s reporting and camera presence despite a staff legal belief that a March 20th Attorney General’s letter/opinion would allow the exclusion of media in what the governor has defined as an emergency or disaster situation related to the potential spread of COVID-19 in Virginia – we settled in to view the three-pronged meeting.

Those prongs were:

1 – adoption of an ordinance and authorizing resolution related to the conduct of the county government during the statewide and local COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) emergency declarations;

2 – approval of a salary of $77,456.37 for a new Lieutenant’s position in the Warren County Sheriff’s Office who will assist in regaining accreditation for the department, as well as having investigations and internal affairs responsibilities; and

3 – a detailed review of cuts and additions to the Fiscal Year 2021 budget and authorization to advertise a public hearing on the budget and associated tax rates.

Sheriff Butler makes his case for a new employee geared to regaining departmental accreditation, a move that would help future grant applications he pointed out. Earlier, media made a case for a ‘get out of jail free’ card on the outside chance the meeting-access discussion went south.

The board unanimously approved all matters before it, including the advertisement of a flat tax rate tied to the FY 2021 budget. However, as it did prior to the meeting regarding media access and state FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) law regarding media attendance at the meeting which, as noted above, was closed to the public other than by live video feed, the specter of the spread of COVID-19 and impacts on the local economy of prohibitions on “non-essential” local business activity and limits of 10 people in any one public gathering space, played heavily into the budget discussion led by County Administrator Doug Stanley.

“There is a lot of uncertainty. But I think we as a County can be flexible to respond to that,” Stanley told his board of dealing with unknown variables the COVID-19 pandemic and governmental responses to it, might bring.

“Can we have before our next meeting, depending on where the Coronavirus is, a work session to discuss our thoughts on what we need to look at and budget?” South River Supervisor Cheryl Cullers asked of potential impacts on County revenue generation, including sales, meals and lodging taxes and other peripheral variables that might come into play.

Above, the Warren Supervisors played to an empty house, save staff shuttled in and out, and media representatives; below, worrisome to County and Town officials this budget season are empty downtown streets and closed businesses.

Stanley suggested tacking that discussion onto the scheduled morning meeting of the following week – a meeting he observed could be held by teleconference. The budget and tax rate public hearings are scheduled for April 14, hopefully after some public gathering restrictions are lifted.

At the conclusion of his multi-faceted FY 2021 budget presentation that included comparisons to the County’s position and reactions to the 2008 housing market collapse and consequent recession, Stanley thanked his five-member board for all being present physically for it.

“As I told the chairman, it’s hard for me to run through all this stuff (by remote electronic hook up) – it’s hard to walk through that. It’s good to do it in person at least once, it makes it a little bit easier,” the county administrator observed budget complexities presented at an electronic distance.

Above, the county administrator presents budget variables to a properly socially-distanced board; and below, to Royal Examiner’s camera as county staff banished to adjacent rooms to keep the meeting room occupancy at 10, wait their turn.

Our videographer Mark Williams, hand-held the camera for the hour and a half meeting. Our tripod was left in the vehicle due to the uncertainty of entering the meeting space. Our apologies for the shakiness of the video in places.

Of the additional complexity of facing future crucial budget meetings electronically and without direct public, and perhaps media, in-person attendance, Stanley said, “Obviously we want to make sure the public is with us throughout this process. It’s not something any of us have gone through before. And as Jason (Acting County Attorney Jason Ham) said, we are going to try and make every accommodation that we can to put the information out there …”

See the information put out there the morning of March 24, 2020, on pandemic preparedness, the budget, and the new sheriff’s office position, not to mention portions of this reporter’s pre-meeting discussion with County officials about media access as a defined essential service, in this, fought for and graciously granted exclusive Royal Examiner public meeting video: