Press Release
Mayor Gavin Buckley
Public Information Office
160 Duke of Gloucester Street
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Mitchelle Stephenson, 410-972-7724 or mwstephenson@annapolis.gov
Annapolis is Back in Business with Council, Committees,
and Boards and Commissions Meetings All Virtual
Annapolis, MD (April 15, 2020) – The City of Annapolis resumed the schedule for Annapolis City Council meetings this week with all participants dialing-in to a remote conferencing platform. All in-person meetings were suspended when the State of Emergency was declared on March 14.
City Council Committee meetings also restarted this week, with four Finance Committee meetings and a meeting of the Rules and City Government Committee. All virtual City Council and Council Committee meetings are broadcast in real-time on City of Annapolis TV, Granicus (at Annapolis.gov), Facebook.com/CityofAnnapolis, and YouTube.com/CityofAnnapolis. Virtual meetings are archived on Granicus, Facebook and YouTube.
“We are doing our best to do the business of the City and to be as transparent with the public as possible,” said Mayor Gavin Buckley. “We are now working toward what life in our City looks like on the other side of the pandemic.”
The Mayor, City Council members, and staff received necessary equipment upgrades and training to be able to participate in virtual meetings. In addition, the Management of Information Technology (MIT) department worked through a series of tests to enhance meeting security.
In addition to the City Council meetings, Annapolis City Boards and Commissions have resumed some meetings. This week, the Historic Preservation Commission and the Police and Fire Retirement Plan Commission both met virtually. Board and Commission information including agendas and comment forms for submitting testimony can be found at https://www.annapolis.gov/515/Boards-Commissions-Info . Virtual Board and Commission meetings are broadcast live and archived on YouTube.com/CityofAnnapolis.
The City of Annapolis spent $125K to upgrade the City TV studios and broadcasting equipment in October of 2018. That change played a critical role in being able to broadcast directly from the remote conferencing platform. That change was paid for by grants from the Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) fund through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These funds are paid by cable operators who also set aside channels for public, educational, or governmental use.
Members of the public who would like to testify at any virtual Council or Committee meeting may submit written testimony at www.annapolis.gov/testimony. Testimony must be submitted no later than four hours prior to the start of any meeting so that the clerks have time to consolidate the testimony and the aldermen and alderwomen have time to read the submitted comments.
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