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I’m leaning strongly toward using the Zoom video conferencing platform for conducting the council meeting scheduled for April 13th.

Using Zoom is in response to the need for public safety during the ongoing Convid-19 pandemic, which is giving no indication of subsiding.

Borough Manager Joan Heebner and I had been discussing ways to hold the upcoming meeting in a live setting as usually done, while ensuring that residents would not be put at risk of infection.

Of the ideas we came up with to deal with residents and council practicing safe social distancing, none seemed practical and could not guarantee the prevention of virus transmission.

Also, considering that compliance in sanitizing precautions would have to be adhered to by all who attended, there would likely be someone who would claim their rights were being violated, if we required the use of something as simple as hand sanitizer, before entering the building.

A small community is like a large family and I’m not willing to risk anyone in our family becoming ill, because we gathered at Borough Hall.

However, there is also an obligation to conduct borough business, while having council meetings open to the public. West Easton can’t stop working, so it’s time to think outside the box and improvise.

With the state legislature having decided to hold their meetings and vote remotely, while giving no guidance to local agencies on how to hold meetings during this pandemic, I’m following their example.

That is, I’m seriously considering conducting West Easton’s council meeting remotely.

An initial test of Zoom, conducted on Saturday went well, as sound, video, chat, and other features were investigated with two other participants in a mock meeting.

Zoom allows the meeting to be open to the public and to have both the council and residents participate from home, via their desktop, laptop, or pad.

Video and audio are supported, allowing for public comment at the appropriate times during the meeting.

The cost to the borough to use Zoom for the meeting would be $15.

If I decide to use Zoom, instructions for entering the virtual meeting will be posted on the borough website and Facebook in advance of the meeting date.

UPDATE 10:46 AM

The Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) has finally answered the question of whether remote meetings during a pandemic violate the The Sunshine Act, making my decision much easier.

The April 13th meeting will be held remotely using the Zoom platform, if social distancing is still in effect.

The PSAB announcement follows:

The Sunshine Act & Online Meetings: The following information has been provided by the Office of Open Records to help local officials guide their public meetings. The Sunshine Act is clear that public meetings should be held at public buildings with open public participation whenever possible. If an official emergency declaration prevents that from happening, a meeting via teleconference, webinar, or other electronic method that allows for two-way communication is permissible in most circumstances. (Some agencies may be governed by laws which add requirements beyond those included in the Sunshine Act.) However, it is important to note that any agency taking that step must provide a reasonably accessible method for the public to participate and comment pursuant to Section 710.1 of the Sunshine Act. That method should be clearly explained to the public in advance of and during the meeting. Further, the Office of Open Records strongly recommends that any agency holding such a meeting record the meeting and proactively make the recording available so that a full and complete record of the meeting is available to the public.