032720 Press Release - March 31 Special-Called Meeting 1O1-
`FJ60 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DENTON Ryan Adams • (940) 349-8565 • Ryan.Adams@cityofdenton.com
March 31 Special-Called City Council Meeting to be Held Remotely
City Implements Additional Public Commenting Options to Reduce COVID-19 Risk
DENTON, TX, March 27, 2020—To protect the health and safety of the community, City
Council members, and City staff members, the March 31 Denton City Council special-called
meeting will have a remote format. The meeting will also be streamed online,broadcast on the
Denton Television cable channels, and available on-demand.
In this format, the meeting will be hosted through a video-conferencing interface, and City
Council members will connect to the meeting from different locations. To accommodate and
receive input on agenda items, citizens will be able to participate in the following ways (NOTE:
citizens are only able to comment one time per agenda item using one of the methods below):
• Online comment form—On the afternoon of Friday, March 27, the agenda will be
posted online at www.cityofdenton.com/publicmeeting_s. Once the agenda is posted, a
link to a comment submission form will be made available under the main heading on the
webpage. Within this comment form, citizens may indicate support or opposition, and
submit comment about a specific agenda item. Similar to when a citizen submits a white
card to indicate their position on the item, these comment forms will be sent directly to
City Council members and recorded by the City Secretary, and the support/opposition
will be entered into the record during the meeting. Comments may be submitted up until
the start the meeting, which begins at 1 p.m. Online comments received after 1 p.m. will
not be delivered to the City Council nor entered into the public record.
OR
• By phone—Citizens wishing to speak over the phone during this Council meeting, may
call (940)349-7800 when the meeting begins at 1 p.m. When the call is initially received,
a staff member will receive the caller's information and either, 1) offer to call the citizen
back when it is time for them to speak, 2)record the caller's information, support or
opposition, and comment. If the caller wishes to receive a call back, the voice of each
caller will be broadcast into the meeting during the public commenting time of their
desired agenda item. Individuals will be able to comment once per agenda item.
OR
• In person—Citizens may request to speak on an agenda item in person at City Hall (215
E. McKinney St.). When each attendee arrives to the building, they will receive a number
to determine the order of speakers. During their turn to speak, attendees will be asked to
stand in front of a camera to be broadcast online and to the Council members.
OUR CORE VALUES
Integrity•Fiscal Responsibility•Transparency• Outstanding Customer Service
ADA/EOE/ADEA www.cityofdenton.com TDD(800)735-2989
To reinforce social distancing, those wishing to attend the meeting in-person will be seated in the
City Council Chambers. Once this room is at capacity, no additional individuals will be
allowed to enter the building. All persons entering City Hall will be screened for COVID-19
symptoms and exposure prior to entering the building. Based on Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention(CDC) guidelines, the screening is identical to the screening used by the Denton Fire
Department when responding to emergency calls, will be performed by City of Denton
paramedics, and will involve screening for COVID-19 symptoms:
• Fever(using an infrared or temporal scan thermometer)
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
If a person exhibits symptoms of COVID-19, they will not be permitted to physically enter City
Hall. These precautionary measures are to protect the health and safety of other in-person
meeting attendees and limit the spread of COVID-19 at public gatherings, while providing
residents the ability to participate in public meetings.
Unless otherwise announced, the remote public commenting opportunities (online comment form
and phone call)will be available for future City Council meetings that require COVID-19
precautions.
The City will continue to release updates at www.cityofdenton.com/coronavirus and the City's
social media channels.
Contact: Ryan Adams, (940) 349-8565, Ryan.Adams@cityofdenton.com
Visit www.cityofdenton.com for more news and to stay updated.
2