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City of Arden Hills ▪1245 West Highway 96 ▪ Arden Hills Minnesota 55112 <br />Phone 651.792.7800 ▪ Fax 651.634.5137 ▪ www.cityofardenhills.org <br />September 3, 2020 <br />Re: Determination that In-Person Meetings are not Practical or Prudent Because of a <br />Health Pandemic or Emergency <br />To: All Interested Parties: <br />The coronavirus (COVID-19) has been declared a health pandemic and national and state <br />emergencies have been declared. As a result, as the Presiding Officer, I am declaring that it is <br />not practical or prudent to hold -'$meetings in person until such time as the State of <br />Minnesota is determined to no longer be in a state of emergency or this determination is <br />terminated sooner by action on behalf of the -'$. The basis for this determination is as follows: <br />x On January 31, 2020, the Secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services <br />declared a public health emergency in response to COVID-19; <br />x On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the global <br />outbreak COVID-19 as a pandemic; <br />x On March 13, 2020, President Donald J. Trump proclaimed the outbreak of <br />COVID-19 in the United States a national emergency; and <br />x On March 20, 2020, Governor Timothy J. Walz issued Executive Order 20-01 <br />under Minn. Stat. Ch. 12 declaring the outbreak of COVID-19 in Minnesota a <br />peacetime emergency. On March 16, 2020, the Minnesota Executive Council <br />extended Executive Order 20-01 for 30 days. <br />x The State of Minnesota and the City of Arden Hills continue to be in a state of <br />emergency due to the COVID-19 Pandemic; <br />x The City of Arden Hills is also not hosting in-person meetings open to the public. <br />Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 13D.021, meetings of a public body subject to Minnesota’s <br />Open Meeting Law may be conducted by telephone or other electronic means if the <br />Commission’s “presiding officer, chief legal counsel, or chief administrative officer . . . <br />determines that an in-person meeting or a meeting conducted under [Minn. Stat. §] 13D.02 is not <br />practical or prudent because of a health pandemic or an emergency declared under [Minn. Stat. <br />Ch.] 12.” While this determination is effective, all JDA meetings may be conducted by telephone <br />or other electronic means. <br />Sincerely, <br />Brian Holmes, JDA Chair