2020 Vol 14, Issue 2 May Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 Believe it or not, there are actually rules adopted by the State of Minnesota that deal with holding municipal meetings during a state of emergency. The example given in the ordinance is, ironically, a pandemic. These rules cover how meetings should be held when the public cannot gather in the typical sense. When a meeting has to be held remotely and during an emergency, the goal is to make the meeting as accessible as possible. The more limited access to the meeting will be, the less business a city is supposed to conduct. The idea is that if the public will have difficulty attending the meeting, due to short notice on the change of venue, or potential technical difficulties, then only the most minimal agenda items should be dealt with, so no one misses out on the opportunity for public comment. The Gem Lake City Council meeting which was held on March 17 covered approval of outstanding claims, so the bills could be paid on time, and approval of the minutes of the last meeting. By the April 21 City Council meeting, the city clerk had enough time to post the information on the call- in meeting on the web-site and send out the information to every resident for whom we had an email address. Even so, the agenda was kept to a minimum. In addition to bill paying and approval of minutes, the agenda covered discussion of the Governor’s executive order allowing for liquor sales through take-out orders at restaurants. A resolution regarding annual insurance coverage for the city was also discussed and approved. This constituted the entire agenda. One member of the public joined the meeting remotely. The next City Council Meeting was held on May 19. Dial in information was sent out by email and posted on the web-site several days prior. (This is a good time to be sure the city has your email address if you would care to join in.) As the city progresses with the concept of remote meetings, it is hoped that an increasing number of items can be handled at each meeting. At the May meeting, transition issues relating to the Mayor’s death had to be discussed. City Meetings During the Pandemic The concept of remote meetings is new to municipalities around the state, as the current situation has never occurred before. Each is trying hard to meet the spirit of the rules and guidelines laid out by the State of Minnesota. By the time of our first experience with a dial in meeting, the State of Emergency declaration was a day old. It is possible that the June city council meeting will be an actual live meeting. You are encouraged to participate in our next city council meeting, whether it is live or remote. Please call Gloria Tessier at Heritage Hall for more information. Scholarship Program Update There have been three applications to the annual Gem Lake Scholarship Program, which will be reviewed at the next council meeting. The unusual nature of this year’s circumstances are presenting the council with an unusual problem. The scholarship is funded by charitable gambling within the city. (pull-tab sales) With all bars and restaurants shut down since mid-March, receipts to cities have completely dried up. Typically, cities like Gem Lake receive and disburse gambling receipts every couple of months. In Gem Lake’s case, donations were made early in the year to Willow Lake Elementary School and the White Bear Lake Emergency Food Shelf. These donations substantially depleted the funds available. No problem , in a typical year, as funds are always coming in. One possible solution being discussed is to review and award scholarships as usual, with a special note about when the funds would be provided. For instance, the winners might be notified that they will receive their portion of whatever funds are available on a specified date, such as September 1.