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ORDINANCE NO.: 2020-08 <br />INTRODUCED BY: Mayor Bodnar <br />AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE REGARDING THE HOLDING OF <br />PUBLIC MEETINGS AND TO PROVIDE THE MAYOR WITH <br />EMERGENCY SPENDING AUTHORITY DURING THE <br />COVID-19 PANDEMIC <br />WHEREAS, the Ohio Department of Health has declared that there is <br />community spread of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19, which is a respiratory <br />disease marked by fever, cough and difficulty breathing; and <br />WHEREAS, on March 9, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine declared an <br />emergency in the State of Ohio due to the spread of COVID-19 in Ohio, followed by a <br />declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the COVID-19 crisis is <br />now a worldwide pandemic; and <br />WHEREAS, on March 12, 2020, Dr. Amy Acton, Director of the Ohio <br />Department of Health (ODH) issued an order targeted at preventing the spread of <br />COVID-19 by refraining from mass gatherings and urging Ohioans to avoid <br />unnecessary contact with one another; and <br />WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, President Donald J. Trump declared the <br />COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency; and <br />WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued an <br />opinion regarding the applicability of Ohio's Open Meetings Act (OMA) during this <br />time of declared emergency, holding that "where the Governor has declared a state of <br />emergency and the Director of the Ohio Department of Health is limiting gatherings <br />so as to prevent the spread of COVID-19, ... it is reasonable to read the OMA's `in <br />person' requirement as permitting a member of a public body to appear at a public <br />meeting via teleconference." A copy of OAG Yost's opinion letter is attached hereto <br />as Exhibit A; and <br />