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Esky council having virtual city meeting

ESCANABA — Following guidance issued by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, tonight’s regularly-scheduled Escanaba City Council meeting will take place virtually on Facebook.

The live stream be available for viewing on the city’s Facebook page — which can be found by at https://www.facebook.com/cityofescanaba — beginning at 7 p.m., but public comment will not be accepted though Facebook.

However, there will still be opportunities to participate in the meeting’s public comment periods, either by phone or with a computer.

To participate using a computer, residents should visit the city’s website at www.escanaba.org and click on “Virtual Meetings” at the bottom of the page. From there, select the desired meeting, which for Thursday is titled “04/02/2020 — 7:00pm Virtual WebEx City Council Regular Meeting,” and click “Join Virtual Meeting.”

Also available on the “Virtual Meetings” page is a full agenda and supporting agenda documents.

Those who would prefer to participate in public comment via telephone can call 1-408-418-9388 and enter access code “966 961 896” followed by #. Callers will initially be placed on mute and will be called upon by the name registered to their phone number. After being called upon, the caller will be un-muted and will be able to participate in the brief public comment period at the beginning of the meeting, which is limited to discussing agenda items, or the general public comment period, which can address any subject.

Thursday’s meeting includes:

– The third of five planned public hearings on the 2020-21 fiscal year budget.

– The approval of two traffic control orders, which would lead to the installation of “No Parking” signs on the east side of Sheridan Road from 15th Avenue North to the public works building and a “No Overnight Parking” sign in the city hall parking lot. The overnight parking limitation would be from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

– A request to hire and retain services for repairs to digester #4 at the wastewater plant at a cost not to exceed $19,700.

– Approve a series of street closures for the 100 Block of South 13th Street to 1st Avenue South for summer events.

Absent from the agenda is the discussion of a planned low-to-moderate housing complex that would be constructed near Walmart. The item, which has drawn controversy, was previously set to be discussed at meetings cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic prior to Whitmer’s executive directive allowing virtual meetings by suspending portions of the Open Meetings Act.

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