Amid disagreement, the Cortez City Council passed an ordinance in a 4-3 vote on Tuesday, Sept. 23, allowing members to attend meetings remotely up to six times per year.
“We’ve been wrestling with this issue since, actually I think, early June,” said Patrick Coleman, city attorney.
The ordinance permits councilors to participate in meetings virtually up to six times annually, according to Coleman. No more than two of the seven council members may attend via video conference at any one meeting.
The vote followed months of debate. Supporters said virtual attendance reflects modern workplace practices, offers flexibility and improves accessibility. Opponents argued it violates the spirit of the city charter and could lead to disengagement.
“This allows flexibility for council members,” said City Councilor Bill Lewis. “It also aligns us more with workplace practice, and I think as a city we should be one of the leaders using technology. So, I think we should be embracing this versus resisting it.”
A key point of contention was how the ordinance aligns with the city charter. Coleman recommended the council clarify the charter’s language regarding virtual participation.
“While I agree with a lot of what Councilor Lewis just said, I don’t think that we have the power to do this,” said Councilor Robert Dobry. “We need to be extremely cautious about overstepping our limits, even for what people would consider a good cause.”
“That charter has to be changed by a vote of the people for this to be allowed, not by proposing an ordinance to backdoor our way around it,” said City Councilor April Randle. “And it clearly states in the city code: ‘The City Council shall meet at the City Hall.’”
Randle also said the change would create a disconnect between city staff and constituents.
“It results in a direct loss of human communication and contact between us, the elected officials sitting here today, our city staff who's out here with us and the city citizens who are with us,” Randle said.
Others viewed the change differently.
“I think the charter is a living document and that the charter specifically does allow us to make changes via ordinance,” said City Councilor Lydia DeHaven. “This is within the bounds of City Council's rights to do.”
Mayor Rachel Medina said the council received “about 12 emails and all were in support of this ordinance.”
“Obviously we all want to be here in person,” said Medina. “We benefit from that. But we're trying to catch up with the ADA rules that are coming from the state and just the general way that accessibility is moving to allow people to participate regardless of their circumstance.”
Medina said the ordinance is a first step toward broader remote engagement for residents.
“I would just note that we do already allow virtual comment by email, as you just mentioned,” Councilor Dobry responded. “We receive emails for many issues and always include them in our packet as part of the public record.”
The ordinance passed 4-3, with Councilors Randle, Dobry and Dennis Spruell voting against. DeHaven, Lewis and Matthew Keefauver voted in favor, along with Mayor Medina.
