Wednesday, April 01, 2020

Joplin City Council to use audio teleconferencing for Monday, April 6 meeting

(From the City of Joplin)

The Joplin City Council will hold its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, April 6, however it will be conducted through audio teleconferencing.

Mayor Gary Shaw will be seated at the dais in Chambers of City Hall along with City Manager Nick Edwards, City Attorney Peter Edwards, and City Clerk Barb Gollhofer. 

Other City Council members will participate via teleconference to follow group size and physical distancing requirements as indicated in the Mayor’s proclamation declaring a state of civil emergency and Amended Ordinance 2020-041.










“Through this emergency, the City is continuing to do business as needed for the health and safety of our citizens,” said Joplin Mayor Gary Shaw. 

“However, we cannot hold a meeting as we normally would due to the group size limitation and the social distancing that needs to take place among our members. This provides an appropriate alternative for the meeting, while still allowing the public to participate.”

Because City Hall is closed to protect public health and safety during this time of emergency, citizens wishing to address the Council should complete the “Request to Address Council” form found on the City’s website. Gollhofer will read the citizens’ comments into the record at the beginning of the meeting.

In order to be placed under Citizens Requests on the posted agenda, citizens must have a request submitted to the City Clerk’s office by noon on Thursday, April 2.

This will ensure they are placed near the top of the agenda. If a request comes in after the deadline, it will be added under New Business on the agenda. Gollhofer can take requests up to the start of the meeting, 6 p.m., April 6. Citizens who do not have internet access should contact the City Clerk’s office at 417-624-0820, ext. 220.










Public Hearings and rezoning requests are postponed until further notice. There were several originally planned to be heard at the April 6 meeting, however City staff have notified the parties of the postponement.

The City Council agenda will be posted on www.joplinmo.org by 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 2. Citizens can view the meeting online or watch the live broadcast on KGCS-TV on broadcast channel 21 or on regional cable television systems, including Sparklight in Joplin. 

Other cable systems carrying KGCS include Mediacom and Suddenlink. KGCS is a service of the Department of Communication at Missouri Southern State University.

“We encourage the public to view the meeting either online or on television,” said City Manager Edwards. “We recognize this arrangement is not ideal, and we are continuing to look at longer term solutions in preparation of future meetings.”

The next scheduled Council meeting following this one is Monday, April 20. Please watch for future updates regarding meeting format.

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