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place of Executive Orders. He stated that he believes that a lot of things are left to interpretation, <br />such as the word temporary within the phrase “temporarily remove face coverings”. He stated that <br />while he is seated at the dais would be a temporary period of time. He stated that good changes <br />have already been made and he is not interested in changing things further. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht agreed with the members of the Council that have spoken thus far. He <br />stated that when viewing other Councils and government bodies, not everyone is wearing their <br />mask for the entire length of the meeting. He stated that he believes that social distancing measures <br />have been implemented and remote attendance is an option, therefore he did not see a reason to <br />change things further. He stated that there are other issues he would rather address and sees this <br />as a solution looking for a problem and something that is taking up time that could be spent more <br />productively. <br /> <br />Councilmember Menth stated that when in a restaurant you are required to wear a mask while <br />walking but once you are seated with your group, you do not have to wear your facemask. He <br />stated that he would interpret this as the same, where when walking around you should wear your <br />facemask, but once seated in your socially distanced space, you are not required to wear your mask. <br /> <br />Mayor LeTourneau asked for input from City Attorney Langel. <br /> <br />City Attorney Langel stated that the Executive Order states that you are required to wear a face <br />covering when in a public indoor space. He stated that there are exceptions provided, such as a <br />temporary removal when speaking or testifying at a governmental meeting subject to the open <br />meeting law. He stated that the question would then be what constitutes testifying or speaking at <br />the meeting; whether that means that you must wear the mask at all times unless you’re speaking <br />or whether once seated at the dais you would be considered as speaking in an ongoing matter. He <br />stated that it is the decision of the Council as to what it does, but the language is open to <br />interpretation in regard to what it means to be testifying or speaking when you are a member of <br />the Council. <br /> <br />Councilmember Kuzma stated that it would appear that it is up to the Council to make the <br />determination whether or not masks should be worn when sitting. <br /> <br />City Attorney Langel confirmed that ultimately it would be up to the Council as to how to comply <br />with the Executive Order and what constitutes as testifying and speaking. <br /> <br />City Administrator Ulrich stated that Plexiglas was added to the Council Chambers in order to <br />separate the different seating areas at the dais and provide another level of separation/social <br />distancing. <br /> <br />Mayor LeTourneau stated that he would agree with the tone and context of the conversation thus <br />far. He stated that the Council made a determination on how to interpret this language and believed <br />that the Council made a good decision based on what was known. He stated that there are people <br />within the ranks of the City that are experiencing/interpretating this in another way and therefore <br />he would like to remain open and respectful to their positions as well. He noted that the concern <br />came from the Planning Commission and therefore welcomed comments for those present. <br />City Council Work Session / September 22, 2020 <br />Page 4 of 9 <br /> <br />