86th District Court Partially Closed, New Guidelines Released For City Commission Meetings

The 86th District Court is imposing a partial public closure starting today (Monday) due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Criminal Clerk, Traffic Clerk, Civil Clerk, Probation Departments, and Community Corrections will be closed to foot traffic, but available by phone. Court hearings will go on as scheduled (though there are a number of conditions under which they can be adjourned, usually upon request of the involved parties). All 86th District Court locations will take phone, online, and mail payments during this time. No in-person payments will be accepted.

Traverse City Clerk Benjamin Marentette also released a statement over the weekend sharing new recommended guidelines for city commission meeting attendance, including tonight's (Monday's) meeting. Other local units of government have shared similar tips for attending government meetings. Here is Marentette's release in its entirety:

"It is critical that we, as a community, take precautionary, preventative steps to slow the pace of the development of new COVID-19 cases so that we reduce the risk of overwhelming our healthcare system. It’s also vital that we take these steps to reduce the spread of the virus and disease to those most vulnerable. While City Commission meetings will continue to be held for the time being, including the Monday, March 16, 2020, Regular Meeting, we ask that you consider the following:

A. While you are welcome to attend the meeting, as a preventative measure, we strongly encourage you to instead view the live audio stream of the City Commission meeting at tacm.tv. You can also view the meeting on Cable Channel 191.
B. If you are listening to the live stream of the City Commission meeting and wish to make either a general public comment on a specific agenda item as it is being heard, please submit your comment, limited to 750 words or less, to the City Clerk at tcclerk@traversecitymi.gov. We will endeavor to read your comment during the meeting, into the record, but some comments may not be read due to time limitations. Comments received after the agenda item will be made part of the record and will be shared with the full City Commission.
C. If you have a comment or thoughts you would like to share regarding items on the agenda or general city business, but do not want it read at the meeting, as always, please send an email to the City Clerk at tcclerk@traversecitymi.gov and indicate you do not wish your comments to be read at the meeting but rather to be entered into the record.
D. If you do attend the City Commission meeting in person, we will ask that you maintain the proper amount of social distancing (which is a six-foot distance between yourself and other individuals).

The City of Traverse City respectfully stresses that these suggestions are in no way meant to stifle or limit public engagement and input on city issues but rather to try to assist in preventing further COVID-19 cases. We appreciate your consideration and welcome the opportunity to serve you."