AKRON, Ohio -- City Council met in person for the last time in the foreseeable future Friday morning during a special session that focused on coordinating council business in the midst of the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic, including passing the city’s $650 million operating budget.

The meeting was held without the presence of the public, but proceedings were live-streamed on council’s YouTube channel. In the meeting notice sent Thursday, Clerk of Council Robert Keith said the live-streaming brought the otherwise closed-door session in compliance with Ohio’s Open Meetings Act (OMA) based on guidance issued last week by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

In a March 13 letter to public officials, Yost cites Gov. Mike DeWine’s declaration of a state of emergency and Health Director Amy Acton’s call for limiting gatherings. “But the business of government must continue,” Yost states, and goes on to conclude that it is “reasonable to read the OMA’s ‘in person’ requirement as permitting a member of a public body to appear at a public meeting via teleconference.”

During Friday’s special session, Akron council members also practiced social distancing by occupying every-other seat, and Councilwomen Ginger Baylor, Sharon Connor and Tara Samples were absent.

Council unanimously approved a resolution to temporarily suspend its rule calling for a weekly meeting at 7 p.m. on Mondays. In the future, members plan to address emergency council business through Zoom teleconferencing.

Council also voted to ask the state to approve live-streaming of regular council meetings as a way to abide by the Open Meetings Act.

“This resolution is basically just asking the General Assembly to allow us as council members to continue to do our job, but allow us to do our job in a safe way,” said Council President Margo Sommerville.

Without action from the General Assembly, which is set to meet Tuesday, council could not discuss routine legislation during the Zoom meetings, but rather only emergency orders and resolutions, Councilman Jeff Fusco said.

“That’s what we’re shooting for, is to get that pathway [from the state] so we can do regular business as well as emergency situations as they arise,” Fusco said.

Fusco said he does not expect council to hold a virtual meeting on Monday. It was unclear how frequently council would hold Zoom meetings, which would also be streamed on YouTube.

Members of the public can submit questions and comment to council by emailing publiccomment@akronohio.gov, and their remarks may be read aloud as part of a public comment period.

Council on Friday also unanimously approved amending the city’s sick leave and paid leave policies to allow more flexibility for the city’s 600 non-essential employees who are temporarily out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Deputy Law Director Yamini Adkins told council that one of the most important changes is that employees could use their “frozen," or accumulated sick time without having to exhaust the rest of their time off.

At-large Councilwoman Linda Omobien and Councilman Russ Neal of Ward 4 raised concerns about which employees are determined to be essential versus non-essential. They also asked whether the city could pay the employees without them using their time off, noting that Summit County has placed its non-essential employees on paid leave.

“We have to look at the needs of our departments,” Adkins said. “We are different entities, even though we we’re working in the same area. We are keeping in touch with county officials all along through this process, so we are going to try to help each other out in terms of what the best practices are, but we have to look at the needs of each of our budgets and our divisions separately.”

On Friday, council also voted to pass its $650 million operating budget for 2020, which Ward 9 Councilman Mike Freeman, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, recognized will change in unpredictable ways due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The budget is being presented as per what we formulated prior to the coronavirus, so this is non-inclusive of the adjustments that will be made as a result of the coronavirus,” Freeman said. “So, obviously, we will have changes in our labor force charges, changes to our contractual charges, changes to the revenue that we will receive in 2020. To determine what those are, at this time, really is not possible.”

Freeman said the committee will monitor the city’s revenue and expenses, and will come back to council to address changes.

During the meeting, Ward 4′s Russ Neal began to raise some issues he had with the budget, which Fusco said should be set aside to allow for the legislation to pass, since his issues will likely be addressed in the future.

“I understand, Mr. Neal, and I, too, had some concerns in reference to the budget,” Fusco said. “But given the events of the last two weeks, we’ve been focused on moving City Council and the city forward. We’re going to need to revisit, I’m sure, and anything at this point would just be pure conjecture in terms of where we’re going to be in two weeks, two days, two years, what have you.”

In other business, council voted to confirm nine appointments from Mayor Dan Horrigan to the 2020 Charter Review Commission, which typically makes recommendations to council by July 1 regarding changes to the city’s charter. The appointments include five Democrats: Margo Sommerville, Mark Ward, Barbara Brown, Rana Matar and Bill Rick; three Republicans: Jim Simon, John Blickle and Matt Timbrook; and independent Pedro Avalos.

The Charter Review Commission, like all other city commissions and boards, is suspended until further notice due to the coronavirus crisis.

Council also voted to approve the initial stages of four street resurfacing projects, and to fund emergency sanitary sewer and water main repairs.