Following the initial publication of this story, a spokesperson for Tucker said the city plans to revisit the idea of streaming its meetings. 

The spokesperson said, “As we default to our original policy, the Mayor and Council have been revisiting the issue of whether or not to stream meetings. With vacation schedules what they are, this has been a complicated process, but we will let the community know what they decide as soon as they decide it.” 

Here is our earlier story ….

Tucker, GA — Tucker will resume conducting all city meetings in person, effective immediately. A public health state of emergency order issued at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic by Governor Brian Kemp expired on July 1.

The next Tucker City Council meeting is Aug. 9.

City Manager Tami Hanlin said, “The original decision to broadcast meetings via Zoom was due to the Governor’s emergency orders pertaining to public meetings. Because those orders have expired, we are going back to our normal pre-pandemic protocols.”

Nearby municipalities, including Avondale Estates, Clarkston and Decatur, will offer both in-person and virtual meeting options. DeKalb County meetings remain online.

Mayor Frank Auman announced the change at the July 12 Tucker City Council meeting.

“Basically, if you have a medical condition that requires you to be out, as long as you have a doctor’s note, as it were, a member of council can participate electronically that way,” Auman said.

Auman said if a council member is traveling outside the jurisdiction, they can participate virtually two times per calendar year. Public comment and public hearings will take place in person going forward.

City meetings including Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Downtown Development Authority and Urban Redevelopment Agency are all returning to an in-person format. Masks are not required at City Hall or in city meetings.

City Hall opened in a new location at 1975 Lakeside Parkway in October 2020. Tucker City Hall closed stopped its court proceedings for several days in November, when a city employee tested positive for COVID-19. The city felt a loss when councilmember Bill Rosenfeld died in January from an undetected medical condition after a tough battle with COVID-19.

Forty-four percent of DeKalb County residents eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine are fully vaccinated, according to the Georgia Department of Health. DeKalb County’s population is 793,154. Children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for a vaccine. In the last two weeks, DeKalb County reported 94 cases of COVID-19; to date, 994 people died in DeKalb Co from COVID-19.

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