Washington City Council Meets ‘Virtually’

The spread of the coronavirus caused rescheduling of Washington City Council meetings this week. The agenda meeting normally scheduled for Monday night was cancelled and the Thursday evening regular meeting was moved to 3PM, but if you went to city hall, no one was there. City council held their regular meeting Thursday, virtually. The public was able to participate by emailing staff before the meeting began. Council unanimously approved a declaration of emergency as it pertains to the public health associated with the Covid 19 pandemic. The declaration will run through July 2020 or until Governor Tom Wolf lifts his emergency disaster resolution. Councilman Ken Westcott alerted council that PennDot will be starting work on Maiden Street this Monday, Councilman Joe Manning directed business owners to the city website for information about loans and other programs from the state and federal government to assist during the current shutdown. Mayor Scott Putnam made council aware that everyone must work hard to keep to budget as revenues to the city are expected to be much lower this year due to business shut downs and unemployment associated with those shut downs.