Given the current state of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and in concert with the State of Maryland and Prince George’s County, the City of Bowie is announcing the following directives regarding upcoming City Council meetings:

• City Council meetings will take place as scheduled, but are closed to the public. Residents are encouraged to view the meetings on the government channel (Verizon 10, Comcast 71) or on the city website, since they can’t participate in person.
• Testimony for public hearings or comments for the Citizen Participation portion of each meeting will be accepted in the following manner:

In writing
Testimony/comments can be emailed or mailed. It can be emailed to cityclerk@cityofbowie.org or mailed to:

City Clerk Awilda Hernandez
Bowie City Hall
15901 Excalibur Road
Bowie, MD 20716

Text message
The telephone number to send text message testimony will be 240-335-3282.

Video 
Video testimony can be emailed to the City Clerk at cityclerk@cityofbowie.org.

• Written, text or video testimony or comment submissions for those not attending the meeting must be received by 7 p.m. on the day of the City Council meeting.
• All testimony and comments received by the deadline will become part of the public record of the meeting. They will be shared with the Mayor, other City Councilmembers, and the City Manager. They will be read aloud at the meeting.
• Testimony and comments will not be accepted via social media or by telephone.
• This will affect Regular and Special Council Meetings.
• These directives are subject to change.
• This policy is in effect until May 31 and may extend beyond that date depending on the pandemic situation at that time.
• These directives, and any future changes to them, will be communicated on the government channel, city website, city social media channels, via Alert Bowie, and will be shared with the press via a press release.

Comments and testimony must include the name and address of the person submitting them.