The Sussex County Commissioners will resume in-person only meetings beginning Wednesday at the Performing Arts Center auditorium at Sussex County Community College at 6 p.m.

NEWTON — The Sussex County Commissioners will resume in-person only meetings beginning Wednesday at the Performing Arts Center auditorium at Sussex County Community College at 6 p.m. 

The county board announced the change on its website. According to the office of the clerk for the commissioners, an audio recording of the meeting will be posted online shortly after the meeting is concluded for residents who don't wish to attend in person.  

The meetings will be held with social distancing protocols in place, which includes masks.

Meetings will be held in person through the end of the year unless otherwise noted. The meetings for Tuesday, Nov. 9; Tuesday, Nov. 23 and Dec. 21 will be held remotely. The Nov. 23 and Dec. 21 meetings will be at 9 a.m. and the Nov. 9 meeting will be at 6 p.m. 

Commissioners Clerk Teri Lyons said "the public may participate online" during the meetings. To do so, residents can click on the link on the commissioners' website or by phone at 646-558-8656 using meeting ID# 740 742 9093, followed by Passcode 538982. The directions are also posted on the website. 

The notice also says the board retains the right to amend this new notice with proper announcement under the state's Open Public Meetings Act.

The college auditorium has a seating capacity of 339 and was used for the commissioners' reorganization meeting on Jan. 6, with a limit of 70 attendees.

For more than a year, the commissioners have held their twice-monthly meetings remotely with some of the board's five members at the Sussex County office building in Newton, but in different offices. Others attended by phone. All residents had to attend either by phone or through a Zoom connection. 

Prior to the pandemic, most regular meetings were sparsely attended and the meeting room, which had a capacity of about 70, was less than half-full. With virtual meetings, attendance was usually 40 or more via phone.

Source: Sussex County NJ commissioners switch back to in-person only meetings (njherald.com)