A staff member opening a special meeting of the Jasper City Council on May 1 said the council lacked a present member and cited a statute authorizing remote video participation, prompting uncertainty about whether the meeting could proceed.

The staff member read the meeting notice at Jasper City Hall, 365 South Main Street, and said, “government code section 551.127 authorizes a member or employee of a governmental body to participate remotely in a meeting of the governmental body by means of video conference.” The staff member also noted that Councilmember Holmes was not present and that, because of that absence, “we do not have a quarter” — later adding, “So Alright. I have a quarter.”

The exchange indicated a procedural discussion about quorum and remote attendance but the transcript excerpt does not record any formal motion, vote, or official determination about whether the meeting would proceed. The staff member’s comments about the statute and the presence of a quorum were the only substantive items in the provided excerpt.

The record does not specify whether the absent member participated remotely, whether the council accepted remote participation under the cited statute, or whether the presiding officer ultimately declared a quorum. Those details were not specified in the transcript excerpt provided.