Thread by @shayshinecastle

Gonna (quickly) talk about in-person council meetings. Presentation: www-static.bouldercolorado.gov/docs/Item_1D_I…

As a reminder, the plan was to resume those Sept. 1 but staff is now recommending not. Cuz COVID and all that.

Engagement manager Sarah Huntley taking this one. "We're actually in a different place than we anticipated."

A couple options, including one in which council and staff are in-person (spread out in chambers) but no members of the public (prob not press either)

Another option is letting public speakers in one-by-one (or in small groups) to address council, and trying to limit those by having one speaker represent an entire group, or something similar.

Council will "go first" before boards and commissions, who will follow their lead.

"The spirit of safer at home is to discourage gatherings," Huntley says. Council meetings are gatherings of a sort.

Yes, a gathering of souls in the seventh circle of hell.

Our recommendation is to avoid in-person meetings "at least" until BoCo moves to Protect Our Neighbors phase of COVID response. (We're in Safer at Home now)

Staff recommending staying remote through the end of October.

I actually kinda like remote. But that's bc I can wander around my house and I don't have to wear pants.

Hard to do that in council chambers.

But given that a lot of ppl (particularly low-income residents) don't have good internet access, I get the issues.

"We are likely to have a virtual option for meetings moving forward, " Huntely says, even if we go back to in-person meetings. Community members might be high-risk and not feel comfortable returning. "We don't want to disenfranchise them."

Huntley*

When we do go back to physical meetings, everyone will have to wear a mask.

Public speakers would need to maintain 25 feet of distance if they're not wearing a mask, data suggests.

Huntley: Just being in an enclosed space increases the risk. The longer you're in that space, the greater the risk becomes.

Front Range councils are all online. Denver tried to come back in person but that didn't work out.

Huntley: Online participation results in a "leveling of the playing field," with POC becoming more comfortable speaking out from their homes than in person.

But, in general, there are equity concerns to online meetings.

Council chambers do provide some obstacles, namely the lack of space for required social distancing.

A big portion of public seating area (on the floor) would have to be used for council members, while staff take the dais.

"It would be a very different experience than pre-COVID," Huntley says of in-person public participation.

Speakers would have to wait outside (problematic in the winter) and then queue up along the north side staircase, come in one by one, then leave.

"That's the safest way we can think of as a staff," Huntley says.

There's a listening session Aug. 19 for the public to talk about likes/dislikes of remote meetings. Yates and Friend will be helming that with Huntley.

5:30-7:30; you can come in whenever.

"We are going to do more listening than talking," Huntley says.

Wallach wants to stay remote. "I have a very restrained enthusiasm for spending 6 hrs in a potential Petri dish of COVID."

Can we allow video during open comment or public hearing? he asks
Huntley: We're working on it if they use a blank wall or pre-approved background. That way staff doesn't have to judge surroundings based on content.

No closed captioning on Zoom (it costs more $$) but it's on Channel 8 and the livestream.

That was a Friend q.
She confirms everyone would have to wear masks, which takes away the advantage of being able to "read facial expressions."

How many staff members would have to be there during a meeting?
Huntley: That's a concern. It could create inequities or pressures if they feel they have to show up in person.

Friend: What is council members read comments from the public if they weren't comfortable participating in person?

Huntley. That's possible. Or we have an audio participation option.

Friend: Can staff or council members have an option to be remote if they don't feel comfortable being in person?
Huntley: It's OK from a tech standpoint
Carr: We'd have to adjust the legal rules

She also wants to stay remote.

Brockett, too.

Joseph asking about the idea to have one speaker to represent a group. Who will be that person? How will we ensure they represent that community?

Can we have message or chat functions? she asks.

Young also good with remote meetings continuing.

And Yates. So that's a majority.

To recap: Remote council meetings will continue through October.

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