The agenda item's proposed solution would unfortunately decrease public involvement in government without providing any suggestion of exploring other options. A simpler alternative to address staff displacement and public works time would be to not require external video equipment for hybrid meetings of these type. Most Zoom meetings see participants use personal devices for video and audio, so managing a Zoom meeting with one participant while others join via Zoom and in person shouldn't overly burden staff, attendees, or limit fair public access.
The idea of justifying this change based on current public participation levels in closed sessions and agenda reviews underscores a gap between local governance and public engagement. This proposed solution, coupled with recent decisions like restricting the public's ability to unmute virtually (potentially violating meeting protocol regarding public’s ability to point of order) and limiting access to displaying video without prior discussion, moves the council and city management further away from the transparency and public participation they claim to be the cornerstone of our community.
- Kyle Falbo