Public Comments in Online Meetings

With Council meetings being held online, the public comments experience is very different. Council meetings are being held on the Zoom platform and we want to walk you through the steps so you can share your comments successfully during the meeting.

To watch the meetings visit the Council’s YouTube channel or Facebook page. Work meetings (usually held in the afternoon) are not open to public comment. For regular Council meetings, there is a general public comment portion of the meeting for items not on the agenda as well as a time designated for public comment prior to Council discussion on each agenda item.

We know that technology can be glitchy. It is best to connect to the meeting early so you can deal with any technical problems before it is time for public comment. 

To make a public comment:

• BY PHONE: Call in using the phone number listed on the agenda or shown on the meeting broadcast.
• Enter the meeting ID and # when prompted
• Enter # again when asked for participant ID
• Listen until the Council Chair asks for public comments. Remember to listen on your phone since the online broadcast is delayed.
• Press *9 to “raise your hand”
• When the Chair calls on you (usually by saying the last 4 digits of your phone number), you will hear a prompt to press *6 to unmute your phone.
• State your name and city of residence. You will then have two minutes to comment.

• FROM COMPUTER: Visit zoom.us on your computer and select “join a meeting.”
• Enter the meeting ID
• Enter the passcode
• Enter your email and your full name and city of residence
• Listen until the Council Chair asks for public comments. 
• Click on “raise hand” icon. This will show that you wish to speak.
• When the Chair calls on you, you will see a prompt to unmute your microphone. Unmute and state your name and city of residence. 
• You will then have two minutes to comment.
• Only your audio will be part of the meeting. (Video will not be shared in order to prevent security issues.)
• When done commenting, please hang up or exit the meeting to allow others to comment. You can continue watching the meeting on YouTube or Facebook.

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Comment below (requires Google account), on our Facebook page, through our online comment form, or by contacting Council Members directly. Comments/input on items appearing on an upcoming meeting agenda will be compiled and provided to Council Members the day before the meeting. **Note - your comments will be part of the public record.