TO: Mayor Bien-Willner and Town Council Members
FROM: Jill B. Keimach, Town Manager
Duncan Miller, Town Clerk
DATE: March 26, 2020
DEPARTMENT: Town Manager
Staff Contact Duncan Miller, 480-348-3610
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AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Discussion of Public Participation in Meetings
Body
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
On March 17, 2020, the Town Council adopted Resolution Number 2020-08; directing staff to prepare a Public Meeting Action Plan (Plan) for the purpose of facilitating remote participation in meetings by members of the public and members of the Town’s public bodies. The Plan is in response to Declarations of Emergency issued by the President of the United States and the Governor of Arizona to ensure that the spread of COVID-19 is slowed as much as practicable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended limiting gatherings of people to no more than 10 people, until otherwise advised, to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate.
Consistent with the CDC’s recommendation, the Mayor and Council believe it is in the best interest of public health to temporarily suspend in-person public meetings. As an alternative, public bodies will hold meetings electronically while continuing to encourage public comment and participation.
Public Meeting Action Plan
The Town of Paradise Valley will utilize existing technology to facilitate meeting attendance by members of the public and members of the Town’s public bodies. This plan is consistent with guidance from the Arizona Attorney General issued on March 13, 2020 concerning Arizona Open Meeting Law and COVID-19.
Public Notice of Meetings
• Residents are encouraged to sign up on AlertPV to receive meeting notices, as well as other important notifications from the Town. Once registered, residents can customize which notifications they wish to receive. The email will include links to the agenda and meeting materials. The email notices and agendas will include instructions on how to attend meetings electronically. The registration link is: www.paradisevalleyaz.gov/alertpv <http://www.paradisevalleyaz.gov/alertpv>
• Agendas, minutes, and meeting videos (live and archived) for Town Council, Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, and Hillside Building Committee are also available for download at: <https://paradisevalleyaz.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx>
• Agendas for the Town’s other committees and boards are located at: <https://www.paradisevalleyaz.gov/82/Boards-Commissions>
• Notices of public meetings will be posted on the bulletin board in the Town Hall parking lot along with instructions on how to participate electronically at least 24 hours before the meeting. The notices will also be posted on the front door to Town Hall at least one-hour before the start of each meeting.
Public Attendance During Meetings
• Town Council, Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, and Hillside Building Committee meetings will be streamed live on the Town’s website: <https://paradisevalleyaz.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx> All other committee and board meetings will not be streamed, but committee members and the public may attend via Zoom Conferencing.
• Members of the public bodies will attend the meetings via Zoom Conferencing. The meeting notice and agenda will include information on how to connect to the Zoom conference.
• Applicants who wish to provide testimony may join the Zoom conference and present material using the screen share tool.
Providing Public Comments
• On the agenda webpage (<https://paradisevalleyaz.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx>) click “eComment” to send comments directly to Council Members. The comments will become part of the meeting record and comments will be read during the meeting if requested by the submitter. Comments read during the meeting are limited to three minutes in length
• Send an email to the Town Clerk dmiller@paradisevalleyaz.gov <mailto:dmiller@paradisevalleyaz.gov> no later than one hour prior to the meeting. The same rules would apply regarding reading the comments and time limits.
• Members of the public who would prefer to address the public body verbally during a public hearing or Call to the Public may join the Zoom conference. Participants are encouraged to register to speak using the eComment tool and selecting “register to speak” or by emailing the staff liaison for the meeting in advance. If attending by Zoom video conference, participants may use the “raise hand” feature or chat feature to be recognized. This will enable the Mayor or Chair to call on speakers when it is their turn and avoid multiple people on the phone from talking over each other. (Note: members of the public body should not use the Zoom chat feature to discuss items on the agenda.)
Instructions to Meeting Participants
During the Study Session, staff will demonstrate how to navigate the various options. In addition, step-by-step instructions for meeting participants will be posted on the Town’s website and the bulletin board in the Town Hall parking lot. Additionally, a link to the online instructions will be included in all AlertPV email notices.
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. PowerPoint Presentation
2. Guidelines for Video Streaming
3. Guidelines for Video Conferencing
4. Resolution 2020-08 - Public Meeting Action Plan