Zooming in on City business

 

One of the staples of all municipal government is the monthly common council meeting. I don't know how it goes in other communities but per ordinance (Article 5, Section 2) our regular common council meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at city hall. And with exception to matters covered under Wisconsin State Statue 19.85 (dealing with personnel and other contractual matters) these meetings are open to the public.

But in case you hadn't noticed, a pandemic changes everything including how a city conducts its business.

During the shut-down last year city hall continued to conduct day-to-day service even though we were closed to the general public. This past summer we opened up again but put a limit on how many people could attend both city council and plan commission meetings. This fall we began holding our meetings via Zoom. Speaking only for myself, a child of the 70s, up until last year the only thing called Zoom I was aware of was that 70s PBS kids' show by the same name. There would be a drum roll and then those bare-footed kids would come running out singing the Zoom song:

We’re gonna ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM-A-ZOOM.

I used to watch it now and again

Come on and ZOOM-A, ZOOM-A, ZOOM-A, ZOOM

Come on give it a try

We’re gonna show you why

We’re gonna teach you to fly - high!

Come on and Zoom! Come on and Zoom Zoom!

Obviously, I'm dating myself. Nowadays the only Zoom that matters is the platform that allows people to connect and communicate with each other remotely. Pretty much all municipal departments employ it these days – plan commission, the library board and Lone Oak as well. Meeting this way allows us to still communicate together and prevent the spread of airborne diseases, particularly Covid-19.

Personally, I don't like to meet this way as it seems so artificial and stale. Think about how much communication is made up of the non-verbals and simply being in a room together. And heaven help you if all you have is buggy-speed internet. But given the current state of affairs, it just seems to be the more prudent thing to do for the time being.

Speaking from personal experience, council meetings BC (Before Covid) were, with few exceptions, sparsely attended. Up until the shut-down at my own expense I would put out juice, bars and cookies to help lighten the mood and encourage greater participation from the public to no avail. After all, unless an agenda item directly affects you who wants to spend an hour or more on a metal chair on a weekday night as the council slowly works through its business? There are, it would seem, a lot better ways to spend your evening. But I will say this: since we began broadcasting our meetings via Facebook LIVE, our meetings have been viewed several hundred times. Of course, it doesn't mean that those who tuned in watched the entire meeting but it's way, way more involvement than we've ever had before.

One of the staples of every monthly meeting is PUBLIC COMMENTS. That's where any member of the public can show up and speak their peace about matters that concern them. While the council can't take action on what that person says, they have their attention for the next three minutes. Complaints, ideas, concerns – you name it, we want to hear it. But how does it work now that our meetings are digital?

Here's a couple of ways:

• Join us tomorrow night (the link changes from month to month):

  • Join us on-line by following this link: https://zoom.us/j/95773118201?pwd=akZKaEgySDlLVU5kMUhKVjAwRUlMZzo9

  • Meeting ID: 95773118201

  • Passcode: 602802

• Join us.

  • Dial in by phone 1-312-626-6799 and listen in

• Watch us.

  • Via the City of Chetek's Facebook LIVE or Chetek Alert LIVE feeds.

  • Feel free to type your comments preferably at the front end of the meeting when normally PUBLIC COMMENTS occur.

If four years of mayoral service has taught me anything it's that when people are truly upset or concerned they find a way to let me or other members of the council know about their ire or their reservations about any particular matter. It doesn't mean we jump on it and get right what is perceived wrong but we do try and hear people out and see if we can address what they see as disconcerting. 

Going digital, even if it is ultimately only in the short-term, is not meant to cut the public out or conduct our business on the “down-low”. We have big decisions to make regarding “Area 51” (the 39 acres on Knapp Street) and our future Waste Water Treatment Plant (to name two items) which will become a reality in the next few years. As we make our plans and plod forward we hope we're doing our best to keep everyone who wants to know in the loop.