Challenges and successes with virtual meetings
Is this appropriate social distancing? It might work in some cases, but not for remote meetings in the midst of a pandemic with stay-at-home orders.
It’s far from “business-as-usual,” but business is still getting done each month in Manchester’s four rural townships, the Village of Manchester, on the school board, and on the Manchester District Library board of trustees.
After the Governors’ Executive Order allowing public meetings subject to the Open Meeting Act (OMA) to include participation by remote access technology, several virtual meeting applications were considered by the various government groups. When Whitmer’s EO expires, these entities will again be required to “meet in a place available to the general public” per the OMA.
With stay-at-home orders set in place during March, April, and now into the month of May, local government entities have sought out ways to make social distancing and, eventually, virtual meetings work out to keep board members and the public safe from the COVID-19 virus. Virtual meetings have been held via Zoom, various conference call technologies, and are even being considered in outdoor locations as the weather begins to improve.
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners is holding its meetings virtually for the duration of Governor Whitmer’s Stay-At-Home order and the board invites the public to attend its next meeting on May 7 via Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/434521782). Meetings begin at 6:30 pm and the public is always welcome to comment on topics relevant to the board.
In Sharon Township, Supervisor Peter Psarouthakis said that the board is using Zoom for its meetings. “We have had one board meeting so far using that platform and it went well,” he said. “We only had one public participant on the meeting, who did not make any public comments.”
The board will be posting on its website the information people will need to attend this Thursday’s (May 7) 7 pm meeting, just as they did for the April meeting.
Some virtual attendance at meetings has been very good, with up to 50 or more citizens attending a couple of recent Manchester Community Schools’ Board of Education meetings, which are held on Google Hangouts, allowing both audio and video participation. Links to join the meeting are posted on the school’s website prior to each meeting.
“The board has conducted these meetings with an impressive level of technical expertise,” said interim superintendent Scot Graden. “The format allows for interaction and public comment.”
Graden continued, “We have not discussed continuing, however, (other than) to the extent the stay at home order continues and the Open Meetings Act Executive Order is extended. It may continue for a couple more meetings; with that said, live-streaming is a possibility if the Board would want to … but that is yet to be determined.”
The next school board meeting will be held Monday, May 11, at 6 pm. A link to join the meeting is provided on the school website.
The Village of Manchester is using Vast Conference Calling, described by Village Clerk Julie Schaible as “one of the simplest options recommended by the Michigan Municipal League.”
Village Manager Jeff Wallace said, “For our purposes, virtual meetings have been working well to get day-to-day business done … business meetings, State treasury updates, Michigan Municipal League, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Chelsea updates, and the Pre-Construction Meeting on Dutch Drive. It has been great and saves a great deal of travel time.
“For operating our Council Meetings, it has been ok–we can keep business items we need weighed in on; it has been functional. However, it will be more difficult to have the interaction with each other and residents when dealing with resident concerns or public hearings on topics such as budget next month.”
Wallace said he enjoys the personal relationships that are developed by working with council members and citizens. He considers the virtual meeting as “another tool to get information out there for residents, which is good,” but adds that he is concerned about a “silo effect” as relationships get more digitized.
He believes if state laws were to change and this format was to continue and be successful after the stay in place order is lifted, “We would need to make the investment in technology to make it as comprehensive as possible, to ensure encouraging personal relationships using both sight and sound platforms.”
Village President Pat Vailliencourt agrees. “I am grateful that we can have our meetings like this under these circumstances, but feel strongly that in-person, face to face interaction is important,” she said. “I look forward to returning to our ‘normal’–whatever that may be in the future.”
The next Village Council meeting is set for tonight, Monday, May 4 at 7 pm and may be attended by calling in to (313) 209-3070, and punching in meeting code #559491. To request a turn to speak, “raise your hand” by pressing 5* and President Vailliencourt will recognize you.
Manchester Township also is using Vast Conference Calling for its meetings. Clerk Danell Proctor said that she reached out to Schaible after the Village’s first virtual meeting to see how it went, and the board determined that Vast was a good alternative for the township’s temporary use. But she said that they haven’t discussed using a similar format once the stay-at-home order is lifted.
Supervisor Gene DeRossett added, “We’ve had two meetings so far; the first was a little awkward because it was something new. Since then, we’ve all been going to church on Sunday through technology, I’ve attended real estate webinars online, and participated in a few virtual meetings. What was ‘new technology’ a short time ago, is quickly becoming very popular.”
But, he adds, “I think everyone will be relieved when we can go back to real meetings. I’m looking forward to having full meetings, face to face. I think when you’re discussing difficult or complex issues, it’s very important to be in the same room with the participants.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty, but I know everyone is anxious to get back to normal, although we don’t know what that ‘normal’ is going to look like.”
Manchester Township’s next meeting is scheduled for May 12 at 7 pm. To attend, check the Manchester Township webpage for agenda information or call 734-428-7090 for information. Since there are no office hours scheduled during this time, please call far enough in advance to allow for your message to be heard and returned.
Bridgewater and Freedom Townships are both holding virtual meetings as well, with Bridgewater utilizing freeconferencecall.com. Like Sharon Township, Freedom Township has chosen to use Zoom for its virtual meetings.
Bridgewater held its first electronic board meeting on April 2, according to Supervisor Laurie Fromhart. “For the most part it went well, except for some audio issues at the beginning of the meeting. We had a test run prior to the meeting.” They also held a test run on April 30 for their second board meeting, which will happen this Thursday.
“The Michigan Township Association (MTA) was a great resource for information as they provided us with a list of service providers to use. FreeConferenceCall.com allows for both video and conference call access, and I wanted the option of a conference call as it is more user-friendly and does not require you to download an application on your smart phone.
“I believe it’s essential for the Board to continue to meet in person but understand how the public likes the convenience of being able to participate from home,” she added. “Virtual meetings will not be an option after the executive order is lifted unless our legislature makes changes to the OMA that would allow for it.”
To participate in Bridgewater Township’s upcoming meeting on May 7 at 7 pm, contact the township hall at (517) 456-7728. Since there are no office hours scheduled during this time, please call far enough in advance to allow for someone to return your message.
Valisa Bristle, Freedom Township Clerk, said that they chose to use Zoom in April, with good success, even though some board members had not tried that format before.
“I had used it before,” she explained, “but it was a first for a couple board members so I set up test meetings so they were familiar with how it would work. “All five board members were present and we had one member of the public attend. Our meeting ran smoothly, but I do miss the in-person dynamics of our regular meetings.”
Bristle added that Freedom’s meetings aren’t usually highly attended anyway unless there is a “hot topic” on the agenda.
Freedom’s next meeting is scheduled for 8 pm on May 12. Contact Bristle at vlbristle@yahoo.com to learn how to participate in its next Zoom meeting.
The Manchester District Library had some struggles in its second attempt at a Zoom meeting on April 27. Gary Seguin, board president, said they had one meeting in late March where “a couple board members attended via Zoom.” That meeting was not set up to handle the public electronically, (although the library rarely has public participants) but went fairly well, he said.
“Our last meeting we tried to do it totally by remote,” he said. “It didn’t go well. Half the board was limited, either by internet access or by technology glitches. We managed to get business taken care of … but that’s about all.”
Seguin said that in his experience, “The virtual format may let extra people in but it also keeps out some, especially those in rural areas. In the future the Library board will try to avoid totally virtual meetings but a hybrid system may be used. It’s all a work in progress.”
The library is not scheduled to meet again until Monday, May 25. The time and location of the meeting are yet to be determined. Watch the Mirror for information about the library’s public budget hearing, which is scheduled to be held at this meeting.
Seguin’s concerns about internet access–or lack thereof–were echoed by Psarouthakis of Sharon Township.
“One of the problems we face in Sharon Township is the lack of internet access that our residents have from their homes,” he said when asked if the township might consider virtually including the public in future meetings. This is also a concern all all of the rural townships, where many or most residents have less-than-optimal internet service. “We will be discussing having a live video/audio feed in the future once we go back to regular in-person meetings, so that people can watch and listen if they are able to and would like to. It definitely would provide another means of keeping the public informed if they wanted to utilize it.”
Psarouthakis said that he has been attending other government meetings electronically (school district, townships, road commission, county commission) and finds it very helpful “to keep myself and my township informed of what is going on with different government entities that impact us all. It also has saved a lot of travel time for me going to those meetings in person.”
Once the executive order has been lifted (regarding conducting public meetings) public entities will not be able to electronically/remotely conduct their meetings as the OMA does not allow for it. This was a temporary concession in light of the COVID-19 crisis, and is the same for all government entities throughout the state.
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