City to hold two virtual meetings for public input ... (The Oak Ridger)

 Here's an idea our local governments should implement.  Holding Zoom meetings will help maximize public participation in a time of global pandemic.  The City of St. Augustine's misguided abolition of telephone public comment must be remedied.  From The Oak Ridger, Oak Ridge, Tenn:

City to hold two virtual meetings for public input on new gateway sign into Oak Ridge

Special to The Oak Ridger

The city of Oak Ridge invites the public to participate in a series of virtual public input sessions on the design of a new Oak Ridge gateway sign that visitors and residents will pass on their way into the city.

The sign will be placed on the island between South Illinois Avenue (state Highway 62) and Bethel Valley Road as drivers come off the Solway bridge heading toward the city and exit to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12, a city news release stated.

There will be two virtual sessions held on Zoom, where people can join and view the designs, ask questions and leave their feedback verbally or in the chat. The two meetings will be audio- and video-recorded and subtitles will appear on screen for those who are hearing-impaired

The recording will be published on the city’s website and captured on Facebook. The Facebook Live stream will allow people to comment in real-time and the video can also be rewatched following the initial stream and additional comments can continue to be made.

The Zoom meetings are set for the following dates.

The first Zoom meeting will take place Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.

The second Zoom meeting will take place Thursday, Feb. 18, from 3 to 3:45 p.m.

The meeting will be streamed onto the city of Oak Ridge Government Facebook page on Feb. 17 at 9:30 a.m. It will remain available for comment at any time in the future.