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Easthampton pilots new hybrid format for meetings

Date: 4/5/2022

EASTHAMPTON – After two years of remote, online-only participation in public meetings, all Easthampton multi-member bodies, boards, and committees returned to in-person meetings on April 1.

According to Lindsi Mailler, the municipal clerk for the Mayor’s Office and Licensing Commission, the city is essentially going back to the way it conducted meetings before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Under this formula, each room has the capability to record the meeting, and then Easthampton Media uploads the meeting to their YouTube channel and city website.

To allow the public to participate in meetings in-person or virtually, the city is also piloting a hybrid meeting option with selected multi-member bodies, including the City Council, Conservation Commission, Planning Board, School Committee, School Building Committee and Zoning Board of Appeals.

“We hope to have the hybrid model be a permanent extension, including all boards and committees in the future when we get our technology to that point,” said Mailler.

Back in February, Gov. Charlie Baker signed in a new law that extended COVID-19-related measures, including the allowance of public meetings to be conducted remotely until July 15. This law allows public bodies to continue providing “live, adequate, alternative” means of public access to the deliberations of the public body, instead of hosting meetings in a public place that is open and physically accessible to the public.

According to Mailler, when the state refers to “adequate, alternative means,” they are referring to providing public access through methods such as telephone, Zoom, Google access, public access television, as well as others. While these have been important avenues for public access over the course of the pandemic, Mailler told Reminder Publishing that the city will have to update technology in most of the meeting rooms in order to expand public access for all boards and committees.

“To be able to offer [these means] for all boards and committees, at this time we only have one to two rooms that have those capabilities,” said Mailler. “We are moving forward with the fiscal year [2023] budget, and it’s going to look a little different for technology, because we do need to start thinking about how we include these things.”

Mailler said that the city saw an increase in participation from the public when meetings were conducted in a remote setting, which means that as the city is piloting this hybrid formula, Mailler said the goal will be to find ways to extend access to the entire Easthampton population. “That includes people who can’t be on Zoom, and people who can’t be in-person and vice versa,” said Mailler. “We’re offering to a wider range of our community … the ability to attend these meetings and participate in their government.”