Public comments previously had to be submitted prior to the council’s regular meetings
CLARK COUNTY — With public meetings still happening remotely for the foreseeable future, Clark County Council is launching a new tool to help residents better engage at their regular meetings.
Starting Tuesday, Jan. 19, people wishing to provide public comment during a Clark County Council meeting can log in through Cisco’s WebEx platform either on their computer or a mobile device, or call in on the phone.
To do so, go to the county’s Council Meetings page shortly before a meeting, and click the link under Join by Computer, or call the telephone number provided.
Further instructions are available here.
Initially, people will join the event only as an attendee, meaning they can only see and/or hear the meeting.
Anyone wishing to speak can click the “participants” button in the lower-right corner, and then click “raise my hand” to notify the meeting administrator you wish to speak.
People attending the meeting using their phone can press ‘3’ to notify the administrator they wish to speak.
The technology represents an important step in addressing concerns raised by County Council members numerous times, that they feel the general public has not had their usual opportunity to speak up on important matters, due to the limited functionality of the virtual format.
Also, starting in February, council meetings on the first Tuesday of the month will be at 10 a.m., while meetings on the third Tuesday will be at 6 p.m. This resumes a schedule change initially started early last year, but then abandoned as meetings went fully online.
The meetings will continue to be livestreamed on Clark-Vancouver Television via Comcast channel 23, CVTV.org, or the CVTV Facebook page, and comments can still be submitted online at this link.
If you have any questions prior to the meeting regarding how to join and/or participate, please contact Rebecca Messinger at rebecca.messinger@clark.wa.gov or 564-397-4305.
