Council committee previews 1Meeting public speaker and comment portal; code changes required before public rollout

Councilor Joaquin Martinez, chairing a City Council committee meeting, on an online demonstration of a new public‑facing portal that would let residents sign up to speak or submit comments electronically for council meetings. City staff and a Granicus trainer showed the 1Meeting public portal’s sign‑up flow, clerk reporting features and timer display but said code changes are needed before the city can fully publicize the service.

City staff showed committee members how constituents would use the portal to find meetings, click a microphone icon to “request to speak,” choose the agenda section, indicate for/against/no position, and enter name, address and a topic. “This is where your constituents would go to view meetings, and to sign up to speak or comment,” Granicus trainer Susan Spencer said during the demonstration.

Why this matters: staff and the mayor’s office have been pursuing a digital sign‑up option to modernize public participation, but the current council rules (Chapter 2‑2) list only mail, email, fax or phone as permitted sign‑up methods. Marta Conejo, the staff member managing implementation, told the committee “it only allows for speakers to sign up via mail, email, fax, or phone,” and that rule will need amendment before the portal can be widely posted.

Committee members and staff discussed operational details that would affect accessibility and meeting flow. Staff said the City Secretary’s Office would retain the ability to add callers and people who cannot sign up online, and would run reports that export speaker and comment lists to Excel or PDF for distribution to council offices. During the demo Spencer showed that clerks can start a speaker timer that turns orange as time nears expiration and that a public countdown can be displayed so speakers and the audience can see remaining time.

Staff flagged features and limits that affect implementation. The portal can be toggled on or off per agenda section or per meeting, and clerks can set a sign‑up cut‑off time (for example, no sign‑ups after a set hour). However, the portal does not let meeting moderators reorder speakers within a session from inside the live interface; staff said reordering would require exporting the list and manually editing it or using the City Secretary’s Office to enter an adjusted order during the meeting.

Committee members asked about confirmation receipts and accessibility. A staff member from Councilmember Castillo’s office asked whether people signing up online receive confirmation; Granicus’s Spencer said the portal currently shows an on‑screen “submitted” message and that she would investigate whether an email confirmation can be enabled. Staff agreed to explore layout and font changes to make the sign‑up icons more prominent for users with limited vision.

Staff proposed a phased approach to roll‑out and training. City staff said they expect a first live 1Meeting session in October for internal testing and training and recommended public outreach and instructional videos be prepared in late October once needed council‑rule changes are drafted. Marta Conejo told the committee she will work with the City Secretary’s Office on a transition period in which the phone, mail and email options remain available while the new portal is introduced.

Committee members raised equity concerns for residents without internet access; staff emphasized that the traditional sign‑up methods would remain in place and that City Secretary staff would enter those callers into the system on their behalf.

The committee did not take a formal vote during the demonstration. Staff said they will return with proposed language for rule changes and plans for public outreach after internal testing and the initial live session.

For follow up: staff recommended council offices continue to familiarize themselves with the portal, and agreed to provide recorded trainings and a recorded public‑facing walk‑through to assist constituents.

Ending: The demonstration concluded with staff thanking Granicus for the training and with a commitment to return with rule changes and a public outreach plan once City Secretary staff have completed initial testing.