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City staff recommends 60‑minute Zoom town halls; council asks for scheduling options in spring
Summary
Communications staff recommended a one‑hour virtual town hall format (Zoom), advanced promotion and question collection; council favored holding a town‑hall style session in late April or early May to include incoming councilmember and avoid summer and holiday timing.
Todd Barnes, the city’s communications director, presented options for virtual community meetings, recommending Zoom town halls limited to 60 minutes with pre‑submitted questions, a moderator and advance promotion.
Barnes said organizers should collect questions in advance to ensure broader participation and suggested that council members participate from personal locations to create a more conversational tone. He provided estimated costs for outreach: a mailed postcard to the entire city would cost about $19,500, while boosted social media posts can run for under $50 and provide targeted reach. "One of the primary interests ... was that the virtual town hall would meet the needs of individuals who may not be able to attend ward meetings in person," Barnes said.
Council discussion focused on timing and format. Several members favored a 60‑minute talk‑show or moderated question‑and‑answer approach rather than a long forum; some suggested pairing an online session with an in‑person, casual “talk‑show” end‑of‑year (or spring) event filmed or streamed from City Hall. Several council members preferred holding the first town hall in late April or early May to allow a newly elected councilmember time to settle in and to precede summer vacation schedules. Council asked staff to prepare format options and specific dates for a future strategic planning conference (SPC) session and to coordinate calendar availability for ward meetings and other community events.
Ending: Staff will return with specific format proposals and recommended dates, and staff and council will coordinate calendars so town‑hall events do not conflict with existing community meetings.
