Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Meetings topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners consider prioritizing telephone dial‑in for public hearings after Zoom reliability concerns
Summary
After technology problems threatened notice requirements for community development public hearings, commissioners discussed making telephone the primary dial-in option and using Zoom as an observation option, subject to legal review.
Kootenai County commissioners discussed whether to make telephone dial‑in the primary method for public hearings and treat Zoom as an optional observation channel, following technology problems that have affected meeting notices and on‑record participation.
One commissioner said telephone access has been consistently reliable, while Zoom has at times produced delays or failures that could force hearing rescheduling. “If we have a problem with our meeting like this right now we could reschedule it in a couple of days and it's not a big deal but some of these take weeks,” the commissioner said, noting the statutory noticing windows for certain hearings.
County legal counsel (Pat) advised the board that if a Zoom link is included on a published agenda the link must work. The counsel suggested working through the county’s legal office to clarify how notices should read and whether Zoom should be positioned as observation-only to avoid jeopardizing notice requirements.
Commissioners agreed to have the legal office draft options for the board to consider, including adjusting published notices to state that telephone access is available and Zoom may be available for observation only, subject to further legal review.
No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; commissioners asked staff and legal to research options and return with recommended language and advice.
