Committee advances remote public‑comment preregistration with 9 a.m. Monday cutoff

City Manager Carolyn Lear presented a staff memo recommending mandatory preregistration for anyone who wants to give remote public comment, with a Monday 9 a.m. cutoff so staff can screen registrants and flag concerns to the council chair. Lear said the goal is to reduce disruptions while preserving remote participation and to pilot preregistration before considering more restrictive steps such as required video or closing the webinar doors.

Lear said staff are exploring a chair mute control but the technology is not yet available; meanwhile staff recommended better communication of flags and attention cues to manage disruptive participants. The memo notes the need to avoid creating additional barriers for people who access Zoom by phone and for whom video would not be available.

Councilors raised accessibility and timing concerns: several members worried that agendas posted late Friday could limit remote speakers' ability to register before the Monday 9 a.m. cutoff; staff said registration will be electronic and available through the weekend. One councilor asked whether frequent commenters could register once for all meetings; staff said the policy contemplates per‑meeting registration because the subject of comment helps flag potential disruptions.

Motion and outcome: a councilor moved and another seconded to accept the staff plan as outlined, with an addition that preregistered remote commenters should be present at the meeting start; there was "no objection" and the committee directed staff to draft a council order for implementation in January.

Ending: Staff will draft the council order and implement the preregistration policy in January unless the council chooses to modify the approach.