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03/22/2022 04:02 PMWith the removal of Connecticut’s statewide mask mandate late last month, Chester, Deep River, and Essex are returning to a state of normalcy, as town buildings are now mask-optional and town boards are offering in-person attendance at town meetings—though all three towns are looking for ways to continue offering remote attendance through hybrid meetings.
Residents can now walk into public buildings with the personal option of wearing a protective facial mask, and can also now make appointments with town officials in-person, and attend meetings that previously were strictly held remotely, as affirmed by Chester First Selectwoman Charlene Janecek.
“People can come in, make appointments, and all meetings can be held in-person,” she said. “Certainly if people are more than comfortable wearing maskings, they can wear them.”
One of the outcomes of the COVID pandemic was the need for holding meetings remotely, which caused technical hurdles for some but opened up the possibility of attendance to far more than could attend an in-person meeting, which is why the towns are looking to keep remote options open during in-person meetings.
In Essex, meetings are still planned to be held in hybrid formats using Zoom, according to Essex First Selectman Norm Needleman.
“I think these hybrid meetings are going to be a thing of the future,” he said. “There’s definitely been a value for the flexibility for residents, and for board and commission members.”
Needleman observed how over the past two years, Zoom allowed for higher attendance at town meetings with both officials and residents, something that was not possible before the advent of COVID-19, as not all members of a town body could be present at in-person meetings.
One of the greatest benefits of continuing to hold hybrid meetings is that it has allowed for specific demographics who may have not been able to participate in public affairs to have the opportunity to, such as senior citizens who may not drive at night, people with disabilities, and working parents with children.
“A lot of women have said they want this permanently,” he said. “Working moms, especially, have a hard time participating. I think they are right. I’m all about inclusivity.”
Janecek has echoed this, seeing that meetings held in a hybrid setting have increased the rate of attendance and participation by residents to a higher level than before the onset of COVID-19. Residents have the opportunity to be more involved and speak out in public affairs and energize meetings.
“We live in a democracy, and that’s the way it should be,” she said. “People should be able to participate in how their government runs, and they should be able to be heard.”
Deep River First Selectman Angus McDonald said that having virtual-only conversations with residents was one of the biggest losses of holding remote meetings, so he welcomes the return to in-person attendance by the public to bring back face-to-face connections between residents and officials.
Understanding those benefits that have arisen with hybrid meetings, the towns want to bolster their legitimacy with future plans to improve the technology to hold these meetings efficiently.
Chester is currently in the midst of trying to have funding approved to upgrade its computer systems for its two Town Hall meeting rooms, according Janecek, who cited previous technological issues in the town’s last hybrid meeting in December.
“It took us several hours to set up so we could do it that way,” she said. “We had glitches during the meeting, and people who were trying to view with Zoom, we couldn’t see them at all. So we have to improve our ability to hold these meetings as a hybrid.”
Janecek’s proposal to for future improvements are set to be discussed on Thursday, April 7.
McDonald also wants to improve access and visibility for attendants at public meetings, particularly for those who may not be adept at using technology.
“We’re working on getting a STEAP grant to get town hall better equipped,” he said. “We’re obtaining proposals now from our IT people. Once that is in place, we will have quite a bit of hybrid meetings.”
While the decision to still hold meetings remotely is up to the towns’ boards and commissions, with COVID-19 cases dropping, and the hopes from officials for no more future variants of concern, hybrid meetings are to remain a permanent format for the towns.
For McDonald, considering the technological improvements and the inclusivity hybrid meetings offer, the benefits are too good to ignore.
“I can’t think of a board or a selectman who would not want to encourage public participation,” he said. “It’s how democracy works, and we like it.”