Truly Open Meetings

The pandemic taught us many things, including that being adaptive during unprecedented times is critical to meet the needs of family, businesses and the community at large. That need to be responsive to changing community priorities has not waned as the number of cases has fallen — whether it is in the workplace or at home, the reality is that the last 18 months has changed the way many of us live our daily lives. Businesses and government leaders must respond to those changes accordingly.

Local government officials, including school boards, quickly responded in the crisis — necessarily so, because of laws governing public meetings — and moved those gatherings to online platforms, where residents could still tune in and learn about what was happening week to week, and even to participate in the conversation. There were flaws, but the reality is that those meetings never had the kind of attendance they did when an online option was finally offered.

Some entities already had begun offering online viewing of meetings long before the pandemic as a means of increasing transparency, allowing many residents who work long hours the ability to tune in conveniently, encouraging their involvement.

As vaccines have spread and cases have dwindled, some municipalities are returning to in-person meetings — and that is good thing. There is nothing quite like in-person engagement. That said, villages and school districts need to make an earnest effort to also offer an online option for residents unable to attend these public meetings, for whatever reason, be it health concerns or simply because, after being at work all day, leaving the kids at home in order to understand what the school budget looks like, or what the future of paid parking may be in a downtown, is just not feasible.

After the last year and a half, most municipalities have moved a lot of services — including those that generate income — online. We need to make sure the most basic access to our village boards and school boards, which actually was enhanced in the midst of a challenging time, survives.