Blaine City Council encountered technical difficulties with the Zoom link for its June 22 regular meeting and decided to extend a public hearing on its six-year transportation improvement program due to the problem.
Zoom is an online program that Blaine and many other government agencies and businesses are using for conducting meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic.
One link that the city distributed for online meeting attendees took people to the wrong online room. A city employee stayed in that room throughout the meeting and directed attendees to the correct meeting.
However, with the delay and confusion, staff and council decided to hold open the public hearing for written comments and hold another public hearing on Zoom at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 29. Details will be posted on the city’s website.
The six-year transportation improvement program prioritizes transportation projects and improvements throughout the city. It is updated annually as pursuant to state law. The program outlines current and potential transportation needs in the city and is required for the city to receive state and federal funding for transportation projects.
The draft 2021-2026 plan includes Boblett Street corridor improvements, Bell Road grade separation and lane improvements, phase 3 of Peace Portal Community Trail, and many other projects.
People can participate in the June 29 Zoom meeting either with a computer (including tablets and smartphones) or a telephone. Those on a computer will have the opportunity to speak by “raising their hand” on Zoom. To do that, attendees must click the “participants” button on the bottom of the screen, which opens a window that has an option for clicking “raise hand.” More information on how to do that will be included in the meeting’s agenda, Jones said.
For telephone attendees, city staff will call on each caller by the last four digits of their phone number and give them the opportunity to speak.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here