Rhode Island public meetings have been virtual for more than a year. In that time, the audience for the meetings of public bodies such as school committees and planning boards – normally sparsely attended – has grown and diversified to include people who couldn’t get to in-person meetings.
But the technology that has allowed public meetings to continue through the pandemic has likely excluded other people, many say.
As the state and local governments plan for reopening traditional meetings, some officials and public advocates say they hope plans will include a mix of both in-person meetings and technology-enabled access.
If that happens, Common Cause Rhode Island, which tracks open meetings access, said guardrails need to be established for members of public boards to participate online, with most members gathering in person in order for meetings to be considered valid.
“Our position is that at least a quorum of public bodies should have to return in person,” said John Marion, Common Cause executive director.
Virtual public meetings started when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.
That’s when an executive order that suspended the state’s Open Meetings Act and allowed public meetings to be conducted remotely was signed by former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo.
Gov. Daniel J. McKee has renewed the order, extending the suspension until June 25.
‘There are real concerns about who is being excluded.’
JOHN MARION, Common Cause Rhode Island executive director
The order allows public bodies to use “adequate alternate means” of public access to allow people to access the deliberations of public bodies in real time and participate as well.
The options include telephone, internet and satellite-enabled audio and video conferences.
At first, many were worried the public would struggle with the complexities of the technology.
“Not everyone is on a laptop,” said Christine West, an architect who leads the Providence City Plan Commission. “To have phone participation was actually really important.”
Soon after the transition, she and other commissioners realized their online audiences had grown dramatically beyond the typical attendance. Still, West is concerned that something is getting lost online.
“There are some advantages,” she said. “People can hear the applicants. They can see, clearly, the drawings.” But what isn’t clear, she said, is whether the audience is paying attention to the entire presentation, or whether they’re listening after they’ve spoken at a virtual hearing.
For board members who often can’t see the speakers because cameras aren’t required to be activated, a virtual hearing makes it harder to “read the room.”
In an in-person meeting, West said, she can look out at the crowd and see who’s nodding in agreement during public comment. “You can kind of tell the level of public interest from the crowd,” she said.
What she hopes happens is a return to in-person meetings for the board members, with monitors that allow the public to participate virtually.
The administration of Mayor Jorge O. Elorza is investigating its options, according to Sabrina Solares-Hand, the city’s chief operating officer. But the idea is to proceed with a hybrid model, allowing online and in-person participation.
“We do see the value in having people have the flexibility to participate in a virtual environment,” she said.
Doing that will require spending some money and making modifications to its spaces to accommodate the technology.
So far, the Elorza administration has spent about $15,000 on about 30 online accounts that allow all city departments to hold public meetings virtually, primarily using the platform provided by Zoom Video Communications Inc. City Hall reopened fully on June 1, but as yet, city officials are waiting for state guidance on when to reopen in-person public meetings.
A spokeswoman for McKee did not respond immediately to a request for information about how the state will handle public meetings in the future.
Marion said there are certainly benefits to holding public meetings online. He’s noticed that the board of trustees overseeing Central Falls schools has used a feature of Zoom that allows for Spanish translations. And a member of the Block Island Utility Commission notified Marion recently that, although the commissioner doesn’t live on the island most of the year, he was able to participate in meetings throughout the winter without having to catch the ferry.
But Marion also cited U.S. Census information that says almost 15% of Rhode Islanders lack broadband internet access.
“Many, but not all, videoconferencing platforms provide for a toll-free telephone option for those who might not have internet access. But there are real concerns about who is being excluded,” Marion said.
Robert Davis, chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, said he hoped the state will continue videoconferencing as a complement to its in-person meetings, as it benefits both the public and board members.
Prior to the executive order that allowed virtual meetings, the commission had instances in which board members couldn’t get to the 5 p.m. weekday meetings on time. Meeting were delayed or canceled.
“We literally had situations where people were stuck in traffic on I-195,” Davis said. “You could hook them in by conference call, but it couldn’t count.”
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
