Members of the community who want to participate in the local democratic process are being offered new ways to get involved in an effort to increase public participation. 

The City of Austin’s Office of the City Clerk, with the assistance of City Hall IT and ATXN, have implemented changes to the way Boards and Commissions operate to enable individuals to provide public comment remotely via phone. 

It is part of renewed efforts to open City government to more people who might otherwise struggle to attend a public meeting in person. 

Remote participation has been an option for regular meetings of the Austin City Council since early in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

However, this option has now been extended to include the 70 or so Boards and Commissions that form a crucial part of local decision making. 

The Clerk’s Office worked with Mayor and Council to amend City Code in January 2022 to allow Boards and Commissions to conduct “hybrid meetings”, where as long as the presiding officer is physically present, the remaining members may join by videoconference and all public participants may take part over the phone. 

“These reforms, which provide many more people the flexibility to join meetings remotely, demonstrate our commitment to adapting to the needs of our community,” said City Clerk Myrna Rios. “Offering hybrid meetings is a welcome transition especially for the Boards and Commissions that faced challenges meeting consistently during the pandemic. With more options now available, we look forward to increased public participation contributing to future meeting successes.” 

Speakers may register to speak either in-person or remotely, and are allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. For remote participation, registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required. Individuals can register by contacting the respective staff liaison, whose details are included on the meeting agenda. 

The community may also continue viewing Council and some Board and Commission meetings remotely on ATXN or at www.ATXN.TV.