City Commission meetings are looking a bit different these days.

During the April 7 meeting, the city is testing call-in system for public comments.

The city began changing the meeting format last month as the COVID-19 pandemic spread.

The meetings are being held by video-conference, but the city is still make the effort to meet the requirements of open meeting laws under Article II, Sections 8 and 9 of the Montana Constitution.

City staff said they did a test run with the call-in process last week.

Staff and members of the public will be in the Gibson Room, commissioners will be visible and audible by video conferencing.

The public may call in during specific public comment periods at 406-761-4786.

“All callers will be in a queued system and are asked to remain on hold and be patient. Calls will be taken in the order in which they are received. Callers will be restricted to customary time limits. This is a pilot service to test the feasibility of expanded public participation by phone. We ask for your patience in the event there are technical difficulties,” according to city staff.

Members of the public should follow along during the meeting online or television to hear when the mayor announces agenda items. The public may call in at that time and be placed in the queue until the city clerk or mayor calls on speakers, when they will be unmuted and able to address the City Commission for up to three minutes for most agenda items and up to five minutes for public hearing items.

Speakers must first give their name name and address for the record as would be required in person during a meeting.

According to the city, callers are asked to mute their online or television audio of the meeting to avoid time-delayed background noise or feedback through the phone and to not use speakerphone when commenting.

As always, the agenda packet is available on the city website and the public can continue viewing and listening to the meetings on the government access channel City-190, cable channel 190 or online.

Members of the public can still attend in person, but are asked not to do so if sick. The city is requiring social distancing at the meeting and may limit the number of people in the room according to health guidelines.

Public comment may be submitted via email before 5 p.m. April 7 to commission@greatfallsmt.net. The email should include the agenda item or
agenda item number in the subject line, and include the name and address of the
commenter. Written communication received by that time will be shared with commissioners and appropriate city staff for consideration during the agenda item and before final vote on the matter; and, will be so noted in the official record of the meeting, according to city staff.

Cascade County is also testing web-based technology for their meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 7, commissioners said they’d start using ZOOM to hold public meetings on April 8 during their regularly scheduled work session.

Commissioner Jim Larson said in a release that the county “will be doing our best to comply with open meeting procedures without having the commissioners, staff and the public physically in a room together.”

The link to each meeting will be posted on the county website.

Those with laptop or desktop computers can access the meeting and participate by raising their hand when public comment is requested. Those without a computer can access the ZOOM meetings via a toll-free conference call-in number, also listed on the county’s website.

For those wishing to comment via telephone, listeners can tap STAR NINE (*9) on their handset to raise their hand. Callers will be placed in a queue in the order in which they tap the *9 on their handset.

County staff will moderate the meeting and acknowledge when a caller or computer user has entered the queue and their microphone or telephone will be unmuted when it’s their turn.

Comments are limited to seven minutes.

Larson said in a release, “we hope the community will be patient with us, as we all learn this new technology.  It is being implemented to keep government business moving forward, all while keeping our community and employees safe from transmission of COVID-19.”