Granite Shoals halts public comments from online meeting attendees
Granite Shoals will no longer allow public comments from online participants during meetings, which will still be livestreamed and recorded for later access. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The Granite Shoals City Council voted to halt online public comments at council and commission meetings. The unanimous vote came after a lengthy discussion on Tuesday, July 23. People still will be able to livestream meetings and access past recordings, but they won’t be able to participate in them virtually.
City leadership has grappled with whether to allow online participation in open meetings since COVID-19 pandemic protocols were lifted in September 2021. Everyone, including council members, met virtually during the pandemic lockdown.
“I think that it’s time that we let Zoom go,” said Place 6 Councilor Catherine Bell, opening the discussion on Tuesday night. Zoom is a video call and virtual meeting software that allows live messaging.
The city is under no legal obligation to allow online public participation, and it is the only government body in the Highland Lakes that has done so. Granite Shoals is also one of only a few Highland Lakes entities to livestream meetings, along with the Meadowlakes City Council and Marble Falls Independent School District Board of Trustees.
Councilors cited a variety of reasons for the online public comments decision, including low virtual turnout for meetings, distractions, and the desire to have more face-to-face interactions.
Bell told DailyTrib.com that low online turnout was why she pushed to end the practice.
“We’ve been noticing there are just one or two people on (Zoom),” she said. “We would rather have everybody come in. It’s easier face to face for me. I want to see them in person and hear their questions and get to know them personally.”
According to a Granite Shoals city staff report, an average of 4.5 residents participated in the city’s 30 council and committee meetings between Feb. 1 and July 11.
While average attendance and participation online is low, Zoom viewers have turned out in force during especially controversial meetings. In December 2023, 61 online participants logged on for a City Council meeting concerning the proposed killing of feral cats. January 2024, another well-attended month, was not included in the numbers used for averages.
“We didn’t really get any benefit from (online participation),” Place 1 Councilor Brian Edwards said at Tuesday’s meeting. “A few of the citizens may watch, (but) they rarely make any comments. And when they do, it slows meetings way down.”
Mayor Ron Munos said he doesn’t “have a problem with Zoom,” but ultimately voted along with the rest of the council to discontinue online participation. However, he strongly advocated for continuing meeting livestreams and making recordings available to residents.
Place 3 Councilor Judy Salvaggio closed out the meeting by affirming her support for public participation in all forms.
“We want all of the citizens to participate in our council meetings in any way, form, or fashion,” she said. “We want the citizens to be involved.”
Recordings of Granite Shoals council and committee meetings can be accessed through the city’s website.