Councilors Propose Regulations For Virtual Meetings Post-Pandemic

BOSTON — Last March, Gov. Charlie Baker issued an executive order that public meetings didn’t need to be held in a public space as long as “adequate, alternative means'' were provided. Cities and municipalities across the state and country have turned to online meeting spaces, including Zoom and livestreams. The Boston City Council is considering ways to make that virtual accessibility something that outlasts the pandemic.

“Local democracy flourishes when every resident can participate and follow along in public meetings,” said Lydia Edwards, councilor for District 1, at the council’s meeting on Wednesday. “Our democracy today needs to meet people where they are, and they are on their apps, they are on social media, they are on their computers and they are on their laptops.”

The city council adjusted quickly during the pandemic, but it needs to think about how that expansion of services remains when people can meet safely in-person again, Edwards said. She pointed out that having weekday morning meetings means many people who have jobs can't go, and having only in-person meetings prevents people who don’t speak English from being able to participate without translators.

“There was a lot of inequity in who could show up and the languages that they could speak,” Edwards said.

She said the ordinance would address language, barriers to people with disabilities, and a timeline for when and how to implement the changes. She said she believes it should be a law to make sure that public meetings remain accessible, and become even more accessible to people who can’t traditionally attend.

“We can adjust our government to meet people where they are,” Edwards said.

Julia Mejia, a councilor-at-large, agreed that the council should use what it’s learned during the pandemic to make accessibility and participation better after it ends.

“If we really want to lead with community driven goals, then we need to be able to involve the community along in that process,” said Mejia. “When we went remote, we proved what is possible and now we need to continue to move that work forward.”

Edwards noted that the goal was to keep the benefits of online meetings when they returned to meeting in-person—she was not proposing they replace traditional, in-person meetings. Michelle Wu, a councilor-at-large who signed on to the ordinance, said the council should keep in mind that some people may feel more uncomfortable participating in a virtual meeting, because they cannot see the other attendees.

Another resolution aimed to increase government transparency and citizen involvement by taking a look at the city of Boston’s digital infrastructure. Edwards questioned why residents should have to go in-person to get a permit to add a dormer to their home instead of simply being able to apply online. Mejia said this could be another area to think about how people who don’t speak English are able to access city services.

“I think access to data, to digital infrastructure, is just as important as our streetscape, just as important as our tree canopy, it’s just as important as our water infrastructure, our electrical grid,” said Edwards. “This is how our city is going to flourish and grow and be more accessible.”

The digital infrastructure ordinance was referred to the Committee on City, Neighborhood Services and Veteran Affairs, and the accessibility ordinance was referred to the Committee on Government Operations.