When Will Morristown Return To In-Person Meetings? Still Unknown

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Morristown is working on returning to in-person town meetings, but it remains uncertain when they'll come. During a discussion at Tuesday's virtual Town Council meeting, some officials expressed an urgency to get back to meeting in-person.

"Getting back live I think is important," said Council Member Robert Iannaccone. "We’re doing a lot of important things, and it’s been a long time."

Council Member David Silva said some residents have expressed difficulty accessing the Zoom meetings or might not have the technology for them. The public can also access town meetings by calling in, but that makes it more difficult to follow along than seeing faces, names and visual presentations on-screen.

"I have found people in town who want to go back to regular meetings," Silva said. "Many of them are not technology-savvy."

Morristown first planned to return to in-person meetings Sept. 1, before pushing it to Oct. 1. Now, there isn't a precise return date.

Town officials have been looking to meet two standards for returning to in-person meetings. One is seeing that the coronavirus transmission rate stays below one for at least two weeks, which Council President Stefan Armington says it since has. Another is setting up the technology to hold hybrid meetings in which people could still watch and participate at home.

The town's administration has been working with their audio-visual company to set up the council chambers for hybrid meetings, according to Town Administrator Jillian Barrick. But they've faced some obstacles.

"We have another test run we’re trying to schedule in the next couple of weeks, but we still haven’t gotten all of the equipment yet," Barrick said. "I need at least a few weeks, so I wouldn’t want to do something until at least the end of the month."

Barrick also warned that the transmission rate increased from 0.6 last week to 0.93 as of Tuesday. Mayor Tim Dougherty noted COVID-19's uncertain trajectory for the colder months and the contagiousness of the delta variant, so he warned officials about rushing back without all proper precautions in place.

Dougherty also noted some advantages to the virtual format.

"This format has reached a lot of people," Dougherty said. "At the Planning Board, we have more people than ever attending meetings."

Officials also discussed the possibility of meeting in-person at alternate sites in the meantime. Iannaccone suggested the courthouse and Morris County Administration Building, where the Board of County Commissioners meets.

But relocating would hinder hybrid efforts, since the technology is linked to the council chambers, Barrick said.

Silva also suggested precautions they could take in the county chambers, such as blocking off every other bench and setting up plexiglass.

Watch the full meeting below:

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