South Elgin’s village board resumed meeting in person Monday, but the ability to watch the meetings remotely will continue.
Virtual access to the village board meetings will resume next month and continue as an option for guests, Village Administrator Steve Super said this week.
“This gives people the option to see what is going on without actually attending in person,” said Super.
Prior to the pandemic, village board meetings were held in person at the South Elgin Village Hall. Unlike some other elected boards in the area, South Elgin’s village board did not have video equipment to live-stream and archive the meetings.
Over the past several months, trustees, staff and the public have met for the board meetings via Zoom. Super said virtual attendance has at times topped the in-person attendance they typically get, and audience members have told officials they like the option.
Staff are considering lives-treaming the meetings using Facebook Live, YouTube, or other similar technology. The video could then be uploaded and archived on the village’s Facebook page or its online village board platform for later viewing.
“One of the things we learned is the technology with like Zoom is it has improved a lot. It wasn’t that long ago that you needed to have a real camera (to record meetings). If we had to set up a camera in our small room, it would be difficult.”
Super said the online viewing format should be up for the first or second board meeting in August, pending research and testing of potential equipment. The board does not need to vote on this measure as the project would cost less than $1,000, he added.
This online format, though, would not allow for public comment, Super said. As a result of the switch back to in-person meetings, members of the public can address the village board again in person or via written comment.
Monday’s village board meeting was held at South Elgin’s public services facility on Bowes Road. Super said all upcoming village board meetings will be held at the facility versus Village Hall “until the end of COVID” because the facility’s larger space allows for social distancing between elected and village officials, the media, and the public.