"I don't believe having a driver's license should be a prerequisite for participating in municipal government," said Mr. Christensen in a public comment before the Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) at the November 23, 2021, public meeting.

This was not the first time that Mr. Christensen came before the BOS to advocate for hybrid meetings. View a video of his comments at the August 25, 2021 BOS meeting.

Reports from Planning Commission; Engineer's update: DCED Watershed Restoration Fund grant, Lower Dolington Road Multi-Use Trail, Village at Newtown Traffic Study; Solicitor's Report: Legal NAC Expansion Project, Bucks County EMS Chief’s Association Request for ARPA Funds for EMS; Budget Discussion; Hybrid Meetings; Planning Commission to review Arcadia HOP Application; More...

This is my personal summary of the November 23, 2021, meeting of Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary.

Contents

• Public Comment
• Reports of Committees
• Reports of Officials
• Bills List
• Old Business
• New Business
• My Personal Notes

Read more...

[image: Portsmouth Listens has helped the city transform its public meetings. Above, a Portsmouth Listens facilitator leads a study circle.]

Picture this: You're at a public meeting. Members of the public share concerns at the microphone, with a timer buzzing if they talk too long. The council sits quietly and does not respond to the public's comments, and then proceeds with the agenda once the public comment period is over. Something about the process just feels wrong, but you can't deviate from the rules of the meeting. Or can you? Some communities across the country are changing the law to allow for more participatory public meetings. And you can too*.

The shift from in-person to online meetings during the pandemic is an example of how we actually can change the way we hold public meetings. Some communities are even electing to keep online components intact after the pandemic ends in order to allow for easier participation (read, for example, “Doylestown: Incorporating Zoom Into Live BOS Meetings").

As we think about changing public meetings, this seems like the moment to take stock of how we structure our meetings in general. Is the way that we have historically held public meetings the best way? Are we truly engaging the public? 

Communities across the United States are starting to experiment with more modern styles of public meetings that are participatory and collaborative. For instance, the city of Austin, Texas, has an entire Public Participation wing of its government. In Chicago and Boston, cities have experimented with the public's participation in deciding budget priorities. In 2017, Portsmouth, N.H., voted to change its city council rules to allow more public dialogue in public meetings.

Portsmouth historically used a traditional city meeting format of Robert's Rules of Order and public comment. But then the city voted to change its meetings to include community dialogue sessions that replaced public comment. The rationale for changing the meeting structure was to promote more engagement between the council and the public. 

In Portsmouth's community dialogue sessions, the nine city councilors break into small groups with constituents and lightly facilitate a conversation where community members can bring up any topics on their mind. 

In an era where many communities are distrusting or dissatisfied with their local government, flipping the script on how we engage the public may be the answer.

Reports from Planning Commission, Technology & Communications Committee and Environmental Advisory Council; Engineer's update: PennDOT Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant, MS4 Annual Report; Legal Action Agains KVK Tech; Weed Ordinance; Police Report; Hybrid Meetings; LED Streetlights; More...

This is my personal summary of the October 13, 2021, meeting of Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete summary.

Contents

• Public Comment - Toll Bros settlement process appears to be "a deliberate effort to keep the discussion ... out of the public eye. The process has gone awry," said a resident
• Reports of Committees - rezoning Business Commons, Newtown Twp website analytics reveal low committee pageviews, EAC on single-use plastics, 2020 census data for the Jointure
• Reports of Officials - NT will take KVK Tech to court! Seeking grant to connect disconnected sidewalks. September police report
• Bills List - invoices to be paid total $976,275.46
• Old Business - Hybrid meetings
• New Business - LED street lighting; NT locked into early 20th century technology
• My Personal Notes - unique insights

More details....

In a comment made at the September 8, 2021, Board of Supervisors meeting, Newtown Grant resident John D’Aprile, was of the opinion that the township should not spend money on hybrid meetings so that “lazy” residents can attend. “Why should we cater to someone who is lazy and does not want to come to meetings?,” quipped Mr. D’Aprile.

In my opinion, Mr. D’Aprile’s comments are an insult to residents who are NOT lazy such as the elderly, the handicapped, and anyone susceptible to COVID infections.

UPDATE (9/22/21): Video Gold submitted more detailed proposals/quotes for various options to implement hybrid public meetings via Zoom, Youtube etc. (view the proposals/quotes). At the September 22, 2021, BOS meeting, supervisor Kyle Davis requested that the township get more details about the equipment needed. No further action was taken. Background: "Residents Say YES To Hybrid In-Person/Online Public Meetings."

At the August 25, 2021, Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting, Newtown Friends Home & Village Board Chairman Terry Christiansen asked the township to implement hybrid Board of Supervisors meetings so that disabled people such as himself as well the elderly can attend & participate remotely.

[The image shows how the Newtown Zoning Hearing Board improvised a "hybrid" meeting to allow one of its members to attend virtually. Not an optimal solution by any means!]

As of December 16, 2021, over 200 people - including more than 160 Newtown Twp residents - signed my petition asking Newtown supervisors to support "any and all efforts to allow remote/online participation of residents in Newtown Township Board of Supervisors' meetings via Zoom or some other appropriate technology."

See the signatures embedded at the end of this post: https://johnmacknewtown.info/blog/?viewDetailed=202108050121 

As a Newtown Supervisor, I strongly believe that hybrid meetings will allow more residents to attend meetings and participate in local government. A well-informed, actively involved citizenry is something that every community needs to aspire to and work to cultivate. Modern technology like Zoom is both effective and affordable to accomplish this.

Remote Access Denied to Disabled Planning Commission Member!

Not only is it best practice for the public to be able to remotely attend and participate in BOS and other important public meetings, commission and committee volunteer members must also be given this option - especially handicapped and/or immunocompromised members.
 
Recently, I received this email from Kierstyn Zolfo, a member of the Newtown Planning Commission:

My name is Kierstyn Zolfo, and I live on Greenbriar Lane here in Newtown. For the past three years I have volunteered on the Newtown Township Planning Commission. I also have a chronic medical condition that leaves me immunocompromised. I am under explicit instructions from the specialist who oversees my treatment that I am to avoid indoor spaces with groups of people, especially those with unknown vaccine status. This is why I am not delivering this public comment in person.

During 2020 and the first half of 2021, the Planning Commission held its meeting via Zoom, and I had no difficulty participating. But the return to in-person meetings this year did not go smoothly. The only option the township has provided for those of us on the Planning Commission who must participate remotely is an old office phone equipped with an obsolete speakerphone. This hardware slowly deteriorates in quality as it is used until about 45 minutes into any call, when it stops producing human language and instead emits a stream of unintelligible blurps and squeaks.  It is an inadequate option.

Other, smaller neighboring communities have managed to upgrade their municipal facilities in order to provide hybrid meetings with audio and visual capabilities. We only have an inadequate, broken speakerphone here in Newtown for the Planning Commission. 

Newtown Township has legal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But more important than that, as a board, you have a duty to the dozens of volunteers who, collectively, give hundreds if not thousands if hours of their own time each year on this Township's boards, councils and commissions to ensure this community thrives. We deserve better from you than a broken phone... and more from you than months of delay.  

Please implement a phased solution to solve this problem. Please replace the existing, obsolete phone with a new model that is designed for conference call usage to serve as a temporary solution as you determine the technology upgrades needed in this facility to fulfill your obligations under the ADA.

I know I am not the only volunteer who has had to endure this obstacle in the past few months. Please take these take the steps necessary to ensure we can safely continue to give our time to our Newtown community.

Newtown resident Frank McCarron stood before the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) at the August 11, 2021, public meeting and asked some very important questions.

Mr. McCarron wanted to know if the township looked at the 5-year financial plan provided by consultants at substantial cost to see if the predictions were borne out and what the impact would be on the 2022 budget.

Mr. McCarron noted that the 2021 budget called for the hiring of new NTPD officers and a total of 5 new officers may join the force in 2021. He asked if any of these would be officers of color in order to make the NTPD more diverse.

Finally, Mr. McCarron called upon the township to implement hybrid meetings* that would allow remote/online participation of residents in Newtown Township Board of Supervisors' meetings via Zoom or some other appropriate technology.

Now that emergency measures are no longer mandatory but with COVID variants emerging, the Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) meetings and other public meetings are exclusively live in-person events. Residents, regardless of their age, disability, or susceptibility to COVID, must attend to make their views known.

There is no need to put the public at risk. Many residents overwhelmingly support "hybrid" public meetings that make it easier for them to attend important public meetings such as BOS meetings by giving them the option to not only attend in person but also to attend virtually via Zoom or some other remote technology.

As a Newtown Supervisor, I strongly believe that hybrid meetings will allow more residents to attend meetings and participate in local government. If you agree, I urge you to sign my Petition to the Board of Supervisors.

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION NOW!

Guest Opinion: By Scott Bomboy

One of the lessons learned during the COVID-19 era is that more citizens want online access to local government meetings. But the Pennsylvania state law designed to make that happen is badly outdated and needs a digital overhaul.

In Perkasie, where I am a borough council member, we saw a notable increase in video views for our live and recorded Zoom and YouTube meetings during COVID-19 compared with in-person meetings held at borough hall before the pandemic. Neighboring towns probably saw the same increase.

The video meetings were held using temporary rules passed by state lawmakers to supplement the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act of 1998. The Sunshine Act doesn’t account for local government meetings that are livestreamed to digital devices.

However, during the pandemic, the temporary rules were simple. Local governments had to post advance notice online including the date, time and technology used for the meeting, and how public could comment “directly through the teleconferencing or videoconferencing system used to hold the meeting, via email and/or via postal mail.”

...live video meetings allow more citizens to participate in the process, especially those who face physical barriers attending in-person meetings, increasing civic engagement. And unedited video recorded meetings also would benefit the free press and allow for a broader public discussion of issues.

The state Office of Open Records also issued advisory guidance about the recorded video of virtual local government meetings, with a strong recommendation that “any agency holding a remote meeting record the meeting and proactively make the recording available (preferably online) so that a full and complete record of the meeting is easily accessible by the public.”

That said, those guidelines expired when Pennsylvania’s state of emergency ended. With the rules gone, local governments providing live or recorded video to residents now must rely on outdated laws or make up rules on the fly — risking a lawsuit.

The Sunshine Act ensures residents and taxpayers have a voice on “matters of concern” at local government meetings. But without a revised act, these governments are stuck in limbo when it comes to live or recorded video. It is in everyone’s best interest to update the Sunshine Act for the digital age.

ON June 21, 2021, Newtown Township supervisor John Mack met with several township residents via Zoom to update them on the following:

• Starting the 2022 Budget Process Sooner Rather Than Later
• Overview of Arcadia Land Development Plan
• Overview of Wawa ZHB Hearing
• Progress Report on Lower Dolington Road Trail Project
• Spending COVID Relief Money (American Rescue Funds) -  Survey Results
• Hybrid Public Meetings - including summary of preliminary survey results

View the Zoom video archive, including notes from the meeting.

Local governments and organizations were forced to transition in-person meetings to online, seemingly overnight, due COVID-19 restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Many people learned new tools and technologies in order to continue to work and support their constituents.

As COVID-19 restrictions are being eased or lifted entirely and as more people are fully vaccinated, townships are planning to return to live in-person meetings. Some townships are already hosting hybrid in-person/online public meetings (see "Related Content" below).

WHAT DO YOU THINK? TAKE MY SURVEY!

Survey asks: Do you favor the implementation of hybrid in-person/online township public meetings where officials meet in person as before COVID-19 but the public has the option to participate remotely via Zoom (or other technology) or in person? 

Your open-end comments are also welcome.

No identifying information is collected via this survey unless you opt-in to provide such information for purposes of follow-up by subscribing to John Mack's email newsletter. After completing the survey, you will be able to see a de-identified summary of the results to date.

DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Newtown Township approved survey. Its purpose is solely to inform John Mack – a Newtown Supervisor – of the public’s opinion regarding this issue.