Coffee with Council returns to Schaumburg Sept. 12

Schaumburg trustees plan to reinstate their long-standing tradition of offering residents an opportunity to ask questions and share concerns in an informal setting as Coffee with the Council returns Saturday, Sept. 12, for the first time since the pandemic began.

Of course, there will be changes due to the fact the pandemic isn't yet over.

First, the 9 a.m. gathering will be moved from the community room of the police station to Russ Parker Hall at the village hall, 101 Schaumburg Court.

Capacity in the room will be limited to 14 groups of one or two people, and the event will be made accessible on Zoom for those who either can't or prefer not to attend in person.

Additionally, coffee and doughnuts won't be served as in the past. Attendees will be allowed to bring their own coffee, but the aim is to get in-person participants from the door directly to their seats in the interest of social distancing.

"This is an experiment," senior village Trustee George Dunham said. "We're going to do it once and evaluate it and see where we are."

His hope is to make the event monthly again, and possibly even retain its traditional scheduling on the second Saturday of the month.

Russ Parker Hall already has been adapted for village meetings during the COVID-19 era. Though it has a capacity restriction, it would still accommodate the attendance of all but the largest of Coffee with the Council sessions of the past, Dunham said.

To make sure the limit isn't exceeded, however, those who wish to attend in person are asked to register at seam.ly/hAQ9bO2m and will be required to wear face coverings and socially distance when they arrive.

Others can attend via Zoom by going to attend" its Coffee with the Council meeting by tuning into the live stream via the Zoom video conferencing platform. Attendees can participate in a variety of ways including: 1. Submit comments or questions using the Chat feature. Comments will be monitored during the meeting and read into the record by village staff at the appropriate time. 2. Make public comments during the "Comments from the Audience" section as noted on the agenda. 3. Submit comments or questions in advance of the meeting by emailing btownsend@schaumburg.com. Please use the email subject line: September 12th CWC Meeting Comment/Question. Viewers who wish to join the meeting live can do so using the link and meeting information below. Please note: The meeting is password protected; participants must enter the password listed below. Be advised all telephone numbers and participant names will be visible to the public. +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) https://zoom.us/j/94177611002?pwd=anBlbEF6VnpPZ1JiWUlzVlhSUjZVQT09">zoom.us/j/94177611002?pwd=anBlbEF6VnpPZ1JiWUlzVlhSUjZVQT09.

Comments or questions by Zoom participants should be submitted in advance by emailing Village Manager Brian Townsend at btownsend@schaumburg.com with the email subject line: September 12th CWC Meeting Comment/Question.

Townsend said participation by Zoom is being encouraged in the interest of public health and safety.