Editorial: Governments should continue to stream or record meetings

We've learned many things during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we've made adjustments to our daily lives to work around our solitude.

Clearly, many of us who do "office" work will be adopting hybrid schedules soon, given widespread availability of internet service in the suburbs and our growing facility with online meeting platforms such as Zoom, Google Teams and Ring Central. Perhaps one of the most important things we've learned is we can still be together while being apart.

That's something that should not be lost on those who do the work of the people.

The Bartlett village board held virtual board meetings during the pandemic. A couple months ago the board resumed in-person meetings, but residents still have a live online option on Zoom. Village Clerk Lorna Giless said the village will keep that up for a bit, depending on whether residents take advantage of it.

Many municipalities, including Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates, livestreamed their village board meetings even before the pandemic. They do so on YouTube, which gives viewers and opportunity to see what's happening while not affording them a chance to participate.

Still other municipalities and school districts record their board meetings and post them online within a couple of days.

This provides still less opportunity for participation, but at least it brings to life what in years past was relegated to mandated recountings of meetings through clerks' minutes.

With the mechanics of recording or streaming board meetings already sorted out, it would be a good public service and a nod to transparency to keep this up.

Our experience is there is a small but dedicated group of people in the suburbs who attend every meeting, whether the agenda holds an issue important to them or not. But few have that level of interest or dedication.

Streaming meetings, where people can follow along and ask questions during a public comment portion of the meeting, is a valuable public service.

It enables those of us with busy lives and mobility issues an opportunity to watch government in action without having to worry about getting to a meeting on time or finding someone to watch the kids.

Consider the rigmarole one must go through to attend a two-minute status hearings in court and how the change to Zoom hearings during the pandemic has provided relief for all concerned. It has even cut down on the cost of transporting inmates to court.

While participating in person will be preferable in many cases, having the option to do so remotely is something we can - and should - continue. It's up to us as citizens to take advantage of it.