John Mack - Newtown Supervisor

Should Hybrid In-Person/Online Meetings Be the New Norm?

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 or are already hosting hybrid in-person/online public meetings (read "Incorporating Zoom Into Live BOS Meetings").

This survey asks your opinion regarding whether or not townships such as Newtown should implement hybrid 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.

 

NOTE: The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) announced that the PA House and Senate adopted a joint Resolution (HR 106) which terminates Governor Wolf’s March 6, 2020, COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration. "Township officials should keep in mind that Act 15 of 2020  allowed all local government types to conduct fully virtual or teleconference meetings while the governor’s emergency disaster declaration was in effect," said PSATS. "Since the disaster declaration was terminated with the passage of HR 106, townships of the second class may go back to pre-declaration conditions and conduct in-person or hybrid meetings. Hybrid meetings must have a physical meeting location where the public may attend in-person, as well as a virtual option, and supervisors may participate in-person or virtually. While some other local government codes have specific requirements for an in-person quorum, the Second Class Township Code does not have any such provisions. The Sunshine Law does require a physical meeting location for the public to participate."

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.

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? 
TAKE MY SURVEY.

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.