Hybrid town council meeting fizzled

While Town of La Conner leaders say they listen to their constituents, it has been hard for the opposite to happen – the public hearing town council – for those logging into hybrid meetings this summer.

Due to technology-related glitches, action taken during recent in-person council sessions at Maple Hall has been largely inaudible to persons attending on-line, leaving Mayor Ramon Hayes and Town Administrator Scott Thomas to troubleshoot sources of the problem.

“We’re trying to find the cause,” Hayes told the Weekly News on Thursday. “I think it might be the hall itself. It’s a large space with wood flooring and everything seems to reverberate.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, council meetings were held exclusively on the Zoom teleconferencing platform from spring 2020 through this June. The panel returned to in-person meetings after Gov. Jay Inslee ended public health restrictions.

In response to persons still preferring to attend meetings remotely due to public health concerns, travel plans and other factors, the council committed – as did the La Conner school district and Fire District 13 – to provide a hybrid option. But while the school and fire district meetings have gone smoothly, the council’s audio has been garbled.

Such was the Aug. 24 session.

Numerous on-line attendees voiced or messaged frustration over not being able to hear. At one point, resident and former longtime planning commission member Linda Talman held up a sign reading “I can’t hear” in her video window box.

“No one can be heard,” Talman messaged a few minutes later. “I can’t even tell who is talking.”

Bob Raymond, who resides on Second Street, wrote that he would hike from his home to attend the rest of the meeting in-person because it was inaudible on-line.

Jules Riske, another La Conner resident who attended remotely, put out a plea for help.

“If anyone has experience with this type of hybrid system,” Riske wrote, “it would be great if you could provide technical assistance for future meetings.”

Thomas said the Town had tested the system installed to provide hybrid Council meetings.

“We are trying to fix the sound,” Thomas stressed afterward. “It didn’t echo like that when we tested it. The hall clearly has sound issues.”

Thomas said council may have to move its meetings back to the building’s 550 square foot meeting room, though social distancing will be difficult in the smaller space.

“We’re going to have to see how many can fit into the original council meeting space and maintain separation,” said Thomas. “It’s even feasible that we could experiment with use of the Garden Club building.”

The Town might follow the lead of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community senate, which has returned to using the Zoom platform in response to the latest surge of local positive COVID-19 cases, which led tribal leaders to postpone the annual Swinomish Days August celebration.

Hayes said he had spoken to tribal senate chairman Steve Edwards about the pros and cons of going back to a Zoom format.

“I know, ideally, it’s not the best option,” said Hayes, “but it might be necessary. We might be looking at another Zoom model. It’s not the preferred option, it’s just where we might be right now.”

The Town will continue to assess the hybrid situation in advance of its September meeting schedule.