Ayech seeks to restore in-person neighborhood planning workshops

 Becky Ayech proposes we all send this to the Board before the Tuesday May 6 meeting of the BCC, which will be in Venice:

As many of you are aware, the current virtual Neighborhood Workshops are a dismissal failure.  This Tuesday, we have the opportunity to change that.  Please email our Commissioners individually and ask the following:

Good day Commissioner ________ , (tmast@scgov.net; jneunder@scgov.net; mhsmith@scgov.net; tknight@scgov.net and rcutsinger@scgov.net)

Tuesday, May 6 2025, the Commission will consider changes to the Neighborhood Workshop Resolution.

I request you make the following change to the bolded, struck through, underlined red text:

2. Time, Location, and Procedure

a. The neighborhood workshop shall be held no earlier than 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, Monday through Thursday, excluding holidays (County Holidays).

b. The workshop shall be held within an enclosed building, within two (2) miles of the subject parcel if the parcel is located within the Urban Service Boundary or within five miles of the subject parcel if the parcel is located outside the Urban Service Boundary.

The applicant has the option to hold the workshop as an electronic/virtual meeting format with approved implementing plan. Prior to scheduling an electronic/virtual meeting, the County Administrator or designee shall review the electronic/virtual meeting format and implementing plan proposed by the applicant on a case-by-case basis and the County Administrator or designee has the sole authority in determining the sufficiency of the format and implementing plan. The electronic/virtual format shall accommodate the anticipated size limit of participants.

Prior emails have been sent  reciting the numerous problems with virtual meetings.  These include not being able to access the meeting, being dropped from the meeting, not having the opportunity to hear the participants questions, no certainty that all questions are responded to since the participants do not have access to the questions, an abrupt stop to the meetings, lack of a real opportunity to have meaningful dialogue but instead just being a "box" that is checked off during the review process.

As a participant during the original adoption of the Neighborhood Workshop Ordinance, which were held in person until COVID, the virtual meetings do not meet the spirit or intention of the original drafters and the public input that was provided at the time.