BOISE, Idaho — The City of Boise will begin hosting hybrid public meetings as the city moves through stage three of reopening. In stages one and two, due to group meeting size restrictions, public meetings were held in a virtual-only environment. In a press release from the Mayor's office, city officials strongly encourage continued virtual attendance as they start providing the opportunity for in-person attendance and testimony again.
The first hybrid Planning and Zoning meeting will take place on June 8 and the first City Council meeting will happen on June 9. City Council work sessions will remain virtual at this time, as well as Design Review, Historic Preservation and other city boards and commissions. Meetings times and other information is available here.
Stage three of reopening limits gatherings to no more than 50 people. To meet social distancing requirements and allow for members of the public to testify, there will be a limited number of rotating staff physically present while others join virtually. In the first phase, 35 to 40 seats will be pre-set in council chambers at a six-foot distance from each other. All meetings will be live-streamed and the links to those live-streams and virtual participation registration can be found on the City of Boise website.
City Council Chambers and the City Hall lobby will receive increased cleaning before and after public meetings. Masks will be made available and are required to be worn by all staff and members of the public at the meeting. Cleaning wipes will also be provided at every touchpoint so masks may be removed at the podium for presentation to better facilitate spoken communication. The Mayor, City Council members and board members will wear masks into the meeting but can remove them once at their places at the dais.
