COUNTY NEWS RELEASE

In July, the County Council discussed and then decided to return to in-person meetings in Council Chambers, with the option for members of the public to continue to join meetings via the Zoom online video platform remaining in place. Zoom had been added during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. The Council asked their various boards, commissions and committees (BCCs) to have a similar discussion at their meetings over August and September and decide how to proceed – in-person only, Zoom only, or a “hybrid” using both options.  

Several of the BCCs have made the decision to use the hybrid option for their meeting formats. The Board of Public Utilities returned to the Zoom only model in September, and the Planning and Zoning Commission has continued to use the hybrid option. 

As of September 30, most of the BCCs have concluded to either use the Zoom only option or they also want to offer the hybrid option for attendance; however, some BCCs are determining the meeting format on a month-by-month basis. Below are the formats for BCC meetings for the month of October. Hybrid meetings will be held in either Council Chambers or the Boards & Commissions room (Room 110, Municipal Bldg) to accommodate dual use of the Zoom and streaming option.  

Board of Adjustment                                      Oct 4^th & 25^th – Hybrid 

Historic Preservation Advisory Board           Cancelled due to lack of a quorum 

Tourism Implementation Task Force             Oct 6^th – Hybrid 

Transportation Board                                      Oct 7^th – Hybrid 

Los Alamos Community Health Council       Oct 7^th – Zoom Only 

North Mesa Housing Project Committee       Oct 8^th – Zoom Only 

Library Board                                                 Oct 11^th – Zoom Only 

Planning & Zoning Commission                    Oct 13^th & 27^th – Hybrid 

County DWI Planning Council                      Oct 14^th – Zoom Only 

Parks & Recreation Board                              Oct 14^th – Zoom Only 

Resiliency, Energy & Sust. Task Force          Oct 15^th & 29^th – Hybrid 

Community Development Adv Board            Oct 18^th – Hybrid 

Lodger’s Tax Advisory Board                        Oct 19^th – Hybrid 

Board of Public Utilities                                 Oct 20^th – Hybrid  

Environmental Services Board                       Oct 21^st – Hybrid 

Personnel Board                                             Oct 26^th – In-Person Only 

Racial Equity and Inclusivity Task Force      Oct 28^th – Zoom Only 

Arts in Public Places Board                            Oct 28^th – Hybrid 

Streaming a meeting for the public to view proceedings of the County Council or any other BCC continued to be unchanged during the pandemic and is still an option for those who only wish to watch a meeting online. PAC-8 has also continued to broadcast regular Council meetings on Channel 8 through Comcast television. 

Some of the positive impacts voiced by the community and BCC members over the last few months have been that use of Zoom makes it easier for members of the public to participate from home when they might not otherwise be able to attend in-person, as well as Zoom’s video platform making it more convenient for BCC members to be at meetings when they are on travel or unable to attend in person for a variety of reasons.  

Council work sessions formerly held in White Rock at Fire Station 3 have not resumed at this time, because of the technical challenges using Zoom and streaming simultaneously from that location.  

The County Manager’s office will continue to keep the community informed of these important changes about various ways to participate in all meetings as more information becomes available. 

The public should check the County’s online meeting calendar for the most current meeting format, as well as agendas and Zoom links for meetings: 

https://losalamos.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

Meetings are also recorded for later Video-on-Demand playback, typically within a day or two of each meeting.