LIHU‘E — Starting next week, the Kaua‘i County Council will no longer be accepting testimony via Zoom. Officials say the change was prompted by state statutes, which might require meetings that use interactive conference technology to be repeated if the connection gets interrupted.
LIHU‘E — Starting next week, the Kaua‘i County Council will no longer be accepting testimony via Zoom. Officials say the change was prompted by state statutes, which might require meetings that use interactive conference technology to be repeated if the connection gets interrupted.
A March 8 county council meeting was paused due to a power outage, which shut down access for those watching on Zoom.
“If we cannot get back online within 30 minutes, we need to redo the meeting. Not just pick up where we left off, but repost the meeting,” said council Chair Mel Rapozo after the power was restored. “Everything that happened up to this point would be null and void.” Rapozo reported that this had occurred at a recent planning commission meeting.
After meeting fully remotely during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kaua‘i County Council returned to in-person meetings on March 28, 2022. They continued to maintain virtual options, however, which were frequently used by members of the public and council members.
The council will still accept in-person testimony at meetings, along with written testimony through email, fax and mail. Meetings will continue to be livestreamed via the county’s website, kauai.gov/webcastmeetings.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 808-647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
