Staff recommends that Zoom attendance and participation by Council members and staff continue, but that public participation via Zoom be discontinued altogether. The public may provide comment via email, phone calls, US mail and in-person attendance. 

During the 2020 COVID pandemic, Council and the public engaged during meetings via the virtual meeting platform, Zoom. It was not without its hiccups from time to time and different meeting environments and permissions were tried to eliminate breakthrough disruptive public participation. In January 2024, two Council meetings experienced disruptive breakthroughs (trolls) that brought into question the necessity and effectiveness of using Zoom for public comment.

Beginning with the first Work Session in February (2.5.2024), the Clerks' office, with the aid of the City Attorney's office, structured the Zoom meetings to require pre-registration by Noon on the day of the meeting, and provided revised instructions on the cover sheet of every agenda from then until now. See the language of the cover sheet provided below:  The City Council meeting will be held in a hybrid format that may include both in-person AND virtual attendance via Zoom. Unless they have cause to appear virtually, Councilmembers will attend the meeting in person in Council Chambers, second floor of City Hall, 220 N. 27th Street. In order to honor the Right of Participation and the Right to Know in Article II, Sections 8 and 9, of the Montana Constitution, the City of Billings and City Council are making every effort to meet the requirements of the open meeting laws.

Citizens are invited to:

• Review the Agenda Packet on the City’s website at: www.billingsmt.gov and click on “Your Government,” “City Council,” and “Agendas & Minutes”.
• View the meeting:
  • On Community 7 TV - Channel 7 or Channel 507 – Spectrum Cable. (On evenings when there is a conflict with School District No. 2 Board meetings, the City Council meeting will be broadcast on Channel 8 - Spectrum Cable.) Channel 7 or Channel 978 - TDS Fiber. 
  • Online at www.comm7tv.com and click on the “Watch Live” icon. Community 7 also has links to their Facebook page and YouTube channel. 
  • On the City's website at www.billingsmt.gov and click on "Watch Meetings Online" on the homepage.
  • In-Person.
  • Virtually via Zoom (see the link below).

Citizens may submit public comment via the following methods:

• Mail: City Clerk, P.O. Box 1178, Billings, MT 59103
• Email:  Council@billingsmt.gov.
  • Emails received after 3:00 PM on the day of the meeting, may be posted on the Council's webpage the following day for public viewing.
• Attend the meeting in person.
• Please note that citizens wishing to observe or participate in providing public comment virtually through Zoom, MUST PRE-REGISTER BY NOON on the day of the meeting. Citizens will need to enter the Webinar ID and Passcode indicated below for that meeting to gain access. Click on Zoom Meeting Instructions and Zoom Hybrid Meeting Details below for more information. The link will allow you to attend, view and participate in the meeting on your computer, laptop or smart phone. (You must have the Zoom App on your device Click Here to Download Zoom App) To provide public comment at the appropriate time, click on the “raise hand” icon located at the bottom of the screen and the moderator will unmute your device.

• Click Here for  Zoom Meeting Webinar IDs and Passcodes
• Click Here for  Zoom Meeting Instructions for Attendees (as guests)

Please contact Denise Bohlman, City Clerk, at bohlmand@billingsmt.gov, or at 406.657.8210, with any questions.

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Also attached are the webinar IDs and passcodes that are provided via hyperlink on the agenda, instructions of how to attend on Zoom, and the pre-registration vetting questions and disclaimer when accessing Zoom. 

Since implementation of the pre-registration, we have had fewer than 5 registrants, and in most cases the persons did not join the meeting once it started. We still experienced troll phone numbers that were not approved for registration! 

Given that there are several other options provided to gather public comment, staff does not support offering the Zoom platform for public comment in the future. It is not being well-utilized and does not appear to be in demand. 

City Council may:

• Choose to discontinue Zoom access for public comment; or
• Choose to keep Zoom access for public comment, being aware that meetings may continue to be hijacked by trolls that disrupt business. This causes staff to constantly monitor meeting activity before and during meetings. 

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