Next Few Council Meetings Virtual Due to Council Chamber Renewal

For many, including Langley City Council, this week is the unofficial beginning of the fall season, with many things restarting, such as school. Local government councils and boards generally have a meeting break in August, but as of this week, we are back in full swing.

You may notice that Langley City Council will meet virtually for the next two to four meetings.

We are meeting virtually because the Langley City Council Chamber is getting a long overdue upgrade. Langley City Council meetings are streamed online and recorded. The recording technology in the Council Chamber is almost two decades old. You can tell when watching the grainy and hard-to-hear meetings online. In the Council chamber itself, it is also challenging to hear Council both as a member of the public and a member of the Council; this can be exacerbated if you have hearing loss. The room's layout, including the desk, makes it challenging to have "roll up your sleeves" meetings, which is why Council holds many of its meetings in the CKF Boardroom across the hall.

Over the next month or so, the Council Chamber is getting a technology refresh to improve audio and video quality for people watching meetings online and those attending in person. The echoey laminate flooring will be replaced with standard office carpet. The current "Judge Judy" layout will be changed to a standard, simple boardroom layout. This upgrade will improve accessibility for members of Council and the general public. It will also result in much-needed additional meeting space at City Hall as the Council Chamber will now be available for other Council committee and staff meetings.

During the upgrade, you can live stream Council meetings on YouTube or request a link to a Zoom meeting to observe directly. For those without access to the Internet, the City will also be setting up a viewing room in the CKF Boardroom at City Hall. For more information, please visit Langley City's website.

I look forward to the updated Council Chamber and getting back to meeting in person as soon as possible.