City Likes Tweaks to 4-Person Rule, More Ways to Weigh In

By Desiree Parker Friday, February 12, 2010

At their Thursday afternoon meeting, Williamsburg city council voted to send back the new four-person rule to the planning commission for two minor changes, and heard a presentation about staff’s plan to use an online public forum to facilitate public input on the upcoming budget.

In December, council voted to change the zoning ordinance to increase occupancy for rental properties from three unrelated people to four in single family dwellings. City Manager Jack Tuttle pointed out at Thursday’s meeting that he had two minor concerns about the new ordinance, and council members voted unanimously to accept his suggestions, which would mean the planning commission will have to review it before council votes on it again.

Tuttle pointed out the ordinance required an owner wishing to rent property to submit a minor site plan to describe the site, which require a licensed engineer or architect and would cost between $300 and $500, he estimated. He recommended this be revised to read “plot plan” instead, which is a drawing of the residence that an owner could do without hiring an outside agency.

Also, the ordinance has a requirement for a third party inspection to certify that the electrical system is safe and can accommodate a higher number of people. Tuttle pointed out that more than 3 related people can already live in city homes without this requirement, and it would just be another added expense.

The city already requires inspections for rental properties anyway, he explained.

“This does seem to be some unnecessary bureaucracy,” Mayor Jeanne Zeidler said.

Council voted unanimously to send the revised ordinance back to the planning commission to review.

Also during Thursday’s meeting, Communications Director Kate Hoving spoke to council about options they had in getting budget information out to the public and engaging them in discussion.

She said the city made every effort to make sure residents’ voices are heard. Currently, the city has a variety of ways to reach people: a Web site, public meetings (which are televised and available on the Web site), social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and the local news media.

The Web site is a good repository of information, she said, and Twitter is good at getting emergency information out. Facebook is interactive, but in a casual and somewhat limited way.

In 2008, the city participated in a pilot program using Peak Democracy, a company offering an online public comment system, with relatively good results, Hoving said. The city didn’t like the idea of having to sign a one-year contract at the time, and chose not to continue with the system.

The company recently approached the city to share some new design updates, and Hoving said she felt it would be a good tool to use to help engage more residents in the current budget process.

The system functions like a virtual public meeting, allowing citizens to register and comment on various topics in much the same way they would at a council meeting, but with more flexibility and some privacy, Hoving pointed out. Discussions are organized by topic and the system is searchable with an easy search tab.

The company moderates discussion remotely to screen out disruptive comments (offering the decorum of a public meeting), and authenticates each person’s name and address (confidentially). Users also get online support if needed, and have the option of remaining semi-anonymous – they have to get their address and name verified, but they don’t have to use their names in their posts.

Some new features of the current version of Peak Democracy’s online forum include document attachment capability so the city can give residents more information on various topics (like an attachment with budget numbers), a new lower price ($160 per month), and a monthly (versus annual) contract, Hoving said.

Hoving says the city will be trying out the system for three months, and it will be available for the public in the next day or two on the city’s Web site. It will be called “Williamsburg Open Forum.”

City council members seemed generally pleased with the idea. “It looks promising,” said Zeidler. “It’s great to provide one more way for citizens to speak [about issues].”

“We need to give everyone every option we can,” agreed Councilwoman Judy Knudson.

Member Paul Freiling said he had some concerns with the anonymity issue, and wanted a way to screen James City County residents or others who live outside the city so the council could focus on what city residents think.
Hoving said she would follow up to see if that is possible.