eComment

The City of Mill Valley was one of the first local jurisdictions in Marin County to provide webcasting services for City Council, Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation meetings, launching its webcasting program for City Council meetings in 2010. 

In 2011,the Mill Valley City Council introduced the City’s new eComment program which made it possible for internet users watching live City Council meeting webcasts to submit live public comments in real-time to the City Council.

The City is proud to have offered this service for the past several years and continues to encourage community members to use this alternative form of civic participation if they are not attending in-person City Council and/or other Board/Commission/Committee public meetings.

Please read the following requirements for submitting live, real time eComments.

eComment Requirements

• Please include the Agenda Item number you are addressing (or clarify if your eComment is for Public Open Time) in the subject line of your eComment. Please also include your name and address in the body of your eComment.
• Each individual is limited to one eComment per Agenda Item. All additional eComments sent by the same individual for the same Agenda Item will not be read out loud during the meeting but will be recorded into the public record after the meeting has been adjourned.
• Staff will read each eComment into the record for no longer than two minutes. Please limit your eComment to 200-250 words as this is the approximate word count of reading aloud for two minutes. All eComments will be included in their entirety in the public record after the meeting.
• Please note there is a 20-second delay in the live webcast. All eComments may be submitted at any time during the live meeting and do not have to wait until the Mayor or Chair calls for public comment. In order to ensure that City staff receives your comment, please send your comment as early in the meeting as possible.

Public Communications:

To view all public comments on City Council meeting items, please visit the Meeting Videos and Agendas Archive page (LINK). Under the “Upcoming Events” section, click on the link titled “Agenda” next to the corresponding meeting. All comments sent via email prior to the meeting will be linked to a PDF document underneath the respective Agenda Item number and titled “Public Communication.”

City Council Special Circumstances: 

When an item has more than five eComments received after 4:00 p.m. on the day of the regularly scheduled meeting, staff will upload these communications to a publicly available folder, and Council will recess to review them. Community members will have access to this folder and may view the communications as well. 

More about eComments:

• Your comments will be read aloud during Public Open Time and/or during the public comment period for a specific Agenda Item. They will become part of the written public record located at City Hall. 
• All comments sent via email will be reviewed prior to being sent to the Council/Commission or being read aloud during the live meeting. Comments containing abusive or profane language may not be forwarded to the Council/Commission, nor read aloud during the live meeting or included in the public record (Pursuant to AB 2449).
• The City is not responsible for the speed of the internet and will not be held accountable if an email or eComment is not received in time to be read aloud during the live meeting. 
• All comments received after the Mayor/Chair has closed Public Open Time or the public comment period for a specific Agenda Item will be added to the public record after the meeting has been adjourned.