In Mountain View, your local representatives are very accessible and resident engagement is highly valued. Here are some ways to share your thoughts. We encourage respectful interactions because it is generally more productive. Thank you for being an engaged community member! More engaged voices produce better outcomes. The following is a summary of some possible ways to share your thoughts. Please let us know if you have questions or need clarification.
Council Meetings
All Council Meetings have a public comment time during the meeting. The time allotted is three minutes per person, and anyone can share anything that is on their mind. We ask you to sign up, state your name and if you are a town resident, for the record. If you are attending virtually, we ask you to use the chat feature to sign up and the camera must be on for the duration of your comment.
Currently, meetings are both live via zoom and in-person at Town Hall or at the large community room in the Berkeley Church, nearby. Everyone is always welcome to attend. Special meetings are also being planned to allow for greater public input for big decisions related to residential and commercial development.
Zoom links are posted to the town website calendar at least 24 hours before meetings.
Written Comments
Community members may also comment in advance by emailing the Clerk (clerk@tomv.org) and/or the Mayor (emitcham@tomv.org) or by hand delivering printed comments to the Town Hall by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Comments will be read out loud during the meeting, for three minutes. If the written comment is longer than three minutes, the entire comment will not be read.
If you wish to have your comments included in the meeting packet (the agenda and supporting material sent to Council and community members who have signed up to receive it) the written comment must be received by noon on the Thursday prior to the Monday night Council Meeting. Please get confirmation that it was received and specify if you wish for the comment to be read aloud at the meeting. If you do not specify, the comment will not be read aloud at the meeting and will instead be distributed to all Council Members directly.
Please note that all comments become part of the public record in their entirety, and all comments will be summarized in the official minutes of regular and special meetings. (There are no written minutes for workshops.)
Mayor and Council Community Office Hours
All Council Members are serving their community because they want to help. They enjoy meeting you at events and other opportunities. Get to know them and share your thoughts and insights with them! This is a special element of being part of the Mountain View community. Join the Mayor and members of the Council at Town Hall on the third Saturday of each month, to enjoy a refreshment and meet with them in an informal setting. This informal setting allows for more comprehensive conversation but does not become part of the official record of actions taken.
