The Utah County Commission is discontinuing virtual public comment during commission meetings, a policy that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The change was made in January when the public Zoom link, which allowed individuals to make comments online, was removed from the commission meeting agenda. Viewers can still watch commission meetings live, which are typically each Wednesday at 2 p.m., on the county’s YouTube channel and provide public comment in person.

Commission Chair Brandon Gordon publicly acknowledged the updated policy during the March 6 commission meeting, where he discussed the reasons for the change and how citizens can still provide input to the commission.

“We do not want to stop any public comment here at Utah County,” he said during the meeting. “We want to welcome it. We always want to do that.”

Gordon told the Daily Herald that when he became commission chair at the beginning of the year, he chose to discontinue the option as no one had made public comment virtually in nearly two years.

“We haven’t had any for so long,” he said. “We make ourselves very available otherwise, and so that was kind of the thinking behind it.”

Gordon stressed that county residents can always contact commissioners with any concerns or questions, which he said he prefers because that allows them to talk back and forth with individuals, which doesn’t happen during public comment.

During last week’s meeting, he also apologized to Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner for not informing her of the decision prior to the change being made. In an article published by Lehi Free Press on March 5, Powers Gardner told the publication she was unaware of the change when asked for comment.

Powers Gardener said after she learned of the change, she realized it would save the county money by not having a public Zoom link due to having to pay for security measures to prevent “Zoom bombing,” where someone joins a public link and disrupts the meeting.

“In a year that we’re running a deficit, we need to cut everywhere we can, and we’re not restricting public comment because people can come here,” she said in the meeting, responding to Gordon. “So recognizing there’s a financial savings, I can understand why you made the decision you made.”

Commissioner Tom Sakievich was not present during the meeting’s discussion, but in a statement provided Tuesday by his policy advisor, Lisa Shepherd, he expressed disappointment in the change.

According to the statement, Sakievich said he was concerned that requiring public comment to be in person “in the middle of the day” could take hours out of a constituent’s day.

“I want to ensure that we are not stifling the public’s ability to share their thoughts with their elected officials,” the statement read.

Commissioners and other county officials still will be able to participate in meetings virtually if needed.

Gordon said the commission is open to restarting virtual public comment on a needed basis, such as during truth-in-taxation hearings, which often garner more public input.

He said he hopes people will still watch the commission meetings live and remain engaged in county government.

County Commission meetings are held at the Utah County Administration Building in Provo, usually at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.

County residents can view meeting agendas ahead of each meeting on the county’s website or on the Utah Public Notice website. All three county commissioners can be contacted by email or phone and that information is available at www.utahcounty.gov/Dept/commish.

Newsletter