City Introduces eComment for Meeting Participation

The City of Fresno has added eComment to its website, a new feature that provides residents with an additional opportunity for participation in local government when they cannot attend a City Council meeting in person.  Using eComment allows any person anywhere to leave a comment on an agenda item via the internet.

To leave a comment users can click on “eComment” on the Fresno City Council’s agenda page, https://fresno.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx, select the current agenda, then select the item they wish to comment on and submit your written comment.

eComment begins at 5:00 p.m. on Friday prior to the Thursday Council meeting and closes at 9 a.m on the Wednesday prior to the Thursday meeting.  Comments are exported into a report and distributed to the Mayor, City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and Department Directors

eComment is also a valuable tool for staff.  Significant staff time savings can be realized by encouraging constituents to post their comments using eComment as opposed to sending emails or leaving phone messages.  Having a central repository for comments ensures that the City Council and City staff is in compliance with the Brown Act by having a transparent, predictable process for managing public comment.