The world of local government has been forced to adapt in many ways because of COVID-19.

In-person government meetings were abolished for several months, and then brought back with attendance limits and mask mandates, that often weren’t followed.

As the pandemic surged late in the year, most meetings went back to virtual, and how each government body defined that. Here’s our very unscientific “ranking” of local government meetings by the person in Pierce County who has “attended” the most of them. By attending, I mean sitting in my office most Monday and Tuesday nights with one meeting playing on my computer and racing to a nearby cubicle where a second computer is set up.

Here’s what I can tell you with absolute conviction: No one puts on a virtual meeting like the Prescott School District. The Prescott Performing Arts Center, where the board met in the months it was holding combination in-person/virtual meetings, is by-far the best venue in the county that this reporter experi- enced. Everyone’s microphone works, camera work is great, graphics are clear. It’s a cut above your routine virtual meeting. Visitors feel engaged and involved.

There’s a reason for that, says Prescott Superintendent Dr. Rick Spicuzza.

“It is not an accident._ Mr._ Kyle Flaherty_our Director of Technology and_Andy Holland_our network engineer deserve all the credit._ “Not only have they done a remarkable job, but they also pre-run and train us all, and still perform magic by running our hard microphones through the system and allow off-site presenters without audio feedback or challenges. _ They are the two who assisted with our online, drive-in_graduation, and have set up the Hudl camera for an automated camera that without a person operating the camera follows the ball and players automatically.”

They get an A+.

Close in proximity in the scale to PSD is the City of River Falls. Their “Zoom” format meetings are well-run and the content is articulate.

Now, if your government body doesn’t get such high marks, unfortunately you’ll still have the months ahead to do better! Technology has certainly advanced to the point where everyone should at the very least be using Zoom. In this reporter’s opinion, if people have to phone in to the meeting, organizers are, as they say, “phoning it in.”

Here’s this reporter’s humble opinion on local meetings:

Pierce County Board – It’s getting better. At first, the public had to be involved from either a room at the courthouse or the Seyforth Building while the county board exiles itself at the Law Enforcement Center. They often times have technical difficulties that perhaps due largely to the need for better broadband in the county, with supervisors attempting to connect from their homes. During the first virtual gathering in the spring, seeing County Board Chair Jeff Holst and the rest of the bandana- clad gang made some in attendance think perhaps a bank heist was being planned. Alas, it was just the new business as usual.

Ellsworth School District – Again, a victim of bad broadband. Board member Katie Feuerhelm talked more than once about logging into the meeting “sitting in her car up on the hill.” What’s she going to do this winter?

For the most part, Ellsworth’s presentations are clear, but board members frequently drop off and have to log back in.

When Ellsworth moved its in-person meetings to the high school cafetorium, a couple were still online as well, and honestly, nobody not in the building knew what was going on in there.

They do get the attendance award, however. Their December meeting was a Zoom “sellout.” 100 people can login to the meeting, and it was at capacity.

Ellsworth Village Board – The village is new to the virtual meeting game and have been hosting call-in meetings the last couple months. One problem is that there’s a little too much chatter near the microphone and people conversing in the meeting can’t be heard. Ellsworth does plan to ramp up its game with technology upgrades paid for with coronavirus aid funds.

River Falls School Board – One piece of advice: The person coughing shouldn’t sit near the microphone! I was afraid of catching COVID-19 through my computer speakers, not to mention that too much of what happened was unintelligible.

Plum City School Board – I caught one meeting, and they did OK. They could use better camera and microphone placement, and if you can’t see or tell who’s talking, why not have the person in charge of the meeting use the name of the person who is going to talk next?

And I hate to do this, since the Prescott School District was ranked at the top of the list, but at the bottom is the City of Prescott meetings. But with an asterisk. Prescott is a frontrunner in making sure its government meetings are aired to the public. They’re live on cable TV, and they rerun them afterwards. In addition, they’re available on demand on nfhsnetwork.com.

However, that cable feed doesn’t allow interaction with the public and experts such as engineers or others needed to make the meeting flow.

To do that, you have to call in, and that’s been a unique experience, because callers can’t be controlled. The meeting usually starts off with Mayor David Hovel repeatedly asking – louder each time – who’s “attending” via phone. He doesn’t stop asking until everyone reveals themself. “I repeat, who is on the phone?” I could hear him on the verge of yelling as I sprinted back to my phone from the restroom. Sorry Dave!

At a special meeting to talk about limited bar hours, the meeting was especially rambunctious, with some choice profanity (the real bad word), a discussion from a caller on twhat to watch on TV and poor Jasper. The board was debating tavern closing times, and all those listening in heard was that Jasper isn’t going to get any more toys if he keeps breaking them.

Maybe Jasper’s mom can call into the next meeting and tell us how Christmas went?

“I know it was a tough meeting to be able to hear things,” said City Administrator Jayne Brand. “When I muted them then they didn’t hear what was being said in Council._We just have to get through this COVID so things can be easier and better.”

Amen to that!

Overall, this reporter does appreciate all the efforts being taken by the county, cities, villages, towns and schools to make government run smoothly, or as smoothly as it can in a pandemic. Here’s hoping we’re done Zooming soon!

The Pierce County Board’s Finance & Personnel Committee meeting from December featured County Board Chair Jeff Holst (front and center) with Corporation Counsel Brad Lawrence (left), Administrative Coordinator Jason Matthys (right) and County Clerk Jamie Feuerhelm (back).

An online view of last week’s Plum City School Board meeting.