Borough Assembly meetings now allow participation in person or telephonically

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly started meeting in person again, with Thursday night being their first hybrid meeting where some of the assembly members met in person, while others were participating telephonically. Members of the public could give public testimony in person or by calling in.

Chairs for the public were spaced out and masks were required to enter the building.

Chief of Staff Jim Williams says because there was a limited capacity for people to be in the assembly chambers, they had as few staff members as possible -- only the minimum number to run meetings in person -- in order to allow the public to come in person.

"Don't be scared that we have these plans in place and things are spaced out, and they look kind of different; just follow the directions we gave you in our plans. You know, wash your hands, keep space apart, and put a cloth face covering on -- and more than likely, we are going to be fine. If you're not comfortable with that, you can always call in, so we're trying every way we can to engage the public,” said Williams.

The next assembly meeting is on Thursday, June 25.