Boulder County experiments with new public hearing software

Boulder County is experimenting with a new software that allows the public to better participate in public hearings without appearing in person.

Use of the People Speak software will be reviewed at a study session of the Boulder County Planning Commission on Aug. 18 at 3 p.m. 

People Speak allows citizens to review, seek clarification and participate in hearings without having to attend in person, according to a staff report on the software. People Speak does not replace in-person hearings but provides an additional option for the public to review materials in advance and provide comments via a site that hosts staff packets, presentations and other valuable information, the report said.

The Aug. 18 session is intended to introduce People Speak to the planning commission and to let members of the planning commission ask questions about the software and the process.

People Speak is now being used by the the cities of Lakewood, Wheat Ridge and Grand Junction as well as other cities across the country, according to the staff report.

“People Speak is purpose-built for cases and items at public hearings and meetings,” according to a People Speak report. “We break down meetings into their true and meaningful units, which are uniquely relevant for citizens. Then we expand the opportunity to participate beyond the usual suspects and outside the traditional single evening time frame.”

In early 2021, a stakeholder group began meeting regularly to review and discuss how People Speak could potentially fit into the existing workflow of hearings and meetings for the county’s many boards and commissions, the staff report states. The stakeholder group decided that the county would begin a pilot of the People Speak software for the Boulder County Board of Adjustment this fall. 

Once testing is complete, the county will work to incorporate using People Speak for planning commission meetings, the staff report said.