Board Meeting Testimony

Board of Water Supply will accept written testimony once the meeting notice and agenda have been posted. Testimony should be received by 12:00pm on the meeting day. All testimony will be included as part of approved meeting minutes at boardofwatersupply.com/boardmeetings.

• What to include in a legible handwritten, typewritten, or digital copy of your testimony:
  • Meeting date
  • Agenda item (if testifying on multiple items, use a separate page for each one)
  • Your first and last name, address, email address, and phone number
  • Your position on the item: Support/Oppose/Comment
  • If you are testifying as yourself or an organization
• Four (4) ways to submit written testimony
  • EMAIL: board@hbws.org
  • ONLINE: upload a file or fill out the online form
  • MAIL: Board of Water Supply, 630 S. Beretania St, Honolulu HI 96843
  • FAX: (808) 748-5079

Requests to provide oral testimony during the meeting will be accepted once the meeting notice and agenda have been posted. Use the online form to submit a written version of your testimony (recommended) and to pre-register to provide oral testimony. Pre-registration is highly encouraged to facilitate as much remote and in-person testimony as reasonably possible in the time allotted.

Oral testimony is limited to two (2) minutes for the first agenda item and one (1) minute for each of the remaining agenda items, and shall be presented only by the registered speaker. Once admitted to the session, please remain on mute and off camera until recognized. Testifiers will be asked to wait to be recognized by the Board Chair before speaking and to first state and spell their name for the record. After each testifier has testified, the Board will have an opportunity to ask questions. There are two (2) ways to provide oral testimony:

• REMOTE TESTIMONY: Voice or video through the Zoom videoconference platform
• IN PERSON TESTIMONY: Public Service Building, 630 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96843

REMOTE TESTIMONY: To request to provide oral testimony remotely through the Zoom teleconference platform, complete the form below or email board@hbws.org by 12:00pm on the Friday prior to the meeting day. Instructions for registering for the Zoom session will be sent to the contact information provided. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. On the meeting day, please watch the livestream on a separate device until you are admitted into the Zoom session. If there are a number of testifiers registered, several testifiers may be announced at a time and asked to be ready to speak when called upon. Please remain on mute and off camera until it is your turn. When it is your turn, please mute or turn off the separate livestream to prevent any audio feedback from disrupting your testimony.

IN-PERSON TESTIMONY: To pre-register, complete the form below or email board@hbws.org by 12:00pm on the meeting day. Testifiers should check in with building security and then sign in with testimony staff located in the lobby viewing area. Limited seating will be available for testifiers in the Board Room. Testifiers will be escorted to and from the room. On-site registration will open about 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the meeting to accommodate onsite registration.

If you wish to testify on multiple agenda items, in-person testimony is encouraged. After the meeting notice and agenda have been posted, please email board@hbws.org or complete the online form. The BWS Board Secretary will be in contact. Once confirmed, you will be able to provide your testimony when called upon during the meeting. You will have two (2) minutes to provide your testimony on the first item and then one (1) minute for each of the remaining agenda items.

Please call (808) 748-5172 or email board@hbws.org at least three (3) business days prior to the meeting date for:

• special assistance review/inspect a notice, agenda, or board packet; or
• special assistance, auxiliary aid and/or service to participate in a meeting (e.g. sign language interpreter, interpreter for language other than English, or wheelchair accessibility)

Some Best Practices:

• Use a device that has a hard-wired broadband internet connection.
• Find a quiet location and use a headset to reduce background noise while you speak.
• Test your video or audio since backlighting and virtual backgrounds may affect the quality of your video, and you may need to select noise cancellation in your audio settings.
• If testifying by voice, use Zoom videoconference audio instead of a phone line.
• When you enter the Zoom virtual waiting room, please use your first and last names so we may identify and admit you into the session.
• Zoom audio participants will be listed based on their area code and the first three digits of their phone number, (XXX) YYY-_ _ _ _. The moderator or Chair will announce the partial phone numbers when asking testifiers to be ready with their comments.
• Remain on mute and off camera until you are asked to speak.
• Monitor for instructions in Chat or by voice for any instructions from the meeting staff.

For Zoom Technical Assistance:

• How do I join the Zoom meeting? Keep your confirmation email for your Zoom registration handy. You will need to use the JOIN button or links in that email. If you cannot locate the email or the link does not work, please send an email to webadmin@bws.org.
• What do I do if I'm getting audio feedback? If you are watching the livestream on:
  • the same device: close or mute the livestream window, then unmute your microphone
  • a separate device: mute or turn off the device livestreaming in the background, then unmute your microphone
• What if I need help during the meeting? Please send a Direct Message to support staff. Their names will be listed in a message to all meeting participants.

• Go to the online form
• Select the meeting date
• Select the agenda item or indicate you wish to testify on multiple items
• Provide your first and last name, email address, and phone number
• Select your position on the item: Support/Oppose/Comment
• Select whether you are testifying as yourself or an organization
• Select if you are providing: written or written with oral testimony
• Add your written testimony: upload a .doc or .pdf or type it into the space provided (limit 10,000 characters including spaces)
• Review for accuracy (and save a copy of your typewritten testimony on your device for future reference)
• Accept the Terms and Agreement
• Submit the form (an on-screen confirmation will indicate it has been submitted)