A significant and unexpected benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the allowance of virtual public meetings under the governor’s Executive Order #12.

This measure has enabled the temporary modification of RSA 91-A, the right-to-know law, to allow for public meetings without a physical location, so long as the public can access the meeting virtually and the meeting is properly noticed. As a result, town of Durham boards, committees, commissions, and our town council have been meeting largely via Zoom since mid-March 2020. This has been the case for numerous municipal committees, select boards, city councils, and school boards across state as well.

The quality of our virtual meetings has improved as the town, our citizens, and committee members have become familiar with the software functionality. Typical facility needs, such as leaving buildings open late at night, additional utility costs, etc. have been avoided as a result of this change, which has allowed board members and citizen participants to “Zoom in” from home, or from wherever they are, to be present at the local public meeting. The quality of and participation in virtual meetings has improved via sharing screens and is a viable and efficient alternative for operating municipal board and committee meetings at local option.

As a result, the town council has asked members of our legislative delegation to support legislation amending RSA 91-A to make this option permanent, such as Senate Bill 95-FN sponsored in part by Sens. Rebecca Perkins Kwoka (D-Portsmouth) and Gary Daniels (R-Milford), as it provides many advantages:

■First, residents gain better access to public meetings they are unable to attend in person.

■Second, virtual meetings are more sustainable. No need to get in the car and drive to the meeting burning fossil fuels. No risk of overcrowding in a small conference room or lack of parking outside the building, and no reason to build larger meeting rooms to accommodate large crowds amid tight budgets. No paper packets. No utility or facility costs to hold a virtual meeting.

■Third, virtual meetings increase participation. People with disabilities have greater access. Residents with small children or dependent seniors at home are able to participate without the inconvenience and cost of securing a caregiver. Board members with a long commute back from work in the evening can more easily participate remotely while eating supper at home. Residents traveling for work or vacation (though not much vacation these days during the pandemic) are able to participate, where previously they were not. In fact, one individual who filed for town council this cycle indicated that he was willing to do so because the Zoom functionality would allow him to participate while he and his wife were traveling to visit grandchildren and family in the years ahead.

■Fourth, inclement weather? No problem! “Zoom in” remotely and the meeting can proceed.

■Finally, there have been no instances of fraud or abuse locally.

While the pandemic has been devastating in so many ways for our communities and our state, it has brought about one very positive new tool – virtual meetings using modern technology, which is easily accessible to nearly everyone so long as they own a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

The Shakers of Canterbury adhered to tradition in many respects, yet they were not fearful of embracing and putting to use new technology that made them more efficient and effective in their work. Virtual meeting technology like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc. make our work in local government more effective and more efficient in New Hampshire.

Let’s not allow the end of the pandemic to also mean the end of the ability of municipalities to utilize tried and true virtual meeting technology on behalf of our citizens and our communities. Give us the option of putting it to good use in advancing our important work at the local level into the future.

(Todd Selig has been Durham town manager since 2001. He lives in Durham with his wife and two daughters.)