Norwich — City officials made a practice run Thursday on the combination of technologies to be put in place Monday for the City Council meeting that will be dominated by City Manager John Salomone’s proposed 2020-21 budget, including a way for public comment on nonbudget resolutions.

A few city officials will attend the meeting in person in Council Chambers at City Hall: Salomone, Mayor Peter Nystrom, City Clerk Betsy Barrett and Corporation Counsel Michael Driscoll and technical staff. Most aldermen and city department heads will participate via the online video conferencing program Zoom, while a couple aldermen will attend in Room 335, down the hall from Council Chambers.

No members of the public will be allowed in City Hall due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings, but residents can watch the meeting on the Comcast Cable public access channel 97 on the Norwich area cable system.

Public comment will be confined to resolutions on the agenda that do not pertain to the budget presentation, Nystrom said. The agenda, not released to the public as of Thursday night, will contain three resolutions appointing members to the Recreation Advisory Board, the Senior Affairs Commission and to the new School Building Committee. A fourth resolution will set upcoming dates for budget public hearings.

A fifth resolution that could generate strong interest asks the city to advertise for an outside consulting firm to study all aspects of the city’s combined paid and volunteer fire services, including staffing, apparatus and service. But Nystrom said the only council action planned on that resolution will be to refer it to the council’s three-member Public Safety Committee, which is scheduled to hold its first remote access meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Public comment for Monday’s meeting can be submitted either by email to mayorsoffice@cityofnorwich.org no later than 7 p.m. Monday, by regular mail to Mayor’s Office, 100 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360, if received no later than 4:30 p.m. Monday, or by phone during public comment time in the meeting.

When Nystrom opens the public comment period Monday, residents may call (860) 823-3700, ext. 3850, to give a telephone comment. The line will be active only during the public comment time of the meeting.

Salomone said the dry run Thursday started slow but “got better as we went along.” Council members will be split between the two rooms to keep to the governor’s limit of no more than 10 in a meeting.

“I hope that people are understanding,” Salomone said, “and they don’t expect it to be like CNN news. We’re going to do what we can and keep public access to meetings as best we can.”

c.bessette@theday.com