SNOW HILL – In an effort to be more transparent, county officials are moving forward with plans to install an audio visual system in the meeting room of the Worcester County Commissioners.
After a motion last month by Commissioner Joe Mitrecic, county employees have been investigating ways to begin recording county meetings. Commissioners want to make the video available to the public on the county’s website after each meeting.
“I hear so many people say they’d love to see what we do during the day,” Commissioner Jim Bunting said. “I’d hope the commissioners would be supportive of this.”
Based on the commissioners’ interest, county employees have been investigating potential audio visual systems. Although their first visit was to Ocean City, the system in place there, which cost more than $200,000, was deemed too elaborate. The system, featuring multiple cameras and the latest technology, was first put in place in 1999 but has been upgraded significantly throughout the years at the request of town citizens.
“That put us back to the drawing board,” Kelly Shanahan, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer, said. “We’re looking at a simple system.”
Shanahan said the county would just want to record the meetings and then put that recording on the county’s website afterward. It would not be streamed live.
“Where the cost comes in is the software and the data storage,” Shanahan said.
He said he had learned that Hagerstown and Baltimore had recently installed audio visual systems with the help of grant funds.
“We’re hoping we’ll be able to tap into that same type of grant funding,” he said.
Mitrecic suggested Shanahan contact the local television providers to see if they would contribute. He said Comcast had supported the Ocean City system.
Shanahan replied that that wouldn’t work for the county because there was no franchise agreement in place.
“There’s very little cable in the county,” County Attorney Sonny Bloxom added.
Cost information on an audio visual system that could be installed by county staff is expected to be presented at the commissioners’ next meeting. Estimates will also include information on the installation of a light board that would enable the commission president to know when a particular commissioner wanted to speak.