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Highlands Today

Commission Meetings Go Live On Web

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By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: November 25, 2008

SEBRING - Open government in Highlands County has become more open.

Every county commission meeting now can be viewed not only on cable television, but also streaming live on the Highlands County Clerk of Court's Web site, www.hcclerk.org.

Citizens can view a meeting or any portion of it at any time, as the video and audio records now preserve every minute of every meeting.

Probably the most convenient aspect of the new system is that people will be able to go to a particular item on the agenda and get a complete audio/video record of it, and call up the documents related to that issue.

Barbara Stewart, chairman of the county commission, applauded the clerk's office for upgrading its computer system to expand public access to the decisions and deliberations of the commissioners.

"This is the public's business being conducted, and the better access the public has to it the better off the whole community is," Stewart said.

The clerk's software was upgraded at a cost of $32,000 to launch the new system, said Debra Williams, director of recording for the clerk's office, who oversaw this project over the past year.

"The clerk's motto is, 'Taking the courthouse to the public,' and in that context, that's why we continually try to improve our services to the board and to the public whenever we can," said Bob Jamison, senior director of business services in the clerk's office.

On average, the clerk's office fields between five to 10 public information requests for minutes and/or audio recordings of county commission agenda items every week.

With every issue now recorded on video as well audio, people will be getting much more detailed information and can access it themselves through the Internet with a few mouse clicks, said Antonia Rivera, a deputy clerk.

Hard copy written minutes and audio recordings of county commission will remain available but, Rivera said, getting them online will be quicker and more convenient for many people.

Going online with the live coverage and archived recordings of county commission meetings was delayed for several months because the first firm hired to supply the software didn't live up to expectations, Jamison said.

"We then went to the next (lowest bidding) vendor, Granicus, and they have clearly delivered on their promises," Jamison said.

Meeting minutes have always been paraphrased, but they will be more concise now, Jamison said. The minutes will list each agenda item and the action taken by the commissioners, and all discussion will be available through the video archives, he said.

"There are a lot of advantages to this," Jamison said. "It's making us more efficient and the public is getting a better product."

Three backup copies of the video recordings are being kept, and recording digitally will ensure that the sound and video quality stays top rate, said Tommy Haralson, who works in information technology for the clerk's office.

If the county commission moves a meeting outside of the county government center, as it did for two days early this year for a goal setting seminar, the clerk's office will be able to record those sessions also, Haralson said.

"On a remote location, it wouldn't be streamed live, but we would upload it onto our site and have it available as soon as the meeting is over," he said. The new system, he said, offers "a complete and thorough package to the public."

On working toward making the county's business more accessible to the public, Haralson said, "this is one example of where technology has caught up and it's helping us to do that better."

Jim Konkoly can be reached at 863-386-5855 or e-mail jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

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