While rudimentary forms of teleconferencing were developed as early as the 1960s for the Picturephone and the 1980s for PictureTel (both AT&T products), it was the expansion of the internet in the 1990s that lead to the great variety of teleconferencing products that are familiar names today such as Skype, FaceTime, and WhatsApp.
The breadth of this particular technological landscape was swiftly brought into focus when the coronavirus lock-downs interrupted face-to-face contact and limited the gathering of groups, especially impacting educational instruction, legislation, and municipal business. Many governing bodies, such as Town or Village Boards and Boards of Education were shifted to virtual platforms. Now, nearly 5 years after the initial lock-downs, board meeting options are now varied across Wayne County, with certain Boards electing to continue with hybrid options while others have remained with the traditional in-person format.
Of the nine Wayne County Municipal Boards that responded to a questionnaire on the topic, four Towns/Villages currently stream or record Board Meetings (Huron, Walworth, Sodus Point, Sodus Town) while another two Towns (Marion, Ontario) are planning to begin or trial the practice this next year. Perspectives on the subject vary by Town with some seeing the practice as a service to constituents, others note the value of face-to-face meetings.
“We provide this service because many of the Town’s residents are seasonal or spend part of the year outside the Town and this gives them the ability to follow Board Meetings even if they are away,” says Huron Town Supervisor Dave Fantuzzo.
Some leaders note the lasting impact of the pandemic restrictions. Walworth Town Supervisor Mike Donalty stated, “COVID took away the ability of the public to actively participate in their government and we’d like to get back to the personal contact that we lost…We encourage in-person attendance and participation and probably will not offer it in the future, although we may go back to livestreaming at some point.”
Ontario Town Supervisor Ben Aman shared plans to allow for streaming access in the future, “At this time, we believe the most effective approach is to record the meetings to ensure transparency. Streaming the meetings will enable residents to stay informed at their convenience and help prevent misunderstandings or miscommunications.”
This topic has been frequently discussed this past year during Marion Town Board Meetings. Town Supervisor Summer Johnson has been a strong proponent of virtual meeting options, often at odds with her Board Members. “Several reasons on why the town shouldn’t live stream have been given over the past few months- all which have been rebuked…I have spoken to single parents, persons with disabilities, busy parents and out of town stakeholders such as teachers who would all benefit from a recorded board meeting,” Supervisor Johnson stated.
All eight responding School Boards provide streaming in some capacity, however, Gananda only provides this when a Board Member is experiencing an “extraordinary circumstance.” Many school districts live-stream meetings on YouTube and then make recordings immediately available to the public.
Wayne Central Superintendent Joseph Siracuse mentioned some financial considerations. “Streaming comes with a cost,” he stated, “equipment (cameras and microphones, for example) and labor (set up, break down, and running the stream).” Despite these costs, multiple districts have very positive remarks about the importance of virtual options.
Superintendent Nelson Kise reported that “the Sodus Board of Education believes in the importance of transparency and this option provides another avenue for the community to remain informed and involved.”
This sentiment was echoed by Dr. Ellen Lloyd, the Superintendent of Marion, “People have appreciated having the streaming option and the archived meetings. They have indicated this practice allows for more flexibility and transparency than in-person only meetings.”
North Rose-Wolcott Superintendent Michael Pullen mentioned the high rate of viewership that School Board Meetings have when the public is provided a virtual option. “We have received hundreds of views on these meeting videos and have heard generally positive feedback from the community. We view these livestreams as a way to provide information to our families and community and to celebrate the good things happening in our district,” Pullen stated.
As far as Wayne County in general, the Board of Supervisors has set up a recording system of each of its meetings, but has not yet made them available for live streaming or download. This could happen in the future, now that the recording apparatus is in place.
Citizens with additional questions about the live-streaming practices of their local village, town, or school board should contact their leadership with questions or consider attending a meeting.
By Casey C. Carpenter
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