These ?eyes? will be looking at you

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

There will be new ?eyes? peering soon at traffic in the Henry County Courthouse.

Henry County supervisors, during their regular meeting Thursday, approved the purchase of a security camera for each department head. The camera will allow the department head, if he/she so chooses, to have access to other security camera footage in the courthouse.

The cameras will be attached to the department head?s computer and activated whenever the department head so chooses.

Henry County Treasurer Ana Lair, a member of the courthouse security committee, brought the request to the supervisors. The matter had been discussed previously among committee members and the committee sought to nudge the supervisors forward in purchasing the equipment.

?The Henry County Courthouse Security Committee has discussed access to the courthouse security cameras at great length as immediate accessibility to the live feed, or historical feed has been available,? Lair said in a written request to the supervisors.

??The committee recommends for the safety and security of courthouse personnel and customers, the live and historical access to the feed of the public areas should be made available to at least one computer or monitor in each department, including the clerk of court,? she continued.

Derek Wellington, IT specialist at the courthouse, said installing the cameras would include some ramifications for workers at the courthouse. ?The issue we have is that it will slow down the (individual) computers. Installing a system that would not slow down the computers would cost about $100,000,? Wellington said.

Supervisors asked county employees at the meeting whether the system would be running all day. ?To me, it would be counter-productive not to have it on all day,? said Supervisor Greg Moeller.

Lair said from her perspective, the system should be running all day. ?That?s the point (of having the system),? she remarked.

Supervisor Chairman Marc Lindeen said he is bothered by the fact that the security cameras would impede the workflow. ?The only concern I have is that you will come back to us and tell us the system is slow.?

Although supervisors gave the security committee permission to purchase a system, it did not include any timeline for installation and operation of it.

The first reading of an ordinance, rezoning property in and adjacent to the discontinued City of Mt. Union passed and was sent to a second reading, which will be on Tuesday.

Joe Buffington, county director of planning and zoning, said that currently most of the community is zoned A-1.

However, the new map shows that much of the community now will be zoned R-2 or residential. There will be sporadic commercial, industrial and agricultural zoning in and adjacent to the community.

A couple of Mt. Union residents expressed minor concerns with portions of the zoning and it appeared that several adjustments would be made before the second reading of the ordinance.

The zoning has been recommended by the county?s planning and zoning board, which met earlier this week. Supervisor Gary See said he nearly always supports the board in its recommendations.

?I take a lot of value in what they say,? See said. ?I would have to have serious concerns to overturn their decision.?

The supervisors meet again in regular session Tuesday, April 25, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.