BOS discusses recording meetings

MT. PLEASANT — With the Henry County Board of Supervisor meetings featuring consistent attendance of Henry County residents over the last year and the topic of video and audio recordings commonly coming up in public comments, Supervisor Chad White officially brought the topic up for discussion at last week’s Nov. 7 meeting.

“We have no idea what it would cost to put together the hardware for it to make that happen, but I think just kicking the can further down the road, doesn't answer any questions,” White commented.

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While White acknowledged there were many details that would need sorted, he also stated that adding audio and/or visual recordings of the meetings would allow more members of the public the opportunity to know what happens in the Board of Supervisors meetings without having to miss work to attend on Thursday mornings. To further the productivity of the conversation, White looked into how other counties provide this service to their residents.

“I looked at the other counties that surround us to see what they have. And looks like, the majority of them go with the YouTube,” White said.

Supervisor Marc Lindeen expressed concerns about not only the expense, but recording individuals without their consent.

“Another factor is, is what's happening right there with the cellphone cameras,” Lindeen said as he pointed out Melanie Patton recording the discussion with her cellphone. “I have had people tell me, ‘Well, I'll no longer come into this office and talk about anything because of that. I do not want to see myself on Facebook being recorded.’”

White responded to this concern stating that a county led recording could help with the issue of others recording during meetings.

Supervisor Chair Greg Moeller asked questions about the financial commitment needed to make recording the meetings possible.

IT Director Derek Wellington went over possible expenses to add recordings. According to him, the county would not only need different equipment, but they would also need to explore how to archive the recordings as mandated for official county records.

Wellington explained the Board of Supervisors would likely need a system more similar to one found at the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. He estimated that equipment would cost between $3,000-$5,000.

Currently the county pays approximately $80,000 annually for digital storage. Somewhere around $10,000-$15,000 extra would be a very rough estimate of additional cost for storage. How long the county must keep the videos archived would directly impact how much that storage would cost. Henry County Assistant Attorney Steven Giebelhausen the county may need to keep those videos archived for 10 years, but would also need to do more research.

If the county is willing to make the financial commitment, Wellington expressed confidence that setting up a system “is doable.”

The discussion resulted in the board asking Wellington to investigate the specifics needed for the county to begin recordings of meetings. The board will continue the discussion on the topic at this week’s meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m.

“I think it’d be important to look into this and if it is at all feasible to make that happen in Henry County,” White said.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com