The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors’ meetings will soon be available online for the public to view after supervisors authorized the purchase of a camera to record them.
Supervisors unanimously approved a $750 purchase, which will allow the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District to buy a camera and set it up to put meetings online on the county’s website.
Monday’s vote is the conclusion of a months-long process for the board of supervisors to look into options to post, or live stream, meetings online.
District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller initiated the process. While she hopes for the county to ultimately move to live streaming meetings — as the city of Starkville aldermen do — she said the decision to record the meetings and post them after the fact is a good first step.
“I personally support live streaming, recording and interaction, if people want to comment,” she said. “I think that’s the only way you’re a true representative if they can actually have a voice. Taking this first step, it’s great that we did move forward with at least recording the meetings and putting them on the website.”
GTPDD Computer Analyst Tim Heard said the camera, which he would move to purchase immediately after Monday’s meeting, is rotational and voice-activated, and will automatically focus on whoever is speaking.
Heard initially suggested the meetings could be recorded and provided to supervisors on CDs for them to review putting online. However, the board chose to go with posting the meetings directly online.
It’s not yet entirely clear when board meetings will start going online. Miller said she anticipates it should begin by the first meeting in May.
The current process of putting the meetings online afterward will be conducted on a three-month trial period. District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard moved to implement the trial period after which the board can revisit the matter to consider live streaming the meetings.
That passed 3-2, with Miller and Board President Orlando Trainer opposed.
Trainer, during discussion, floated the idea of talking to the city of Starkville about moving supervisors’ meetings to city hall. The city already has the infrastructure in place to record and live stream meetings.
“We could probably save the $750 if we decided to move over to city hall,” Trainer said. “I haven’t talked to the city about it, but we could have discussions about moving over there, which is a bigger facility and already set up. That’s just something to think about.”
However, the county, for now, will continue with implementing the camera system in the Oktibbeha County Courthouse where they already meet.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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