Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Open Government topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County says new law requires livestreaming and 24‑hour packet posting; staff to test restaurant venue and hotspots
Summary
County staff told the Board of County Commissioners a new state law requires public meetings where action may be taken to be livestreamed and recorded and to publish packet materials 24 hours before the meeting. Commissioners discussed venue and broadband limits and agreed to pilot a restaurant location with a dry run.
County staff told the Board of County Commissioners that a recently enacted House bill now requires public meetings in which public business is discussed or action may be taken to be livestreamed at the time of the meeting and recorded for public access. The rule also requires that packet materials used in a meeting be published at least 24 hours in advance, staff said.
The staff briefing said the county’s official livestream platform is Zoom and that recorded Zoom streams will serve as the county’s official minutes when those recordings meet accessibility requirements. The law, staff said during the Oct. 15 meeting, took effect in July and is intended to broaden transparency and accessibility for residents who cannot attend in person.
Practical implications: officials said the statute requires live streaming (not only post‑meeting posting) and that intermittent or predictable streaming failures could expose the county to legal risk. Staff advised that simply recording and posting a meeting later does not satisfy the new statutory requirement in all cases.
Venue and technology discussion: participants reviewed options for meeting locations and connectivity. The group considered continuing to meet at Marion’s (which lacks a tested streaming setup), rotating among municipal council chambers that have established AV, and using a local restaurant (the Majestic) for a less formal setting. Commissioners expressed a preference to try a casual format but raised concerns about Wi‑Fi reliability near Interstate 70 and about hotspots, which county staff explained have lower priority on cell towers and are less reliable for continuous livestreaming.
Decision and next steps: staff will run a dry‑run livestream at a chosen venue (the Majestic was proposed) and will research short‑term options such as a dedicated commercial hotspot or monthly Wi‑Fi service at a private venue. The county will publish packet materials 24 hours before meetings when packet materials are part of the discussion. Staff said they will advise commissioners on a recommended meeting schedule and a preferred location after testing.
Ending: Commissioners instructed staff to pursue a pilot that preserves both the accessibility required by state law and the informal meeting setting some members prefer. Staff emphasized a good‑faith effort to comply; county counsel said statutory compliance is required to avoid legal exposure.
