Board approves new surveillance policy after staff-requested edits; policy reviewed by city attorney

The Library Board voted to adopt a new video-surveillance policy after staff requested a written policy to clarify when footage can be released and how privacy is protected. A board member moved to approve the policy with edits, and members voted in favor.

Library staff reported that the policy was drafted from examples and then reviewed and revised by the city attorney before being returned to the board. The director said staff sought the policy because they were unsure how to respond to public requests for recorded video and wanted a clear rule to point to.

Board discussion focused on language, technical corrections and privacy protections in the policy. One board member suggested changing phrasing to say the library “shall make reasonable attempts to redact exempt images,” and members noted inconsistent references to Oregon statutes across draft pages. The director confirmed the policy states the library does not record audio and described other privacy protections: camera placement does not capture computer screens and footage is used for safety and incident review.

The board did not set a new retention schedule or publish specific footage-release fees at the meeting; translations and final formatting were noted as follow-up items. The board approved the policy "with edits" and directed staff to finalize language and post the document when the attorney-approved edits are complete.

The board relied on general references to Oregon public-records law (ORS) during discussion; the meeting record does not show the board adopting a specific ORS citation or retention schedule at this session.