Council approves up to $5,000 for audio-visual equipment to expand town communications

The Florence Town Council on March 18 approved a not-to-exceed $5,000 purchase from the town council contingency to buy multiuse audio and visual equipment for content production, including wireless microphones and high-definition audio gear.

Avril, identified as a part-time administrative assistant who supports graphic design and communications, told the council the tools would be shared across departments to expand outreach via podcasts, social media reels and other digital content. “The estimated cost of these materials does not exceed $5,000,” Avril said.

Jeff Graves (legislative staff) provided usage data about one of the town’s video efforts, saying the “moment with the mayor” video received three times as many views as other content and that about 60% of viewers were not the town’s followers, which staff interpreted as expanding the town’s reach.

Council voted to approve the purchase; the motion passed unanimously. Council members also discussed using the new equipment and existing staff design capacity to make the town calendar and Facebook page more interactive for residents who do not use social media frequently.