City staff told a July 7 City of Columbia pre-council meeting they plan to issue a request for proposals by the end of next week to replace the city’s aging analog audio-visual system in the council chamber and control room.

Bridal Atkinson, a staff member leading the project update, said the current system dates to the building’s opening in 2010 with equipment updates in 2014 and that some cameras predate the building. She said the project would convert the city’s analog setup to a digital system to improve picture and sound quality, accessibility, and maintainability.

The project scope listed by staff includes standardizing infrastructure, improving reliability for live and scheduled broadcasts, streamlining operations with information-technology compatibility, and improving accessibility features such as larger monitors, a more accessible podium and potential in-chamber live captioning. Atkinson said the control room and council chamber are highest priority.

Atkinson said, “We have the funds budgeted in in fiscal 25,” and added the city may need to carry remaining funds into the next fiscal year depending on vendor pricing and availability. During the meeting a participant estimated the project budget is in the ballpark of $599,000; staff described that as the FY25 budgeted amount but said final costs will depend on vendor proposals and possible phasing.

Staff described a procurement schedule: issue an RFP (request for proposals), hold a pre-proposal site tour for vendors, receive and score proposals with purchasing staff, select a vendor and enter contract negotiations, then proceed to procurement and installation. Staff cautioned vendor availability, tariffs and supply-chain issues could affect timing and deliverables and that the project may require phasing if bids exceed the budget.

The city warned the work will be large and disruptive because it likely requires removing existing cameras, audio equipment and cabling in the chamber and control room. Staff said they will try to minimize impacts but that the city may temporarily lose built-in broadcast capabilities for a meeting or two and would rely on contingency measures such as portable AV kits, external microphones and projectors to preserve transparency.

Questions from meeting participants focused on cost, schedule, captioning and archival video access. Staff said the city’s archived meeting videos are hosted by Granicus and would be migrated to a new server if the vendor changes, with minimal chance of losing archived content. On captioning, staff said current broadcast captions are delayed roughly 30–45 seconds and asked vendors to propose solutions that could include separate in-room captioning systems or newer automated transcription options if compatible with the new digital architecture.

Staff emphasized that converting to a digital architecture would increase future flexibility, allowing some feature upgrades via software rather than custom hardware, and would improve remote troubleshooting and IT integration. Staff named Albert and Dalton as broadcast technicians available to answer technical questions and identified Josh Diaz as the city’s media and creative services supervisor and Cale Turner from purchasing as procurement points of contact.

Near the end of the public portion, a presiding official moved that the City Council immediately go into a closed meeting in Conference Room 1A/1B of City Hall. The motion was made in the meeting record; the transcript does not record a second, a vote tally or the outcome.

What to watch next: staff said the RFP will be posted at the end of the week, a pre-proposal tour will follow, and the city will return with vendor recommendations after proposal review and scoring. Staff also said they may phase nonessential items if vendor pricing exceeds the FY25 budgeted amount.