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Council deadlocks on live-streaming change; motion to post recordings later fails on tie
Summary
A motion to stop live-streaming council meetings and instead post recorded video the next day failed on a tie vote after members cited cybersecurity and cost concerns.
Council members debated whether to stop live-streaming meetings and switch to recording meetings and posting videos the next day. City staff explained the rationale: other municipalities had instances of live-stream security breaches, and delaying posting would reduce the risk of malicious interference.
Why it matters: livestreaming increases immediacy for the public but carries potential security and moderation risks; changing the policy would alter public access and the timing of meeting transparency.
Discussion: staff said the move away from live streaming stemmed from incidents elsewhere where individuals disrupted live streams. A council member noted that the likelihood of such an incident in Mayville was low but suggested the council should consider the risk. Another council member asked about costs, and staff explained there were both cost and security considerations.
Vote: Councilmembers were asked to vote yes to stop live streaming and post recordings afterwards; the roll call resulted in a tie and the motion failed. The transcript records differing individual votes and a final statement, “Oh, we have a tie. So motion I vote no, so motion failed.”
Ending: No change to the city's live-streaming policy was adopted at this meeting. Council members asked staff to continue evaluating security and cost implications and to return with recommendations if needed.
