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Planning Board votes to continue videotaping meetings, approve YouTube uploads
Summary
The Township of Washington Planning Board approved Resolution PB25-06 to resume videotaping and to upload planning board meetings to YouTube; funding for 2025 was included in the municipal budget and the board asked staff to monitor viewership before the service is reconsidered for 2026.
The Township of Washington Planning Board voted to approve Resolution PB25-06 on April 16, 2025, authorizing continued videotaping of planning board meetings and uploading the recordings to YouTube.
Board members said the council had previously considered removing recording under budget pressures but that the council ultimately included funding for 2025. Board members asked staff to track how many residents view the videos and report back before the council decides whether to continue the practice in 2026.
Board members discussed cost and access. A cost of $100 per meeting for taping was cited during the discussion as the reason the council had originally proposed cutting the service; board members said uploading to YouTube itself carries no additional cost. Board Secretary Grace Kalich said she had contacted the staff member who handles recordings to ask whether previous recordings can be uploaded, and the board indicated interest in posting past meetings that relate to the master plan dating to late 2024.
During debate, members also discussed retention. One board member noted that council recordings have been kept “in perpetuity,” while several members emphasized that the official legal record remains the meeting minutes, not the video.
The board opened a public-comment period on the resolution; no substantive opposing comments were recorded in the transcript. A roll-call vote followed and the resolution passed.
Looking ahead, the board asked staff to confirm how far back recordings can be uploaded, to estimate staff time required to post files, and to report viewership statistics to the council and board before the 2026 budget cycle.
The board then moved on to other agenda items.
