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Franklin County commissioners direct administrator to disable two meeting cameras during executive sessions
Summary
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners voted to require a hardware disconnect for two courtroom cameras so they can be rendered inoperable during executive sessions, citing prior leaks and a desire for true privacy.
Franklin County commissioners voted Oct. 15 to instruct the county administrator to install a hardware disconnect on two meeting-room cameras so they can be shut off during executive sessions.
Commissioners said the change is intended to protect the confidentiality of matters discussed in executive session after the board received messages and alleged leaks that suggested previous executive sessions had not been private.
At the Oct. 15 meeting, a commissioner moved to add the item to the agenda and then moved that the board "direct our administrator to have a disconnect installed on the 2 cameras that are in this meeting room, above my head and at the back wall ... so that when we go into executive session, that disconnect can be tripped so that our executive session is truly an executive session and those cameras are turned off." The motion was seconded and carried on an unrecorded roll call of "ayes." The board set a target to have the work done before the next scheduled meeting.
County Administrator Brian Danzel participated in the discussion and later will be charged with arranging the disconnection and reporting back on timing and any security implications. Commissioners said they expect the change to keep executive-session conversations private and to avoid moving executive sessions to other rooms.
Legal counsel was consulted during discussion; commissioners also moved first to amend the agenda to add the camera item before taking the final vote. The motion language and the vote were recorded on the meeting audio.
What happens next: the administrator is to arrange for the hardware disconnect to be installed on the two specified cameras and report status to the board at or before the next regular meeting.
