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County to continue recordings and upgrade equipment; staff to clarify streaming, captioning and roles
Summary
The board discussed live streaming, Google Meet, recording practices and ADA obligations; staff said technical upgrades will improve reliability, a new communications/ADA staffer will be added after July 4, and the clerk’s recording remains the official record.
Rio Blanco County commissioners reviewed meeting recording and streaming practices and received staff guidance that the official record remains the clerk and recorder’s audio recording while upgrades to room technology should improve live-stream reliability.
IT staff explained how the current system uses Google Meet for remote participation, OBS Studio to record and stream, and YouTube to host live streams. Staff said replacing wireless cameras and updating in-room equipment will make streams more reliable and reduce wireless complexity. The county’s on-site optical network terminal (ONT) also requires replacement, a project staff expects to complete later in the year.
County legal counsel and staff noted statutory requirements: the clerk’s official recording is the county’s official record; if technology fails the county can continue a meeting and must repair the recording capability ‘‘within a reasonable period’’ (staff referenced a typical two-week remediation expectation). Commissioners directed staff to continue current recording and streaming practices for now, to prepare a plain-language explanation of the differences among Google Meet, in‑room recording and YouTube streaming, and to provide an estimate of staff hours needed per platform.
Staff also reported that the county has allocated a communications/ADA staffer (Lynn Lockwood) who will start after July 4 to oversee website accessibility and public communications. Commissioners asked that staff document procedures and provide a visual diagram of the current technical workflow (Google Meet → OBS Studio → YouTube and recorded file). No policy vote was taken; commissioners agreed the recording/streaming plan should remain flexible and staff should propose any formal policy changes later.
Ending: Staff will return with a written explanation (and diagram) of the streaming/recording workflow, an estimate of staff hours per meeting for each platform, and proposed responsibilities for the new communications/ADA staffer.
