Jackson Town Council approves contract to begin $384,000 council chambers audio-visual modernization

Jackson — The Jackson Town Council on June 9 unanimously approved a contract to begin phase 1 of a four-phase modernization of the council chambers’ audio and video systems, a project the town estimates at about $384,000.

The project is intended to replace the town’s ad hoc conferencing setup with an integrated system of large suspended screens, six cameras tied to microphones, audience pendant microphones and upgraded amplification. “We'd like to execute this project in 4 phases, and the total project is around $384,000,” said Zolo, the town’s director of information technology, during a presentation to the council.

Council members and staff said better audio is a priority. Zolo described the system’s goal as making remote participants and viewers feel “like whoever's remote really is just a person here in the room.” The plan calls for cameras that follow active microphones, larger screens for council and presenters, improved amplification for people who are hard of hearing and lapel and wireless microphones for larger meetings.

Why it matters: Council members said the upgrades will improve public participation and the quality of archived recordings. Councilman Schechter said the sound challenges have made it difficult to follow meetings and called prioritizing audio a “sound investment.”

Phase 1 details and funding Phase 1 focuses on infrastructure work that is easiest to do while the town’s server room is under construction in the basement: pulling wiring, installing screen mounts and replacing aging displays. Zolo said much of the project’s cost is labor and the size and power requirements of enterprise-grade equipment. He also told the council the vendor is offering current prices and the town moved quickly in part because the vendor can lock in hardware pricing ahead of anticipated tariff increases.

Staff said an under-run of about $60,000 in an IT services fund project from the current fiscal year can be applied to this phase now; the remainder of the project has been budgeted from the general fund and is planned across fiscal year 2026. Zolo said phases 2 and 3 will install the centralized processing equipment that occupies a rack in the server room, additional cameras and upgrades to conference-room technology; phase 4 will extend audio-visual upgrades to the lobby.

Motion and vote Councilwoman Beeman moved to “approve the scope of work, summary of costs and terms and conditions with Custom Electronics, Inc., as presented.” Councilman Schechter seconded. The motion passed unanimously; council members present responded “Aye.”

What happens next Staff will execute the agreement with the vendor and begin the infrastructure work while the server room construction continues. Phases 2–4 are planned in the FY26 budget, subject to later budget approvals.

Quote attribution rules: direct quotations in this report are taken from remarks recorded in the June 9 meeting transcript and are attributed to the speakers who made them.

Ending — The council allocated startup funding and approved the contract to proceed with phase 1 now; staff said the timing takes advantage of the server-room construction schedule and vendor pricing that is currently available.