Council reviews $150,000 chamber AV upgrade plan, debates hiring in-house AV technician

Vendors at an Umbrash fiscal-year-26 budget work session on April 14 outlined options to reduce jet noise in the council chambers, add closed captioning and automated camera feeds, and make other audiovisual (AV) upgrades. Staff asked the vendor, TPI Technology Providers Incorporated, to return with a formal statement of work and recommended next steps including an acoustical assessment.

The vendor team — Tony Ortiz (president), Matt Cole (on-site lead) and Sean McDonald (design engineer) — told the council that noise-cancellation technology alone would not address the persistent jet noise. They recommended first commissioning an acoustician and performing room acoustic treatments (curtains, wall/ceiling absorbers, carpet tiles) before installing microphones, speakers and automated camera systems. "The preferred method would be to quiet down the space," TPI said; after that, technology can augment intelligibility and captioning.

The discussion covered several specific items: adding more cameras with pan/tilt/zoom tied to microphone logic so the active speaker is framed automatically; improving assisted-listening and captioning for people with hearing loss; adding larger displays or a drop-down projection screen for the public; and exploring portable systems for off-site council events. Staff noted current streaming uses Granicus, which shows a single effective screen; TPI recommended a windowing processor so the remote viewer can see camera feeds and presentation content simultaneously. City staff also raised Wordly, a third-party captioning/translation option, and packaged services such as Swagit as alternative approaches.

Council members repeatedly raised accessibility: several members and residents reported hearing impairment in the dais and audience and supported larger, clearer captioning displays and assisted-listening devices. TPI said captioning via Microsoft Teams or other cloud services can be reliable, but integration with the council's streaming setup and Granicus will require additional work. The vendor recommended the city engage an acoustician before committing to major technology purchases.

A separate, contentious topic was whether to hire a dedicated AV/IT technician to support chambers, off-site events and growing AV needs. Staff proposed an IT position (described as an elevated IT/AV technician) with a total compensation package around $107,000. Proponents said the city's expanding audio/visual workload, special events and frequent off-site meetings justify a specialist who can configure automated camera logic, manage scenes and run meetings so staff and volunteers are not repeatedly pulled from other duties. Opponents argued the vendor demonstrated automated camera and captioning systems that reduce the need for a full-time position; they urged the council to await vendor cost estimates before adding recurring personnel expense to the budget.

Next steps: TPI will produce a budgetary statement of work and recommended sequence (acoustician assessment, then device and integration plan). Staff indicated they will add preliminary budget numbers for chamber and room changes to the tentative budget; any hiring or purchases would be brought back to council for approval.

The vendor presentation and the council's follow-up touched on interoperability with Granicus streaming, portable event setups, ADA access and the possibility of temporary equipment rentals or subscription captioning services while the city scopes a full chamber refresh. Councilmembers asked staff to prioritize acoustical fixes, captioning visibility and automated camera logic in vendor recommendations. No formal vote was recorded; staff will return with vendor cost estimates and an acoustics assessment before further decisions.