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Resident petition prompts Bradley County commission to add microphone reminders to agendas
Summary
After a resident petition and examples of missed audio on the livestream, commissioners agreed to ask staff to add a reminder for members to enable microphones when speaking; staff cautioned policy enforcement options are limited.
A resident petition and concerns about missing audio on livestreams prompted the Bradley County Commission to ask staff to add a microphone‑use reminder to future agendas.
The commission discussed technical and behavioral causes for gaps in streaming. Chair said he would begin reading a reminder to meeting chairs that members should activate the red mic light when speaking. A resident who started a petition told the commission she collected 90 signatures (about 70% verified Bradley County voters) and recorded 836 petition views; she said in one prior meeting the chair forgot to push his mic button and no audio was available to online viewers for more than 40 seconds.
Commissioner Blake and others supported adding a brief statement to committee and commission agendas to remind members to turn on their microphone when speaking. County staff cautioned that policy language alone may not create enforceable penalties: "The chairman ... doesn't really have any legal authority to do anything else," Crystal said, noting a policy would need accountability provisions to be enforceable.
Commissioners asked staff to add the reminder to the agenda template for committees and the full commission; no formal ordinance or vote was required beyond the administrative request.
The commission agreed to implement the reminder and consider whether a formal policy and accountability measures are needed after observing results.
