Calvert City Council removes video-teleconference option for regular meetings, will continue YouTube streaming

Calvert City Council voted to remove the video-teleconference option from its regular meeting format and to continue streaming meetings on YouTube, the council chair said during the meeting.

The chair told members the change is intended to prevent meetings from being delayed when video participation fails and recommended the council reserve teleconference for instances when a member is out of town but can still participate by video. "We're going to continue to stream," the chair said, adding the video-teleconference option has caused some boards in Calvert City to postpone meetings.

A council member moved to drop the video-teleconference portion of regular meetings; another member (identified in the record as Dustin) seconded the motion, and the council approved it by acclamation. The chair explained that nothing about public access changes for residents: meetings will still be publicly viewable online.

Staff and council members discussed posting and notice rules after the vote. Staff said voting members cannot participate remotely unless a meeting is advertised as a teleconference, and several participants noted uncertainty about how soon the council can modify that status after the agenda is posted. Staff referenced a 48-hour window for notice to the press and the chair said he will obtain a concise legal answer about deadlines and communicate it to the council.

The change does not affect the council's practice of streaming meetings for public viewing, the chair added. Council members said they expect to use teleconference sparingly and to continue standard in-person participation for regular meetings.

The council will follow up when staff provides the legal guidance on notice and teleconference procedures.