Commissioner Jimmy Conner first told us about this, but here is the Orlando Sentinel article describing the new service, which starts with the meeting tomorrow, Tuesday at 9am. So, try it. We aren't sure if the video will be available later, or if it is only available during the actual meeting time. I will post an update
here on that issue.
And, if you have problems, go to Jimmy's website HERE to get the contact info of the County IT department.
This is great and another factor increasing the transparency of the meetings.
Now, watch and see if the Board Chairman, Welton Cadwell, lets many people talk about the pending issue of Impact Fees. Normally, he cuts off signups at the start of the meeting, so new arrivals do not have a chance to provide public input.
vj
orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/os-lk-county-commission-webcast-20100301,0,7420571.story
OrlandoSentinel.com
Click and watch: Government in action
Lake begins offering live video stream of meetings
By Christine Show, Orlando Sentinel
4:30 PM EST, February 28, 2010
TAVARES — If you want to see what happens at County
Commission meetings but can't make it to the round courthouse, there's a
new solution for you.
Watch on the Internet.
Starting Tuesday, the county will provide a live video stream of the 9
a.m. meetings featured on its Web site, which will allow the public to
tune in to the meeting from their own computers. The webcasting will be
on a trial basis in case the program does not function properly.
Residents will be able to watch the meeting by typing in the keyword,
BCC [Board of County Commissioners] agenda, at lakecountyfl.gov, then
click on "Board Agendas and Actions" and look for the "Live Board
Meetings" button. The county will use Ustream.tv, a program similar to
the popular YouTube, to provide the video of meetings.
Officials say the county decided to offer the service to make the
meetings more accessible to residents, many of whom may be unable to
attend the Tuesday morning meetings in person.
The live video tryout comes at an opportune time for residents as the
commission will mull over a hot topic at Tuesday's meeting – whether to
suspend transportation-impact fees.
The ordinance up for a vote would eliminate the transportation-impact
fees fees for new development for a year. County staff members are
looking to boost the local economy and create jobs, and officials say
putting fee collection on hold would encourage growth in residential,
commercial, office and industrial sectors.
With the webcast, the Lake commission will join a growing list of
governments providing live video of meetings online. Orange, Seminole
and Osceola counties, along with Orlando, make live streaming viedos of
their meetings available on their Web site. Volusia County offers a live
audio feed that online viewers can listen to while the council meets.
Christine Show can be reached at [email protected],
at 352-742-5917 or on Twitter @showc.
Copyright © 2010, Orlando Sentinel