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  • From: Terri Buckner <tbuckner AT ibiblio.org>
  • To: Chapel Hill Information Technology Advisory Committee <chtechcomm AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Chtechcomm] Carrboro to test online meeting records
  • Date: Thu, 03 Nov 2005 07:54:28 -0500

Carrboro to test online meeting records
Online exclusive
http://www.dailytarheel.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/03/4369a00ce52e7

BY KAYLA CARRICK
STAFF WRITER
November 03, 2005

Carrboro town staff are asking for feedback about a new feature that allows broadcasts of Board of Aldermen meetings to stream into residents’ homes through the Internet.

The meetings, along with other town group discussions, are now available as archived broadcasts on the town’s Web site, www.townofcarrboro.org/BoA/Agendas/2005/streamtest.htm.

Andy Vogel, information and technology officer for the town, is asking residents to e-mail him at avogel AT ci.carrboro.nc.us with concerns or suggestions.

If the demand exists, Carrboro also might add audio-only streams for dial-up users, since recordings of the meetings, at 225 kilobytes each, are available only to computers with broadband connections.

“A lot of people want to see what happens at the meetings,” Town Clerk Sarah Williamson said. “This is easy access; you just get on the Web.”

Williamson said the town won’t discontinue transcripts of the meetings just because the video is available.

“We will definitely still provide the minutes of the meetings,” she said.

Vogel said the town pays for a certain bandwidth — the amount of data that can be passed along a communications channel in a given period of time. Adding the online streams only will put to use the resource the town already pays for, he said.

“It doesn’t cost the town any more money or time,” Vogel said. “A button just needs to be pressed along with the current VHS recording. The computer has the software to save the broadcast to the hard drive.”

Carrboro set up the streaming capabilities in conjunction with the town’s wireless Internet initiative, completed last fall, that brought wireless to a majority of the downtown.

“I’m glad that it’s all finally happening,” Mayor Mike Nelson said. “They’ve been talking about making the meetings available online for a while. It’s really great.”

Streams come in RealPlayer format, and the program must be downloaded prior to viewing.

Town officials stress that residents seeking to view the meetings must download RealPlayer at their own risk.

The town will not provide technical support for problems that arise from the online streams, Vogel said.

Before the online option became available, meetings were recorded only on VHS tapes, which then were accessible to the public to view at Town Hall.

“I have to make the minutes,” Williamson said. “It’s much easier to watch the meetings on my computer while doing this rather than using a VCR.”

While aiding the town staff internally, the online streams also will provide easy access for locals wishing to view the meetings.

“Now people don’t have to come in and rewind, play, fast forward,” Vogel said. “They can watch meetings late at night or on weekends if they need to.

“This will be helpful for residents, town officials and reporters.”







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