GREENFIELD — The city of Greenfield is prepared to spend up to $100,000 to upgrade the video technology to include the capability to live-stream public meetings at City Hall.
The upgrades, which IT director Nick Riedman said are sorely needed after nearly 10 years with the current system, will improve video and sound quality and enable the city to live-stream meetings on the city’s website.
Currently, the city uploads the meeting video to the website 24 to 48 hours after the meeting happens. With these upgrades, Greenfield will have the ability to stream the meetings in real time, allowing anyone to watch the proceedings on their phone or computer.
The money is in the IT Department’s budget, and the expense request was approved by the Greenfield City Council Wednesday evening. The $100,000 will come out of the city’s Cumulative Capital Improvement Fund, which is funded by the state’s cigarette tax, according to city Clerk-Treasurer Lori Elmore. The contract between the city and Force Technology Solutions LLC was approved by the Greenfield Board of Public Works and Safety on Tuesday.
Mayor Chuck Fewell said these are necessary changes for the city and will increase transparency.
“I want people to be able to see what’s going on with their government,” he said.
The ability to live-stream was a big selling point for board of works members and the city council. They hope the ability to access meetings from anywhere will make it easier for residents, contractors and vendors to follow along should they be out of town or unable to attend in person.
In addition to the live-streaming ability, the new technology will include new cameras with high-definition capabilities and a new microphone system to improve sound quality both in the room and online. The entire system can also be controlled remotely.
Force Technology Solutions, LLC will conduct the install and training on the new equipment. According to the bid submitted, the projected is estimated to cost about $93,000.
Riedman said the department is also looking at purchasing another TV screen that would be compatible with the new technology, which could add to the cost. He clarified that the department has up to $100,000 to spend on the upgrades. The resolution that was passed says the department may spend up to that amount but not exceed it.
