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Services: Taping Meetings
Chris Salerno Coulson, Public Information Officer for Henderson County, North Carolina recently asked for help from fellow NACIO members on the issue of taping informal public comments during Commissioner meetings. Here's Chris' question: I need some help on an issue - ASAP. Our Broadcast Policy states that we do not tape informal public comments during our videotaped Board of Commissioners meetings. We don't want to do this because of the obvious reasons: grandstanding, political posturing of citizens running for office, etc. I need to hear from those of you currently taping these comments and now regret doing so, and those of you who don't tape them - and why you don't tape them. I have a couple of Commissioners who are now being pressured to tape these comments, and I need to prove to them, once again, that this is not a good idea. ~ Here are a few responses: We do not, for those reasons you stated. The tapes would also fall under FOIA and for obvious reason in most cases, the supervisors would not care to see themselves played relentlessly on the evening news. Video is a slippery slope. We do audio in some cases, but normally just post the minutes history in searchable form on the website. Rick L. Vernier ~ Chris - interesting that you don't want to hear from folks who DO videotape public comments and DON'T regret doing so. The unanimous opinion in our office is that the public comments section is just as much a part of the public record as the rest of the meeting. Yes, folks do sometimes say things you wish wouldn't air, but then again, so do the elected officials - it's all part of the democratic process. Michelle Vandyke ~ We air them and don't regret it for the most part. We had a problem a few years ago when a disgruntled citizen decided started reading adult material they found in the library aloud and we pulled the rebroadcast (temporarily). However, its also the time we use to highlight special programs or achievements on the air. Danny Diehl, ~ Here in Florida we tape the entire meeting, citizen comments and all. Everyone wants their three minutes of fame. We have some minor problems, but the success of it depends solely on the current Chairman of the County Commission. We have definite rules in place that are applied consistently. 1. If you want to address an items specifically listed on the day's agenda, you get three minutes (total) at the beginning of the meeting. 2. If you want to address general community issues, you get three minutes at the end of the meeting. 3. They can make a statement, read from a prepared page or ask for a commissioner or staff person to take action on an issue. In all cases, all the Board does is listen. They do not engage in conversation with the speaker. If the citizen asked a legitimate question or has a serious complaint, a staff person will normally stop him at the break and offer assistance, or at the end of the "open mike" period, the Chairperson will ask staff to follow up on "Mr. Smith's pothole". 3. No politics, no offensive language, no personal attacks, no name calling, or your microphone goes dead and you have to sit down. If we see a long line forming on a particularly hot topic, the Chairman will let people know if we will have a workshop coming up on the topic, which allows for broader public input. What the Chairman says, goes. There is a timer at the speakers podium and when the red light goes on, you're done. We have regulars that speak at the beginning and the end of every meeting. We have had political candidates that take the opportunity for free news coverage, but 99% of the time, they are orderly and polite and follow the rules. We feel that it is critical to give citizens the opportunity to voice their opinions. At the last Board meeting the citizen comment portion ran over two hours, and we filmed every minute of it. The topic was phosphate mining and water quality issues. We had irate neighbors, political candidates, environmentalists, and representatives of the phosphate industry. The speakers were spirited, but orderly, and everyone patiently waited their turn. Hope this helps. Joyce Ross Here's a summary email we got from Chris: Of 75 responses, 11 do not tape informal public comments, 64 do tape them. Of these, 21 run their meetings live, so they must show them. I am still getting responses trickling in, but the percentage of taping vs.non-taping remains about the same. Our Board voted unanimously to begin taping the comments at their meeting last week, saying that if things don't go well, they can always decide to discontinue taping them. This will, of course, never happen as once the gate is open it can never be closed. Thanks to everyone for your input! |