Saturday, September 7, 2024
Hood County residents may soon experience a new way of viewing Hood County Commissioners Court meetings, as officials move forward with potential plans to change how these sessions are broadcasted.
During a regularly scheduled meeting July 23, the court officially asked the IT and purchasing department to seek alternatives for a more efficient method to record and publish commissioner court videos, such as software or services.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Nannette Samuelson said her goal was to come up with a more “seamless” method, as IT Chief Information Officer Drew Wiederkehr and Assistant Chief of Information Technology Owen Curnutt spend approximately four to five hours each meeting to record the videos for commissioners court.
"Maybe the county clerk would have the control with an iPad or something that would free these guys up to do all the important things that they do all the time,” Samuelson said. “How can we save money and at the same time free up our IT staff to do the important things that they need to be doing?”
Wiederkehr mentioned he has contacted other counties to inquire about their meeting recording procedures, noting that the majority handle the process "in-house,” similar to Hood County.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Dave Eagle suggested for Wiederkehr to observe the videos from the Parker County website, as the setup allows the camera to capture the entire court from behind the podium. He explained that when someone steps up to speak, their image appears in a separate window within the frame alongside the commissioners. Eagle said he found this approach effective because it minimizes the need for constant monitoring.
“It's very effective because once they get through, they're done with it. I mean, it's live streamed that way, but then when they finish the commissioners' court, they're done,” Eagle said. “You might take a look at what they're doing. I don't know exactly what software they're using or our service or what, but I liked it because you didn't have to sit here and it was kind of self-serving.”
Eagle assured Wiederkehr he would also provide him with the correct contact information for Parker County to gather further details about their video setup.
Following the end of discussion, Samuelson made a motion to ask the IT and purchasing department to seek alternatives for a more efficient method to record and publish commissioners' court videos. Eagle seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
