Residents who want to see what’s going on at Village Board meetings may soon be able to turn to the Internet.
Trustees expect to vote next month on a proposal to broadcast board meetings over the Web.
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Kirk Zoellner, assistant village administrator, said staffers began researching vendors who offer Web-based video streaming about five months ago.
The village is interested in providing both live and on-demand broadcasting as well as a system allowing officials to keep track of how many people tune in. Officials want to keep the cost within a budget limit of $19,000, Zoellner said.
He recommended hiring Granicus, a company that specializes in Web-based video of local government meetings.
An initial payment of $7,542.50 would cover hardware, software, training and other assistance, and a year’s worth of service would cost $10,320 or about $860 a month, Zoellner said.
The village could make monthly payments and would be able to cancel the service if it isn’t used enough, he said.
Mayor Joe Werner said the “webcast” would make it easier for people who don’t have cable television service to see what’s going on in town. “You can watch [the board meeting] on the Web live,” Werner said.
“And 24/7 after that,” Zoellner added.
Viewers can use a drop-down box to see sections of the meeting that interest them, he said. “You can queue up for any little item,” he said.