For the last several months, Trigg County Fiscal Court officials have been contemplating the idea of recording audio and video of their twice-a-month meetings — before making them available to the public.
Monday night, magistrates approved the day-after audio and video release of all proceedings henceforth — and it seems to be for several reasons.
First and foremost, Judge-Executive Stan Humphries made it clear that while lots of citizens do get the opportunity to either visit meetings in person — or catch its local media coverage — many don’t have the chance to attend or reflect back on written reports. An audio recording saved to a website or provided on Facebook, he urged, would give people a chance to rifle through archives.
Secondly, Humphries said that several cameras have recently been installed around the fiscal court room and along the outside property — creating more transparency after some issues bubbled.
Adding an audio system to these cameras, Humphries noted, was no trouble and came with minimal cost through Solutions Technology — and Monday night was its test run.
Humphries offered his lone opinion on the matter, urging that offering live footage of meetings would not only unduly depreciate the seriousness and crunch of real-time decision-making, but could also theoretically create scenarios where people called, texted or responded during acts of business.
Magistrate Mike Wright supported the motion, suggesting it was but another step toward “100% transparency,” while allowing the majority of Trigg Countians to embrace the process and “be better informed.” Magistrate Barry Littlejohn agreed, while Magistrate Mike Lane called it “money well spent.”
Because the entire project will cost less than $40,000, and because cameras have already been installed as a safety mechanism, Humphries said the purchasing and program roll-out didn’t need magisterial approval. The release of the footage, however, did.
Humphries and County Treasurer Lucy Kyler said monthly fees for things like audio equipment, maintenance and file storage would be nominal, and Humphries reiterated that beliefs on this matter “had shifted.”
Not long after the motion passed, concerned citizen John Arnoldussen — who frequently offers public comment, and has been videoing recent meetings and placing them on his Facebook and YouTube page — took some credit for the court’s decision.
As Arnoldussen took a seat, Magistrate Alana Baker-Dunn had some umbrage — which became a spirited back-and-forth about transparency, Arnoldussen’s continued personal beef with the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office, and overall perceptions about Cadiz and its surrounding communities.
Full audio can be found of the exchange can be found here:
