ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—Residents can check out any of the last five City Council meetings online—which are now broadcast live on YouTube and then archived online for future viewing by residents interested in a particular discussion or issue.
Prior to Englewood livestreaming council meetings—which had been discussed and debated for years—a loose-knit group of volunteers attended most City Council meetings and broadcast a livestream on Facebook’s Englewood Today website.
Volunteers said they would continue to broadcast meetings on Facebook for a while to monitor the new livestream broadcast.
The City Council livestreamed its first-ever meeting on Oct. 29 and plans to continue through 2020.
According to City Clerk Yancy Wazirmas, the one-year contract for the online broadcasting set-up and technical assistance from Gramco Business Communications, Clifton, cost $6,792.14 and was approved Nov. 12 by council members.
The bill was one of nearly 200 invoices approved on the “bills list” by council members at the meeting.
Wazirmas said the $6,792.14 cost was a “one-time charge” and that the city pays a $495 annual fee to Gramco for audio recording system maintenance.
Following a Northern Valley Press public records request, the Gramco invoice said the charge was for “streaming council meetings” with “Liberty recording program with video and streaming capabilities for the council meetings.”
It noted Gramco is a member of a state-approved co-op from which towns can contract services, generally at a reduced rate.
Cost breakdowns include $2,995 for Liberty recording Version 7.8 software; $595 for an Axis HC camera 3224 wall mount; $277.14 for boundary microphones for recording; and no charge for open broadcaster streaming software.
Fifteen hours of labor at $195 per hour for system installation totaled $2,925.
Labor costs included installation of the camera mounting, cable connections, software installation and configuration, and end user training. A one-year parts and labor warranty on hardware is included, notes the invoice.
Englewood residents not able to attend a regular City Council meeting or work session can watch the sessions live or find archived versions at this website.
Wazirmas said an archive of broadcast meetings would be kept by her office and be available via an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, in addition to the archived versions.
Previously, only minutes and audio recordings were available as an archive of City Council meetings.
Back in March, members had urged Wazirmas to involve local students in the broadcast. Wazirmas also had concerns about broadcasting and archiving council meetings that could then be subject to public records requests as well as how to handle such requests efficiently.
On a related public access matter, members briefly discussed a resolution Nov. 12 that called for a statewide study commission to review the OPRA.
Nearly 200 towns statewide have passed the resolution calling for a study of OPRA, while ongoing legislative efforts to update OPRA and the Open Public Meetings Act have met with resistance over nearly a decade from a statewide municipal clerks’ association and the state League of Municipalities.
Wazirmas said the resolution was “a push” to legislators to form a study commission due to “financial burdens” imposed on municipalities by commercial entities and attorneys who frequently use OPRA to request large numbers of public records.
Over the last several years, the council has been criticized by residents for not providing copies of resolutions and ordinances in advance of a vote.
Public access to draft resolutions or ordinances varies widely among towns covered by Northern Valley Press, with some providing advance copies of both online, generally labeled “draft” so residents can consider them if they attend the public meeting.
Some towns provide printed “draft” copies of the resolutions and ordinances at meetings, while others do not.
On the Nov. 12 agenda, two ordinances for introduction, or first reading were not provided in print or online while two resolutions up for vote, were provided with the printed agenda.
Previously, residents have called out the lack of resolutions or ordinances available for public review regularly during public comment sessions.
Overall, Northern Valley Press has found the City Clerk’s office responsive to OPRA requests.
However, some residents complain that not having “draft” ordinances and resolutions available when discussed creates a perception that council members are not as transparent as they could be.
The current OPRA law does not require advance disclosure of “draft, consultative or deliberative” documents but some Northern and Pascack Valley towns make such documents available—especially when public votes are planned or anticipated.