Council debate webcam and opt for free trial

Taupo District Council have resolved to install a webcam to provide live coverage of Council meetings as well as recording for ‘on-demand’ viewing later.

The chosen option was passed by a single vote majority with the proviso to hold a free trial as a test run and to review the webcam after six months.

Mayor Rick Cooper was convinced that on-demand viewing allowed Council to reach as many people as possible. “The likes of students, workers and farmers aren’t able to view meetings because they are held during their working day. The webcam will allow people to view their elected members in action.” Some councillors were more in favour of a simple live streaming option, which was less expensive but still provided access for people unable to get in to Taupo for the meetings.

Taupo District Council has around 42 percent of ratepayers who reside outside of the district and the webcam is a convenient and affordable way of providing these people access to Council meetings. “I will continue to work at improving openness and transparency so people who want to know more about governance and local government decision making are not limited by lack of access,” said Mayor Cooper.

Enlighten Designs, the preferred providers, will ensure that the meetings streamed live are also recorded in their entirety, stored and archived online for on-demand viewing. Google analytics will allow Council to analyse viewer behaviour and better inform reviews of the service over time.

Council staff advised that viewers would need to have adequate data plans to view the footage or they could find themselves exceeding their limits which could be very expensive. “We strongly advise people to check their data plans and talk to their providers if they are unsure of cost,” said Deputy CEO Anne McLeod.

The first meeting to be broadcast will be held on Tuesday 20 July at 1pm. Viewers wanting to access the footage should do so on the Council website: www.taupo.govt.nz