Agenda Item Title:
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Administration recommending audio-visual upgrades to the Council Chambers and overflow conference area for the purpose of moving Work Session meetings and enabling video streaming and recording.
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Presenter:
Mayor Bradburn
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Description/Background:
In conjunction with the conversion of the Council conference room and the implementation of the Granicus agenda management system, Work Session meetings were moved from the conference room to the Council Chambers. The major advantage of holding the Work Session in the Council Chambers is the use of the audio-visual equipment, and the ability to record the entire Tuesday meeting on a single system. The audio-visual equipment in the Council conference room is poor and is not compatible with the agenda management system. Another advantage of holding the Work Session in the Council Chamber is that the space is more accommodating to the public. The Council conference room is small and was often crowded during past Work Session meetings. Few seats were available for the public, and as such, it was not clear that the Work Session was in fact an open and public meeting.
A disadvantage sometimes expressed since the move to the Council chamber is the loss of the conversational tone of the Work Session. A central conference table was seen as a way to facilitate dialogue about Work Session agenda items. Conversely, the formal atmosphere of the Council Chamber perhaps facilitates "presentation" and inhibits the exchange of ideas through conversation.
Administration has been exploring ways to bridge the gap between the need to ensure compatibility with the agenda management, the desire to bring Work Session into a more intimate, central conference space, and the need to do so in a way that facilitates public participation. One option initially explored included physical expansion of the Council conference room along with the necessary audio-visual hardware upgrades . However, due to the ...
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