(Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Modernizing meetings

Council approves $140,000 audiovisual upgrade for chamber

Dec 21, 2020 | 11:54 AM

They may not like the price-tag, but Prince Albert city councillors have voted unanimously to buy a new audiovisual system for the council chamber.

The updated system, which will cost up to $140,000, will allow meetings to be live-streamed online and facilitate video and teleconferencing. New video projectors, a new sound system and a control system to simplify queing and voting are also part of the package.

Coun. Ted Zurakowski told council he believed some parts of the project were necessary, but repeated concerns about the cost. He added he hoped tenders would come in at a competitive price.

“One-hundred-forty-thousand dollars. That’s a splash park, that’s a playground… We’re going to spend that money in this room, instead of out there in the community,” he said. “And that’s my concern.”

Meanwhile other councillors contended the upgrade was necessary, particularly given the limitations the pandemic has placed on in-person attendance at meetings.

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Council meetings have been largely closed to the public since the beginning of the pandemic in March. A spring attempt to hold meetings partially via teleconference was abandoned after technological shortcomings lead to frustration and miscommunication.

“I think we’ve been behind the times here,” Coun. Don Cody said, explaining he believed communications between the city and residents needed to be improved. “And I think the time is coming to bolster ourselves up on behalf of the public.”

City administration will now put the new audiovisual system out for tender. City Clerk Sherry Person told paNOW the hope is to have it installed and operational by mid-March.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom