Council reviews two proposals

A new state law will require that government units record, and in most cases live-steam, their meetings beginning in 2025.

Portland City Council got its first look at options for handling those requirements Monday.

Representatives from Dynamic Business Solutions and BIS Digital each presented city council with proposals for equipment and service at its meeting meeting Monday.

House Bill 1167 passed during the 2023 requires that state and local governing bodies  provide live transmissions of public meetings and archive recordings along with links to agendas, minutes and other documentation for at least 90 days. It will go into effect on July 1, 2025.

Craig Frazee of Dynamic Business Solutions of Portland presented plans that would include an omni-directional recording device — a single camera that would rotate to the individual speaking — to cover the council chambers at Portland Fire Station. The device could send the recorded information to a cloud server for streaming or storing.

His plan calls for upgrades to the audio system in the room with the use of 16 hand-held microphones.

Frazee’s quote also offered a service for streaming and storage of recordings that would allow for 35,000 minutes of viewing per month.

Eric Young of BIS Digital, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and owned by Portland native Steve Coldren, presented a proposal for a two-camera recording system with one camera facing the council members and the other facing the audience. It would have “gooseneck” microphones for council members with additional microphones at the podium and a desk that sits at the rear of the council chambers.

The proposal also included two laptop computers, hardware, mixes and amps. He noted that the system integrates well with Microsoft Word to help streamline meeting minutes and offers closed captioning and an assisted listening device.

The system would send recordings to the device(s) of the city’s choice, but the proposal does not include cloud storage.

The Dynamic Business Solutions system was quoted at $16,000 for installation plus an annual service fee of $1,200. The BIS Digital system came in at $43,543 for installation with a contract for annual maintenance.

Council members had various questions, including regarding warranties and technical support. Portland assistant police chief Michael Brewster, who was in attendance at the meeting, asked about the timeline for installation, with clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips estimating January 2024.

“You probably don’t want your first meeting in July of 2025 to be the first day you’ve ever used it,” said city attorney Wes Schemenaur. “When it’s actually required, you probably want to have a few months under your belt.”

Phillips also noted that the city would need to consider moving all city meetings, including board of works and aviation board, to the site rather than paying to equip multiple facilities with equipment for recording and live-streaming.

Council members Janet Powers, Michele Brewster, Matt Goldsworthy, Mike Aker and Dave Golden took the quotes under advisement. (Kent McClung and Don Gillespie were absent from the meeting.)

Council also approved an ordinance that updates speed zones around local schools.

Assistant police chief Michael Brewster explained that some zones have not been updated since the 1970s and that some are unenforceable because of a lack of signs. The main changes in the ordinance result in changing a zone of Meridian Street to run from Water Street to Second Street — it currently is set for between Main and Second streets — and to adjust zones around the former Judge Haynes Elementary School building. (That site is planned for an early education center being developed by The Portland Foundation, and Brewster said he consulted with foundation executive director Doug Inman about the changes.) Speed zones will be set within a two-to-three-block radius around the former school.

Brewster also noted that new signs have been ordered to make sure all speed zones are properly marked.

Powers, Goldsworthy, Aker and Michele Brewster OK’d the ordinance. (Golden had not yet joined the meeting when the vote was taken.)

In other business, council:

•Approved a request from Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association president Chris Englehardt for a waiver of golf cart rules from Aug. 12 through 27 for the organization’s annual show at Jay County Fairgrounds. (Golf carts are still not allowed on U.S. and state highways, which include Meridian Street, Votaw Street west of Meridian Street and Water Street east of Meridian Street). Golf cart rules approved last year had previously been a point of contention between the city and Tri-State.

•Heard from Phillips, after a question from Powers, that the closure of Meridian Street (U.S. 27) for part of a storm sewer project is likely still a month away. Brewster noted that city and school officials have met and agreed upon temporarily making the alley just east of Jay Community Center one-way during construction to improve traffic flow at East Jay Elementary School. Also regarding the project, Aker asked if any pavement on streets branching off of Meridian will be disrupted during the work. Portland Mayor John Boggs acknowledged that it would, but added that the contract for the work requires that those streets be repaved to their current condition.

•Following a question from Powers, learned from Schemenaur that a new bid notice is being developed for demolishing the Bailey Building at the southwest corner of Main and Commerce streets. He noted that the Phase I environmental study on the building was clear but that a study found some asbestos that will need to be properly disposed of by the company that handles the demolition.

•Heard Boggs compliment Jay County Fair Board for its efforts on this year’s fair, which concluded Saturday.

•Learned from Boggs that Jay County Humane Society is hoping to have its new facility — the former Fastenal building on the west side of the city is currently being renovated — open in mid-October.