Who forced us?
Well, after a couple of years as asking for the village leaders to do the right thing and make village meetings viewable on CH25, they have refused. Citing that meetings are too boring or too complex to broadcast. The REAL TRUTH is that they do not want you to be able to SEE what is going on, and if you spend anytime watching CH25 you will have to agree that recording meetings CANNOT in anyway be too complex.
So here you have it -- the ability to see what is going on (when you want it) combined with the ability to comment on what you have seen.
This is in its infancy, and ALL constructive advice is welcomed......
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15 comments:
Please make sure you have good sound recording and complete video from start to finish (no editing). Just do a panarama-type shot so that they can't complain about manipulation. May want to make sure you are within your rights with State or County and Village before you start as they'll just use it for future fooder. Good luck.
WISCONSIN OPEN MEETINGS LAW
§§19.81-19.98, Wisconsin Statutes
H. Openness; recording & photographing. Meetings must be open to all persons, except when
closed for a specific purpose according to law (see following heading). §§ 19.81(2) & 19.83(1).
In addition, the governmental body meeting must make a “reasonable effort to accommodate”
persons wishing to record, film or photograph the meeting, provided that such acts do not
interfere with the meeting or the rights of participants. §19.90.
I guess it's legal.
It's a darn shame that people have to resort to shaming government people into doing something they should be doing.
Go get em!
I am someone who has often felt the county board needed recording. I found that when articles about the board were printed the following day in the k-news, it would have been nice to hear ALL the comments made by Supervisors before the vote was taken. The online minutes do not reflect every word that is spoken. Now that it is recorded, much of the mystery of governmental proceeding and mis trust has been dispelled. So is it an expense really to better inform? Perhaps there would be good things that would come of it.
This last Monday, Trustee "On Your Side" Clyde was pretty miffed about the suggestion that the board is a rubber stamp organization -- he said a lot of deliberation occurs and compromise/consensus results in the rubber stamp appearance. Well, if this in fact the case, then recording and broadcast should be very welcome so that normal folks can see this deliberation occur?????????
You probably believe in UFO's if you believe the board is hiding anything. I just don't get you conspiracy theorists. It's the COST, dummy. Do you want your taxes to go up so that you can see yourself in Citizen's Comments? If it's important enough to see, be there. Or is your time too valuable to waste on a board meeting?
To the last entry:
You must be the one and only Longneck69 (as appearing at YOUTUBE). Your comments here sure sound a lot like those posted on YOUTUBE.
First off, what's wrong with UFO's?
Second, is it really too costly to put a simple recording of board meetings on CH25? Why is it so costly. "COSTLY" in that maybe the cititzens will know too much, or maybe "COSTLY" in that moronic comments like "no comprende" will continue to reverberate in cyberspace? Take a look at CH25? Is that which is being currently shown so cheap as to justify it? How are meeting recordings going to be more costly. You said "dummy", now stop living up to it!
Stop hinding behind anonymous aprons and be known. Your type is always the same--a lot of talk.
I don't know if you work, or where you work, but some people for work reasons or family reasons cannot come to meetings. Do you begrudge them the chance to see what is happening in their village government.
Too costly? How much do they spend on all the Channel 25 videos they air already? I'm sure lots of people would gladly volunteer to video; especially now before they all put on their election 'faces'!
Mike:
Honestly, you must be a commie. I believe in the free market. That means if you want the meetings recorded, then you do it and post the recordings. Otherwise, you and your conspiracy theorist friends will say the board manipulated the recordings. My tax dollars need to go for more cops, more fire fighters, and better services in the village.
By the way, the UFO's will be landing in time to take Hillary back to her home world before the election. I'm sure there will be plenty of room for you, too.
Also, don't you have a real job? Why are you trolling YouTube?
First off MR ANONYMOUS (or is that MRS) this BLOG is not managed by "MIKE", so if you think that you are writing to Mike here, you are clearly mis-(un-)informed and your posting shows it.
Secondly, why anonymous? Be proud of your ideas and provide your name. As the owner of this blog, I will not interfere with your right to make a fool out of yourself, but please let us KNOW WHO is making a fool out of themselves. GO AHEAD MAKE MY DAY!
By the way Happy Thanksgiving to you.
You advised MIKE to go ahead and record and post the meetings -- well, that is being done at www.youtube.com/pleasantprairiewi so check it out.
The expense any reasonable person would agree is minimal. You betray your thinking in saying that folks might accuse the village of manipulating recordings if it was done in house -- what you are telegraphing is that you believe the village would do that. Are you an employee of the village?
The recorded meetings should be on CH25 gavel to gavel and untouched and unedited. That would make it nice and cheap and FREE from tampering as you suggested some people might think could be happening (This is kind of a who farted? Don't you think?)
Lets face it the village is not beyond tampering with what is supposed to be basic facts. They have tampered with board minutes and would likely edit board meetings to their liking.
"Comprende?" -- it you understand why I wrote 'comprende' you will understand exactly what the signifcance is. And if you don't then you need to pay more attention also. Perhaps recordings of meetings on CH25 at convenient times for you?????
Again as stated before, drop the anonymous crap and the hostility especially to Mike -- Mike doesn't deserve it.
In a recent board meeting somebody (name withheld) offered to have his Clean Water Utility bill doubled. You would set a fine example by informing us all that YOU want to pay more for the services YOU want, and then plenty of money would be left over for recording meetings! Simply provide your parcel ID#, and I will help take it from there!
Dick:
I know you may not agree with me but how does Village afford all the other videos it produces and shows on Channel 25? How do they afford the Newsletter? Who pays for that? Where does the cable fee money go? As far as manipulation, they already manipulate the Meeting Minutes and the evidence is there. Maybe a GOOD lawyer would actually confront them on the Village's editing of Meeting Minutes.
(Maybe the third time is the charm and I won't have any typos in this one!)
The village board each year, IMHO, wastes $4,000 in taxpayer money to have verbatim "minutes" prepared.
What the village provides is costly and exceeds what is required by law.
While minutes are required by law they do not need to include verbatim discussion.
Those of us who work with transcripts prepared by certified court reporters under ideal conditions know that errors and omissions happen.
There isn't a certified reporter present at village board meetings. What happens is that a tape recording is given to a stenographer who uses it to prepare the minutes.
That process is too dicey in my book to be sufficiently reliable, especially if people are going to insist on absolute reliability.
I've seen errors made in what I've said at board meetings -- not big ones but mistakes nonetheless -- and I can only imagine the dilemma the stenographer must face when trying to accurately report what Steve Kumorkiewicz says.
I'd rather have the official minutes be only what the law officially requires and then take the $4,000 and use it to webcast the live audio stream of the meetings. That way anyone who wants to can record the live stream and listen to it at their own leisure.
I have finally discovered the YouTube board meeting! I LOVE it! Being a busy mom, dedicated wife and loyal employee, I can't stop and attend board meetings as they are scheduled. I CAN, however, find 10 minutes to watch some YouTube. It will take me a while, but I'll get through it!
Board meetings can be recorded and aired cheaply (that's proven). The Village doesn't need to hire Steven Spielberg, script writers, extras, etc. A recording like this is perfectly sufficiant and very much appreciated. Thanks so much for taking care of it!
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