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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLD-016-11 oat! REPORT CLERK'S DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: JUNE 13, 2011 Resolution#: CM- y3/-// By-law#: N/A Report#: CLD-016-11 File#: Subject: AUDIO RECORDING OF MEETINGS RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report CLD-016-11 be received; 2. THAT the Municipal Clerk's Department commence audio taping all Council and Committee meetings that are held in the Council Chambers, with the exception of closed meetings; 3. THAT equipment be purchased to allow for the conversion of VHS tape to CD; 4. THAT, in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, copies of the CDs be made available for purchase through the Municipal Clerk's Department at a cost of$10 each; 5. THAT a copy of each CD be made available through the Clarington Public Library; and 6. THAT staff continue to investigate the issue of podcasting and webcasting all Council and Committee meetings to the Clarington website and report back during the 2012 budget deliberations. dir Submitted by: i��s'1//1/r/ . a_ _ Reviewed by: '4" I = ie, CMO F nklin Wu, unici. - Clerk Chief Administrative Officer CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 REPORT NO.: CLD-016-11 PAGE 2 1.0 BACKGROUND At the Council meeting of May 16, 2011, the following recommendation was approved: "WHEREAS good and meaningful governance requires transparency in the proceedings of Council; WHEREAS it is incumbent upon the representatives elected by the residents of Clarington to utilize modern technology to promote disclosure and accountability; WHEREAS many Municipalities have opted, in the public interest, to audio record Council and Committee meetings; AND WHEREAS the current absence of audio recordings of Council and Committee meetings deprives the Clarington public of a valuable resource; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Staff report back on the viability of: 1. Audio recording all Clarington Council and Committee meetings excluding closed meetings, special Council meetings and in camera sessions; 2. One copy of each audio recording to being stored in the Clerk's department to be made available to the public on request in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA); 3. Public access under MFIPPA being provided by means of listening to audio recordings in the presence of a Municipal employee, approved by the Clerk's Department, during business hours; and 4. Uploading the audio recordings and webcasting to the Clarington Municipal website." 2.0 OTHER MUNICIPALITIES In researching this matter, staff contacted Durham Region, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Scugog, Uxbridge, Brock, Port Hope, Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough to determine which municipalities audio record their meetings and the method in which they do so. With the exception of those meetings that are televised by the local cable companies, the City of Oshawa is the only municipality REPORT NO.: CLD-016-11 PAGE 3 surveyed who is audio taping meetings and they are recording all meetings, whether they are open to the public or closed. During the renovation of the Oshawa Council Chamber, an audio system was purchased which allows for scan disk cards to be recorded. A CD is then created which can be purchased for $10 per copy. The audio recordings are not posted on the City's website at this time. The City Clerk has advised that they have had few requests for the CDs. 3.0 CURRENT CLARINGTON CAPABILITIES The equipment which is currently installed in our Council Chambers will audio record, but only to VHS tapes. In order to provide the audio recording in a format which is more widely used, conversion equipment costing approximately $250 would be required. This would convert the VHS tapes to DVDs, which can then be converted to CDs using equipment which the municipality currently owns. The purchase of the conversion equipment can be accommodated through Account No. 100-19-130-00000-7505, Other Equipment Purchases. 4.0 ACCESS TO CD The resolution that was passed by Council on May 17, 2011, indicated that one copy of each recording was to be stored in the Municipal Clerk's Department to be made available in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) and also that public access under MFIPPA be provided by means of listening to the recordings in the presence of a municipal employee, approved by the Municipal Clerk's Department, during business hours. Having a municipal employee listening to the recordings with the requester is very labour intensive, requiring a great amount of staff time being diverted from regular duties. In accordance with MFIPPA, a fee of $10 shall be charged for records REPORT NO.: CLD-016-11 PAGE 4 provided on CD-ROMs. Accordingly, the recordings of the Council and Committee meetings could be made available through the Municipal Clerk's Department for a fee of $10 per copy. Additionally, a copy of each CD could be made available through the Clarington Public Library where library members could access it as they do any library collection item, ie, signed out for a specified period of time. This option would allow residents to access the CD from their local library branch, therefore not necessitating a trip to the Municipal Administrative Centre and not requiring payment of a fee other than any late return charges that may apply. The Library Director has been consulted on this option, and is in agreement to adding the CDs to the library collection. 5.0 UPLOADING OF RECORDINGS The Corporate Services Department has been investigating the issue of uploading audio recordings (podcasting) and webcasting to the Clarington municipal website for the last couple of years. Due to the significant budget implications, this has not proceeded beyond the investigation stage. It is recommended that staff continue to research this possibility and report back during the 2012 budget deliberations. 6.0 CONCLUSIONS It is respectfully recommended that the Municipal Clerk's Department commence audio taping of all Council and Committee meetings that are held in the Council Chambers, with the exception of closed meetings; that equipment be purchased to allow for the conversion of the VHS tapes; that copies of the CDs be made available for purchase through the Municipal Clerk's department at a cost of $10 each; that a copy of each CD be made available through the Clarington Public Library; and that staff continue to investigate the issue of podcasting and webcasting all Council and Committee meetings to the Clarington website and report back during the 2012 budget deliberations.