Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency purchases new recording system for meetings
Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency reached out to two vendors for quotes to install equipment to capture board meetings and stream them online.
After disruptions by protestors in November, the agency moved its meeting to the Branch County Courthouse, where those who wanted to attend without masks could do so.
At its Coldwater offices that provide medical services, it was necessary to continue to require masks to meet state health mandates.
Staff recommended accepting the $17,933 quote from US Systems Inc., which was also the company recommended by Hillsdale County's director of information technology. Hillsdale County also used US System designed equipment and service.
The system proposed audio-visual design allows for live streaming on the internet and recording, mics, sound and integrated video presentations.
The design does not provide for Zoom interaction for those attending online. Under the Open Meetings Act, Zoom meetings are no longer allowed for public bodies.
Board member and Hillsdale County commissioner Brent Leininger said, "It has its disadvantaged of not being an interactive system."
The other bid to allow for the interaction online was more than $33,000.
The company must complete installation by Sept. 30, the end of the current agency and state fiscal year.
A telephone-like system with speaker phones and a computer connection used in 2021 was poor quality. The new system will make "certain that you're catching all of the comments and discussion, so you actually know what occurred," said Rebecca Burns, agency director.
The recordings of the meeting will remain online for public viewing.
The agency board also decided to limit minutes of public comments after one person did not want to use her name. With no recommendation from the policy committee, the board voted just to reference if there were public comments.
"Minutes are the recording of the legal action of the body," Leininger said. "Our political deliberations don't need to be recorded in the minutes. Our motions and once seconded, only the vote needs to be recorded."
Hillsdale Commissioner Mark Wiley said, "We just simply state that public comment was held. We also have the recording so that if there's ever any question as to what was said, we reference the recording."
The agency board decided its policy would be to record public comments in the minutes by stating that a certain number of citizens gave public comments.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Regional Health Agency purchases recording system for meetings
