TRAVERSE CITY -- The Grand Traverse County Board finally agreed to join the video age and will begin televising its meetings.
The board also is considering archiving meeting videos on its Web site.
The cameras will roll for the first time at the board's organizational meeting at 8 a.m. Wednesday on channel 99.
For years the board resisted calls to televise its meetings.
When it refused again in 2007, new Commissioner Christine Maxbauer took it upon herself to record meetings. She posts some on her Web site and sends some to be broadcast on tctv2.
Maxbauer said her videotaping prompted the board's broadcast decision.
"But I'm not really sure why, whether they just got used to it, realized it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be, or if they just became resigned to it," Maxbauer said.
Not so, countered board Chairman Addison "Sonny" Wheelock, who said Maxbauer had nothing to do with the move.
"We've always supported televising meetings when it became technically convenient," Wheelock said.
Traverse City officials just spent nearly $71,000 to equip the shared commission chambers in the Governmental Center with video equipment. Funding came from the city's cable franchising agreement.
The county pitched in about $14,200 for room remodeling and new furniture.
The county estimates it will cost about $5,000 a year to televise most, if not all of its board and committee meetings.
Commissioner Larry Inman said televising meetings is a way for the board to meet its goal to increase community outreach. But he acknowledged Maxbauer's role in pushing the county in that direction.
"I received nothing but positive impact from people who saw the videotapes she has been doing," Inman said.
The county will broadcast live on cable channel 99 all of its committee and board meetings held at the Governmental Center and rebroadcast them on Sunday afternoons.
Wheelock said the board also is considering the financial feasibility of computer software to archive and index board and committee meetings on its Web site. The technology would allow residents to view just sections of an agenda instead of an entire meeting.
Because the board holds eight of 12 regular meetings at township halls, those meetings won't be televised until officials train staff to videotape the meetings.
Until then, Maxbauer said she'll continue to carry her camera.
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