North Las Vegas votes against putting meetings online

By Erin Dostal

Wednesday, May 5, 2010 | 10:01 p.m.

The North Las Vegas City Council voted Wednesday against an item that would have allowed the city to stream its meetings online.

Assistant to the City Manager Michelle Bailey-Hedgepeth, who gave a presentation on the issue, said the cost would be about $29,000 a year. The cost included set-up, equipment, the first year of Web hosting fees and maintenance fees, she said.

The money for the Web streaming system would have come from funds set aside for improvements to the city’s online archiving system.

“It’s a perplexing thought for me to look at $29,000,” Mayor Pro Tempore William Robinson said. “Especially with the budget crunch...I don’t know that I can support this at this time.”

In fall 2009, Councilman Richard Cherchio requested that city staff research the possibility of streaming all council meetings online.

He said he hoped it would increase government transparency and allow more people to view council meetings.

The city also looked into broadcasting meetings on television, but that would cost more than broadcasting online, Bailey-Hedgepeth said.

The system North Las Vegas explored using use would be similar — but with fewer bells and whistles — to one used by Las Vegas, she said.

The webcast would have allowed people to view council meetings in real time while browsing the agenda on their computers, Bailey-Hedgepeth said.

Robinson, Councilman Robert Eliason and Mayor Shari Buck voted against the item. Buck said the council would discuss the possibility of Web streaming again in the future.

Cherchio and Councilwoman Anita Wood voted in favor of the item, citing demand from citizens and the need for greater civic involvement.

“I do think we need to proceed with something,” Wood said. “We have a lot of residents who have been wanting this for a very long time.”

Because the money had already been set aside, Cherchio said, he felt comfortable voting for the item.

“Is it a large amount of money in the short term? Yes,” he said. “But it’s the right thing at the right time to do.”