August, 2024
29 Reasons to Add Live-Streaming to Public Meetings
Background
- YouTube is FREE, and any smartphone or smart device can Live-Stream.
- Many government meetings in NY are small, so Live-Streaming is simple.
- All 50 state legislatures now Live-Stream their public meetings.
- A growing number of states, including Vermont, Massachusetts, and Indiana, now Require Live-Streaming of many public meetings.
- Many Public Meetings are still “In Person Only – No Remote Participation Allowed’
Public Health & Safety
1 Sick & Contagious – Many people do not know they are sick and contagious. Thus, requiring potentially sick people to attend in person and risk infecting others is dangerous and outdated. The more people in attendance, the more risk to everyone.
2 Elderly – Many elderly taxpayers are simply unable to safely travel to, and attend meetings.
3 Disabled or Unhealthy – Many people are simply too unhealthy to travel and attend.
4 Immunocompromised – At least 25% of Americans are either immunocompromised or have an immediate family member who is – For these people, it is dangerous to attend ‘In Person’ meetings.
Applicable Laws
5 Negligence – A person is negligent if they fail to act with the level of care a reasonable person would exercise in the same situation. Refusing taxpayer requests to Live-Stream may constitute negligence.
6 Climate Smart Communities’ Pledge – To date, 416 local NY governments representing more than 9.5 million New Yorkers adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge, which includes the goal of reducing gasoline usage wherever possible. Adding Live-Streaming to meetings is perhaps the most obvious way.
7 Municipal Ethics Rules – often state that public employees are required to minimize taxpayer-paid travel reimbursement expenses wherever possible. Allowing public employees to participate in meetings remotely saves public funds.
8 Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) – Passed in 1990, before the internet existed, it has not yet been updated to require Live-streaming of public meetings. However, legislation has been proposed to modernize the ADA to require Live-Streaming.
Social Factors
9 Military Service Members Stationed From Home – also have the right to participate and stay in touch with their home communities. This is another way to ‘Support our Troops’.
10 Employed – Many people can not easily take time off work to attend meetings.
11 Caretakers – May not be able to leave alone children, elderly, sick or disabled persons, etc.
12 Travelers – Many people travel for work or personal reasons but still want to participate in public meetings.
13 Snowbirds – Many people leave NY each Winter but still want to participate in public meetings.
14 Female – Many females are uncomfortable attending meetings at night, far away, or alone. Recent surveys find that Ninety Percent (90%) of women report that time & place factors are among their most important considerations in choosing employment.
15 Economically Challenged – Some people cannot afford travel expenses.
16 Transportation Challenged – Some people do not own vehicles or cannot drive due to legal, medical, or other reasons.
17 Avoiding Controversial Rules of Decorum – Sometimes arbitrary, discriminatory or controversial ‘Rules of Decorum’ are imposed upon the public in ‘In Person Only’ Public Meetings.
Economic Savings
18 Reduced Personal Transportation Costs – In 2024, gasoline and car expenses are calculated at 67 cents per mile by the IRS.
19 Substantial Public Funds Saved – By reducing public employee travel expenses.
20 Avoiding Childcare or Respite Care Expenses – Many parents or other caretakers need to pay someone to provide care for someone in order to attend ‘In Person Only’ meetings.
Environmental Factors
21 NY State Is Large – NY State covers over 54,000 square miles, and many New Yorkers live several hours away from public meeting locations. NY’s longest drive, from Montauk Point to Niagara, is 547 miles and takes over 9 hours to travel by car.
22 Mountainous Areas – With over 3,800 named mountains across NY state, bad weather and nighttime travel can be dangerous.
23 Extreme Weather Events are Increasing – Intense rain, flooding, road washouts, ice storms, extreme heat events, and other dangerous events are now more common and increasing.
24 Canadian Wildfire Smoke – NY State now routinely advises people to STAY INSIDE during dangerous smoke events; however, many public employees still refuse public requests to Live-Stream public meetings.
Public Employment Benefits
25 Public Employee Recruitment & Retention – It is increasingly difficult to recruit & retain public employees. Since remote work is now the #1 most desirable job type in the US, requiring Live-Streaming of public meetings helps recruitment & retention.
26 Protecting Public Employee’s Health – Requiring Live-Streaming of public meetings reduces the health danger to everyone, and thus allows public employees to serve in good health for longer periods, reducing recruitment & training costs.
Community Branding
27 Public Engagement – Allowing people to participate in government meetings via Live-Streaming enhances public engagement with government and their communities.
28 Improving Trust in Government – Public trust in government has fallen, and now, more than ever, trust is important. Open Government’ and Transparency build trust.
29 Community ‘Branding’ – NY municipalities spend millions of public funds each year promoting tourism in competition with every other region. Refusing to allow Live-Streaming makes a community look backward, out of touch, elderly driven & focused, and a poor place to vacation, accept a job, buy a home, live, or invest.
Many rural areas are now desperately seeking to attract and retain working-age people, which is increasingly difficult because of the ‘Baby Bust’ impacting most industrialized countries.
Allowing people to participate in public meetings via Live-Streaming is now an essential element of positive community branding.
Comments & Additions are Welcomed !
Please email us at: livestream@nyopengov.org
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Please also check out our live-streaming report
