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Home My WebLink AboutAdopt Resolution 2015-46 changing the location of regular Ci Dept ID CK 15-005 Page 1 of 3 Meeting Date 9/8/2015 7 -6 CITY OF HUNTINGTON REACH REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION MEETING DATE: 9/8/2015 SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members SUBMITTED BY: Joan L Flynn, CIVIC, City Clerk PREPARED BY: Joan L Flynn, CIVIC, City Clerk SUBJECT: Adopt Resolution 2015-46 changing the location of regular City Council meeting Study Sessions from Room B-8 to the City Council Chambers Statement of Issue To increase transparency, enhance public accessibility and participation, and reduce costs associated with set-up and break-down time, as well as equipment and software purchases, it is recommended that future Study Sessions be held and televised from the City Council Chambers Financial Impact A one-time savings of approximately $17,000 by eliminating the need to purchase new audio recording and microphone equipment, and annual, ongoing savings estimated at $3,600/year for eliminated audio recording software maintenance fees Recommended Action Adopt Resolution No 2015-46, "A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Changing the Location of Regular City Council Meeting Study Sessions" Alternative Action(s) Do not adopt Resolution No 2015-46, and remain in B-8 for Study Sessions Analysis Regular City Council Meeting Study Sessions held bi-weekly in Room B-8 limit (due to the time of day, and recording device constraints) public attendance, participation and transparency, and require expenditures for audio recording and microphone equipment, audio recording software, and staff time to set up and break down the meeting room The following examples provide support to consider relocating the Study Session portion of regular City Council meetings to the Council Chambers Increases public transparency: • Live and archived video streams of Study Sessions would allow remote computer, television and/or mobile device access by everyone, anywhere, who are currently unable to attend the 4 00 PM session in person ® • Transparency and availability of information will be enhanced on important topics that are presented, as the remote members of the public will see the PowerPoint presentations which they now cannot do utilizing an audio tape • Participation/engagement/educational opportunities will be amplified to a larger public audience HB -49- Item 5. - I Dept ID CK 15-005 Page 2 of 3 Meeting Date 9/8/2015 • The remote public will have Immediate access to information presented during Study ® Sessions which supports decisions made during the regular 6 00 PM sessions versus being required to wait until the next day for the audio to be posted—which in some cases is after a vote has been taken during the business session of the meeting • Comfortable public seating arrangement versus the sometimes awkward B-7 and B-8 configuration where they view Council Members from the back, making it difficult to hear items of interest to them • Better sound quality than the existing audio recordings and occasionally live voices of the speakers in Room B-8, which can be less than optimal, and is especially problematic when crowd overflow is seated in Room B-7 • Members of the public will be able to address their comments to the City Council face to face from the stable Chambers podium rather than from the side of a conference table, fussing with an awkward microphone system • Video transmission and files will be available in real time as opposed to the current one-day wait due to computer processing time to upload the audio files to the City's website • The public can watch the study session (both live and archived) on-the-go easily, using mobile devices rather than having to download MP3 audio files no sooner than the next afternoon • The public will have an easier time following the presentations as the video will showcase the actual PowerPoint material which is not available with the audio recording • Regular City Council meetings would no longer be spilt into two streamed files online (audio/study session, video/public meeting) but would be one spliced video file making it easier to access and utilize • For ease of use, City Council meeting agendas and supplemental communications would be ® centrally posted online versus in two locations (audio/study session, video/public meeting) Cost savings and convenience • The Public Cable Television Authority (PCTA) has agreed to air live all regular City Council Meeting Study Sessions on the City's government access Channel 3, and will cover all technician-related costs (approximately $1,700 for the year) • One-time cost savings of$7,000, to replace obsolete audio recording equipment and the elimination of required $3,600 annual software maintenance fee • One-time cost savings of$10,000, which would be needed to complete the purchase of microphones to improve sound volume in Room B-8 • Eliminated costs/redundant work associated with four departments' staff time to set up and break down the equipment, materials, and furniture currently used to accommodate Council, staff, and members of the public in B-8 and B-7 • Easier tracking for the Mayor for calling on Council Members who are currently seated to her side and not readily in view • Council, staff and members of the public would no longer need to gather their belongings, paperwork, and equipment at the conclusion of the study session and move them into the Council Chambers for the next portion of the meeting • Easier and quicker production of meeting minutes as it would no longer be necessary to merge separate audio and video minute templates and notation files to complete documentation of one event • Meeting Room B-7 and Room B-8 could be available for other meetings during the 3 00 to 5 00 PM hours ® Environmental Status Not applicable Strategic Plan Goal Non-Applicable—Administrative Item Item 5. - 2 HB -50- Dept ID CK 15-005 Page 3 of 3 Meeting Date 9/8/2015 ® Attachment(s) 1 Resolution No 2015-46, "A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach Changing the location of Regular City Council Meeting Study Sessions " HB -51- Item 5. - 3 RESOLUTION NO. 2015-46 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH CHANGING THE LOCATION OF REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING STUDY SESSIONS WHEREAS, Resolution No. 2013-16 set the meeting place for regularly scheduled City Council meeting study sessions to be Room B-8; and, The City Clerk has made a request to adjust the meeting place of regularly scheduled 4:00 p.m study sessions from B-8 to the City Council Chambers, with the remainder of the meeting to commence at 6:00 p in. NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach does hereby resolve as follows: 1. The regularly scheduled study session portion of City Council meetings shall be held at the hour of 4:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Civic Center, with the remainder of the meeting to begin at 6:00 p in. 2. No meeting shall continue beyond 11.00 p m. without the majority vote of the City Council. 3. All portions of Resolution No 2013-16 in conflict herewith aie appealed. PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach at a regular meeting thereof held on the 8 t h day of September ,2015. a REVIE D APPROVED APPROVED FORM ity Manager City Atto-mey V ITIATED AND APPROVED. City Clerk 15-4865/124633 doe Res. No. 2015-46 STATE OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF ORANGE ) ss: CITY OF HUNTINGTON BEACH ) I, JOAN L FLYNN the duly elected, qualified City Clerk of the City of Huntington Beach, and ex-offiao Clerk of the City Council of said City, do hereby certify that the whole number of members of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach is seven, that the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of all the members of said City Council at a Regular meeting thereof held on September 8, 2015 by the following vote AYES: Posey, O'Connell, Katapodis, Hardy, Sullivan, Delgleize, Peterson NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None x1a City Cork and ex-officio Ark of the City Council of the City of Huntington Beach, California COMMUNICATION RECEIVED REGARDING THE FOLLOWING CONSENT CALENDAR ITEM: RESOLUTION NO. 2015-46 CHANGING THE LOCATION OF REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING STUDY SESSIONS FROM ROOM B-B TO THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS Esparza, Patty From: Flynn, Joan Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 8 53 AM To: Esparza, Patty Subject: FW Wondering what you think Please include as a communication in the packet since it went to all council Joan L FLynn, City Clerk City of Huntington Beach 714-536-5404 Please consider the HB City Clerk's office for your passport needs From: Flynn, Joan Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 4.59 PM To: CITY COUNCIL Cc: Wilson, Fred, Toledo, Julie Subject: FW. Wondering what you think We manually record the Council study sessions and post the audio file online. The mobile encoder and mixing equipment that we use to make the recording is getting up there in age and it is having a few issues. It also runs on software which is outdated and no longer technically supported by the vendor. We must use an older laptop with a dated operating system that our Information Systems department does not support (which we must keep for this application). The cost to replace the existing unit with anew mobile encoder is between $6,000 and $7,500. In addition, there would be a new, ongoing, monthly maintenance fee associated with the upgrade of $3,600 a year. Here is a thought to mull over and consider.... What do you think about having the study session in the council chambers and have the session videotaped and streamed live? Here are the pros and cons: Pros: ® There would be financial savings from not purchasing a new encoder, not incurring new monthly maintenance fees, and not purchasing additional microphones for B-8 • There would be staff time/financial savings in room set up and break down ® There would be no need for council and staff to move belongings and equipment from B-8 to the Chambers ® There would be no need to worry about having to get more chairs, or open additional seating areas when a large crowd shows up ® B-7 and possibly even B-8 could be available for other meetings during the 3:00 to 5:00 hour • Public comments could be made from the podiums versus awkwardly from the side of the table in B-8 • The meeting could still have a more relaxed feel, but the public will not have to only see your backs as you discuss items of interest to them • The public would no longer need to come to city hall to attend, but would be able to access the study session remotely from off site • The public would have real time access from home/work/anywhere versus waiting one to two days for an audio upload • The public would have access to the video via their mobile devices which is not always possible with the audio • The public would actually SEE the PowerPoint presentations, versus having to listen to an audio and try to make their way through a hard copy of the PowerPoint without a road map as to what slide the speaker was on • There would only be one posting on the web for each meeting in totality, versus separate audio and video postings which is confusing to the public (see screenshot below) • The Agenda would be centrally posted online versus in two locations (audio and video listings -- see screenshot below) • The production of minutes would be easier as the camera would capture who was talking versus trying to decipher who is speaking by voice recognition alone, through less than optimum sound quality • No longer would it be necessary to merge minutes from two meeting files (audio and video) to complete documentation of the whole meeting • Transparency would be enhanced on the important topics which are presented • The public would be able to see what you see and understand the information you were given to help you make your determination once an item comes to the regular 6:00 session • increased public participation/engagement 2 TIft AK, 77 Slum' to VM-,---Nam '0 Study Session- Audio, Oah 59M Documents MPS OV03115 813r2015 is CVPFA Regular AudWVvdeo 04h 12m TLS. MP3 MP4 Meeting-sarnis CCMFA Regular 07A2QJI5 Meeting- AudiWdeo 03h 2" [�__Uinentsv MP3 061104 ?==15 CC Special 07111($5 Meeting- AudiWidtw 00h 00m Agenda MP3 MP4 71134015 071W,5 Study Session- Audio Olh3" MP3 7AM15 WIP4 CC SW.131 011129115 Meeting- AudloNdeo 01 h UM MP3 MP4 Planning 0&231I$Co"W"sion, AudWVide* 00h20rn Agenda MP3 MP4 Document5, CCMFA Regular OW5115 Meeting- AudialWea 0 1 h 17m DC1Cufllentts v INAP3 MP4 -is 0"1115 Study Session- Audi* 01hil-74" jDactimerlms. MP3 &V2015 Cons: ® Doing something different can cause initial anxiety • Additional cost for extra time for audio/visual staff But, we have always done it that way. . This seems like a sound idea to me. I am estimating we would save approximately $200 a meeting in new mixing/encoder equipment (amortized over 7 years) and maintenance fees alone. Please give me your feedback and if it is positive, I will ask Julie to supply us with projected costs associated with extra audio/visual taping hours and then will give you the info so a decision can be made. Joan L FLynn, City Clerk City of Huntington Beach 714-536-5404 Please consider the HB City Clerk's office for your passport needs 3