Can’t make a city meeting? Catch it on TV
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McMinnville city officials have decided to broadcast tapes of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s bi-monthly meetings, typically held on the first and third Mondays of each month.
“If just a few people see and understand, that would be a wonderful thing,” said Alderman Patti Nunley, who proposed the idea. She said January’s failed $5.5 million bond referendum proved people were “grievously misinformed” about that issue.
Nunley made mention of airing city meetings several weeks ago and when city leaders met last week in their regular session, the tape was rolling.
Although someone interested in city politics would be able to learn if a particular law or change was enacted, or if it failed, by watching the broadcast, Nunley admitted they won’t learn much more than that because very little discussion is typically held before the mayor asks for the vote.
She said she is working to allow the broadcast of committee meetings, where more discussion occurs.
City Administrator Herb Llewellyn said the tape was to be aired, but technical difficulties precluded that from happening. He said a practice run before the meeting went fine, but when he sent the tape to Charter Communications he learned there was nothing but fuzz on the tape.
Llewellyn said he hoped the bugs, which he considered to be the result of operator error, will be worked out in time for the next meeting. No date for broadcast has been established yet, but the cable company’s chief technician, Ronnie Craig, said the tapes will be played on Ch. 6.