With public gatherings a thing of the past since Covid, city councils have strived to keep their meetings open and accessible to residents.
Some offer a phone line, and many more livestream their council meetings through Zoom or via Facebook.
Mattawa offers both services, although the livestream appearing on the town’s Facebook page has received some criticism lately for the low audio quality of the videos.
Mattawa’s chief administrative officer, Francine Desormeau, is “very aware” of the issue, and is working to improve the sound for future meetings.
“It’s been frustrating for everybody,” she said, “but we’re going above and beyond to try to include the public” in the council meetings.
Desormeau explained that council has gained access to a sound system from one of the town’s departments that should help improve the audio quality.
This new system has two microphones, which should provide a significant upgrade to council’s current audio rig, which is the built-in microphone on a video camera placed approximately 20 feet away from councillors.
There is also a speaker near council which also transmits audio, but the transmissions tend to crackle and pop.
Moreover, this borrowed gear may serve as a temporary upgrade, as town staff is currently looking into various options for a new system that will satisfy everyone’s high-fidelity desires.
This system must be compatible with CiscoWebex, the software council uses to broadcast via Facebook, which narrows the options.
Cost is also a factor, and this future audio system will have to be included in the budget for council’s approval.
However, Desormeau explained that municipalities have received funding from the Province to help with live streaming, “and we would definitely use that to help offset the expense.”
Until then, the borrowed sound system should improve the quality, and if it accomplishes the task, a new system may not be required at all.
“We’re going to test it sometime this week,” Desormeau explained, adding that it should be ready for the next council meeting, enabling viewers to hear a little easier.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
