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Pound Ridge To Show Board Meetings Online

POUND RIDGE, N.Y. -- Beginning in January, Pound Ridge residents will be able to watch online videos of their local officials' board meetings.

Pound Ridge's Town Board, pictured, voted to fund online streaming of meetings, which will be effective in January.

Pound Ridge's Town Board, pictured, voted to fund online streaming of meetings, which will be effective in January.

Photo Credit: Tom Auchterlonie

The Pound Ridge Town Board voted unanimously on Thursday to fund the equipment and services that will allow for online streaming.

The vote was taken after an update was heard from Steve Conti, the town's director of finance, about what the other major local expenses are coming up. 

The costs for the switch include roughly $4,000 uptfront to Granicus, a software company that will provide video-encoding equipment, Conti told Daily Voice. Granicus charges a monthly fee in addition for live-streaming and hosting the videos, Conti added.

The town also has a roughly $8,000 upfront cost for buying camera and audio equipment, Conti said.

Granicus is also used by the towns of Bedford and North Castle to record their meetings.

The start of stream will coincide with the beginning of a new budget year.

Town officials will be trained in how to record, it was noted at the Thursday meeting. The intent is to record meetings of boards that gather in the main room of the Pound Ridge Town House, according to Supervisor Dick Lyman. This includes the Town Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Water Control Commission.

“I think it’s long overdue,” Councilman Dan Pashckes said about the switch.

The equipment is portable and can be used when a board has to meet elsewhere, it was noted.

Pound Ridge has been in anomalous position, as each of its neighboring municipalities have adopted video recording for board meetings. At minimum, the recordings have covered primary lawmaking bodies, while some municipalities also record land-use boards.

Bedford Central's school board also video-records its meetings.

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