Apr 30

If They Open, Will You Go?

By |2020-04-30T13:29:20-08:00April 30th, 2020|City Clerks, Industry News, Live Streamng, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

That iconic line from the movie Field of Dreams “if you build it, they will come” may not apply to the current health crisis.

As this unprecedented health crisis enters the third month and Americans face the prospect of coming out of quarantine, there are many aspects to consider.

Will you visit your favorite restaurant or store?

In a recent Yahoo News poll, an overwhelming 71% of respondents said they are more worried about lifting restrictions too soon than going to a restaurant or store.

Trust seems to be a bigger issue for many Americans. Sixty-three percent said they will only go back to a business that they know and trust. When it comes to lifting quarantine restrictions, most people said they want to see widespread, accessible testing in place, and they want trusted medical experts to give their blessing.

Travel was another area that has Americans concerned with 48% saying they won’t book air travel for vacations for the foreseeable future.

At the same time that people are concerned about leaving quarantine, 41% said their emotional well-being has worsened and 28% said their physical health has worsened.

Balancing all this is leaving Americans unsure what the next few months will bring.

State and local governments are also balancing how to run the state and cities. Preparedness drills can’t prepare you for a total shutdown while still having to run the government and hold required public city meetings.

But every government, both state and local, are doing their best to run meetings virtually without a success model to follow. The outcomes vary to be sure but depending on the state and city, each week can be measured for how it’s working and they can streamline the process.

For states, their first issue that needs to be addressed is whether state and local governments have written policies that allow them to run a remote meeting and if such meetings legally meet the requirements of open meetings laws.

Governments need to ensure that residents have equal access to such meetings and that they are secure and easy to interface with, says Alan Shark, executive director of the Public Technology Institute. “How do you ensure equal access?” Shark says. “How do you ensure that the democratic process is preserved?”

Ultimately, the pandemic has led to a recognition that local governments support hundreds of lines of business, whether that is authorizing building permits, letting residents pay bills and taxes or get marriage licenses, supplying health records, or allowing a park to be built. “The things that government does are not ad hoc,” Shark says. “These are ongoing things that have to happen and often they are required by law.”

The issue that local governments are facing is what platform to use for their virtual monthly public meetings. AV Capture All provides the services and solution that accomplishes what governments need to be able to achieve their public mandate to keep constitutes aware of what’s going on. AV Capture – Legislative Solution is used to record Audio and Video while integrating Agendas, Minutes, and Related Documents.

The document content is synchronized with the Audio/Video stream, then indexed and immediately searchable when published online. Once published, staff and citizens can view any part of the Audio/Video-on-demand, while following along with the synchronized Agenda, Minutes and Related Documents. Live Streaming is also integrated into the platform to allow staff and citizens who cannot attend the meeting in-person to view online from home.

Our platform is easy to use and let’s local governments stay engaged with the public during this unprecedented time.

AV Capture All is here to ensure the gears of government continue to work and the public is informed.

Cick here to Contact us today to a Demo.

Apr 14

Local Governments Rebuild the Economy

By |2020-04-14T11:21:58-08:00April 14th, 2020|City Clerks, Industry News, Live Streamng, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

Over the last several months there have been many confusing aspects of the staggering current national health crisis. Repairing the economy and stopping the spread of the virus play equal parts in how the crisis has developed.

Local governments will play a leading role in the economic recovery facing the country. Reopening a $22 trillion U.S. economy that has been shut down will require every state to be a part of the solution.

As government officials and business leaders turn their attention to the looming challenge of fighting the virus while trying to reopen businesses, local governments are facing a 20% to 40% reduction in revenues needed to support critical municipal services and to support public safety, among other things.

Congressional delegations are working around the clock to provide federal assistance to replace these lost revenues and to protect the services provided by local governments the impact will be unparalleled and economically staggering.

On the West Coast, the governors of Oregon, Washington, and California announced that they will work in cooperation with each other while still developing their own plan as they keep the health of their communities as the priority. The three governors agree that before any significant business reopening occurs, they need to see a persistent decline in the spread of COVID-19.

In the Northeast, six states calling itself the “COVID corridor” have formed a task force to oversee the reopening of the regional economy. The states include some of the hardest hit by the virus, New York and New Jersey, as well as Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

Each state will name a public health official, economic development official and chief of staff to serve on a working group, according to reports.

For the states that have yet to be hit hard by the pandemic because of various reasons, their economic forecast may be harder to plan and predict. One aspect of this virus is that it hits densely populated areas harder and those cities tend to have a more robust economic platform. Rebuilding is never just a matter of putting back the structures that were there before the crisis.

While no magic bullet or set process will work everywhere, these case studies illustrate several successful tactics that local governments can use:

  • Identify and build on existing assets.
  • Engage all members of the community to plan for the future.
  • Take advantage of outside funding.
  • Create incentives for redevelopment, and encourage investment in the community.
  • Encourage cooperation within the community and across the region.
  • Support a clean and healthy environment.

As the Federal government works toward a larger solution, local governments will be the ones that roll out the programs that directly affect citizens and working together is key.

One tool a local government can use is AV Capture All solutions that Live-stream meetings and manage agendas so information can get to constituents easily and timely.

Request a demo today! Contact us for more information

 

Apr 10

Develop a Sustainable Plan for Live Streaming Local Government Meetings

By |2020-04-10T11:56:21-08:00April 10th, 2020|City Clerks, Industry News, Live Streamng, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

It now looks like we will be in the social distancing phase for a long time.  The impact of this will be felt in every aspect of our lives for an unknown number of years.

But local governments still have to function and inform citizens so they are adapting to this new normal by using technology.

City governments around the world are taking advantage of technology and are using smart software applications and program interfaces to solve problems and provide information to constituents that are easy to navigate.

The main application that local governments are using is Live Streaming.  And it’s becoming clear that when the pandemic is over and life returns to regular business operations, one element that should remain is live streaming and video recording of government meetings. This should be the new normal instead of just being used for emergencies.

AV Capture All has the solutions that help a City Clerk Live Stream council meetings.

Our governance technology allows City Clerks, who must collaborate with government staff members to set the agenda, goals, and objectives, to easily upload all documents.

AV Capture All offers affordable Live Streaming and meeting management solutions for local government.  Our solutions improve efficiency by streamlining the meeting workflow while promoting transparency and accountability by empowering constituents to access valuable information about their community.  With AV Capture All, government agencies can easily Capture, Manage & Share their meetings online.

When your city or municipality is sharing an important event with constituents, the last thing you want is to have something go wrong and anger your online viewers. AV Capture All offers a technical backup and someone to call if something goes wrong. You need a team on your side that has worked through network issues in all kinds of environments and will troubleshoot issues before they occur.

A city’s website is already home to many resources and tools for residents. Access to live public meetings should be one of those. Don’t make people leave your website to watch.

AV Capture All is here to help you meeting your public mandates and keep citizens informed, click here to learn more about our solutions

Request a demo today!

And be sure to sign up for our newsletter! Click here to register

 

Apr 1

Governments trying to stay open to focus on basic services

By |2020-04-02T14:36:23-08:00April 1st, 2020|Industry News, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

As the health crisis continues to spread across the country, cities, counties, and states are trying to proceed as normal. Governments don’t go out of business. When disasters occur, it’s government agencies that have to respond. During the coronavirus crisis, health agencies, along with other emergency personnel, are once again on the front lines and stay on the job.

Governments don’t go out of business

But the nation’s 2.1 million federal employees at federal, state and local levels are slowly shutting down some of their operations, particularly those that engage the public directly.

Many city governments are trying to stay open to focus on basic services and to care for citizens and employees, and city officials are taking extra precautions to limit interaction with the public.

Services and events that are on hold include jury trials, recreation centers, libraries and, in some cases, elections and government offices. Tens of thousands of schools around the country are now shut down.

By mid-March eleven states suspended or postponed their legislative sessions. In addition, the Missouri Senate and Ohio House have postponed their sessions. Other states, including Florida and Kansas, held sessions to pass budgets before allowing legislators to adjourn.

Most legislatures are allowing some staff to work remotely as local governments try to remain largely open for business.

In King County, Wash., which has been one of the communities hardest hit by the virus, numerous in-person services, like making property tax payments, licensing, procurement and in-person job applications and permitting, were closed with the hope of reopening by the end of March.

The Iowa Supreme Court issued an order postponing most jury trials. Criminal trials are postponed until at least April 20 and civil jury trials are postponed until May 4, unless a jury has already been sworn in. Connecticut courts are suspending both criminal and civil cases for 30 days, except those already in progress. New trials are similarly suspended in New York state.

Most state’s departments and divisions of motor vehicles have remained open to the public.

Since being outdoors is safer than congregating in confined spaces indoors with groups of people, most parks around the country remain open. But indoor recreation centers — especially those that serve seniors — are closed in numerous jurisdictions.

The coronavirus has already disrupted campaigns around the country. It may have a permanent effect when it comes to candidates and sponsors of ballot initiatives who have to collect signatures to qualify for the ballot. In Utah, GOP gubernatorial candidate Jeff Burningham has suspended his signature-gathering effort. Dana Balter, a congressional hopeful in New York, has asked Cuomo and state lawmakers to lower the threshold.

“Part of campaigns is canvassing and door-to-door contact has been virtually shut down,” Diana Bray, who has until Tuesday to collect 10,500 signatures to qualify for the U.S. Senate race in Colorado. “Many people are refusing to hold the pen that others have held to sign petitions. Many ask if they can sign my petition online, which they cannot.”

As most local governments try to remain open to focus on services that help citizens, safety is key and decisions to close offices happen quickly so check the city’s website to stay up to date on closures.

Mar 31

Tips to stay motivated working from home

By |2020-04-01T16:56:04-08:00March 31st, 2020|Industry News, Uncategorized|0 Comments

For most of us, working from home for a long period of time is disconcerting. We are creatures of habit and we like routines. We know when we have to leave the house in time to be able to stop at the local coffee house and get to work on time.

Working from home throws all that into chaos, and then add on the reason why we’re all working from home with unpredictable days, stress and isolation.  All of this makes it hard to get your job done and stay focused.

Here are some tips:

  1. Keep a regular schedule. This is key!  Go to bed at the same time and set your alarm.  Staying on the same schedule is grounding and offers a feeling of normalcy

 

  1. Before you go to bed, write a “to-do list” for the next day. This helps you focus in the morning and allows you time to plan the rest of your day and not feel overwhelmed by what comes up.

 

  1. Don’t turn on the TV. The TV can be a drain on your energy and mentally. Turn on music if that helps with motivation.

 

  1. Set a time for breaks and lunch and try to stick to it.

 

  1. Limit chores during work hours. Once you start doing a load of laundry or vacuum, you might be tempted to do more and before you know it’s 4pm. If you have errands, do them “during lunch” like you would at work.

 

  1. Buy the office supplies you need to feel productive and organized.

 

  1. Stay in touch co-workers. If you have Slack or other comm tools, use them to stay connected. Schedule weekly meetings on Zoom or Uber, share work products and ideas. Feeling connected with co-workers is key to staying engaged.

 

  1. Organize your work area at the end of day. Starting the day with an organized work space gives you time in the morning to start the day running.

Share your tips and hacks!

Mar 10

City Clerks Connect Citizens and Government

By |2020-03-31T16:54:41-08:00March 10th, 2020|Industry News, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

Have you ever thought about the history of the job you hold or its job description?  For City or Town Clerks, it’s a long history and even long job description.

Since the beginning of time, there’s been someone whose job it is to keep track of the issues’ citizens face and their leaders’ response.  When early Americans were setting up local governments, settlers established the position of Town Clerk. The Office of Clerk was the first position colonial Americans established in the local government at Plymouth Colony. The city clerk’s role and responsibilities extended to being the recorder of appointments, deeds, meetings, and births, deaths, and marriages. The clerk was also responsible for overseeing elections.

Not much has changed for current City Clerks.

Early town clerks recorded the town’s happenings by memory and recited them at town meetings. Of course, City Clerks still use written and printed documents to record their town’s history and important records, but how they store those records and important documents are very different with the use of technology that’s faster, safer and more cost-effective to use, such as AV Capture All’s solutions.

Today, city, town and municipal clerks have become the hub of the government. Clerks stand as the local historian and remain a trusted link between the citizens and the government.

It has been noted that no other office in municipal service has so many contacts and responsibilities as the City Clerk. The position serves the Mayor, the City Council, the City Manager, and all administrative departments. The demands on a City Clerk require the person who fills the job to wear many hats and have awareness of many topics and issues. The position is central to pulling together all aspects of local government, including storing, maintaining and communicating municipal documents and records, fiscal records and vital records, and city business.

More specifically, City Clerks are the connection between citizens and the government by providing the necessary transparency of government records like public meeting agendas and minutes, to name a few.

When your job is to keep a city running, utilizing technology solutions that can make the job easier is essential.  AV Capture All has the solutions that help a City Clerk manage all their responsibility.

Our governance technology allows for City Clerks, who must collaborate with government staff members to set the agenda, goals, and objectives, to easily upload all documents.

AV Capture All offers affordable meeting management solutions for local government.  Our solutions improve efficiency by streamlining the meeting workflow while promoting transparency and accountability by empowering constituents to access valuable information pertaining to their community.  With AV Capture All, government agencies can easily Capture, Manage & Share their meetings online. Request a demo today!

Mar 9

Local Government During a Public Health Crisis

By |2020-04-01T10:53:23-08:00March 9th, 2020|Industry News, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

As more and more businesses take health precautions for their staff and customers by closing, some Government offices might not be able to do that.  In Washington State where most of the deaths have occurred, the city remains open.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says mandatory social distancing measures may be required to stem the spread of coronavirus. “We may have to go to the next step and we are thinking about those seriously to get ahead of this curve,” Inslee said, adding that he would be meeting with state officials Sunday to discuss additional measures.

Asked if that could mean mandatory quarantines – like in Italy – or “shutting down” the city of Seattle, Inslee said not necessarily. But he did hint at requiring the cancellation of large events and other steps the public could find disruptive and restrictive.

For the proceedings that courthouses and City Halls must do daily, the business of the city goes on. There’s no reason for the work to stop when there are technology salutations to help.

In this unsettling time of the coronavirus, large group gatherings are discouraged for obvious health risk concerns. There is no reason to cancel your City Council meetings when you can use AV Capture to record and live stream your meetings. The People’s business can continue and your constituents can stay informed without risking public health.

In times like this, for the part of daily life that can’t be canceled, AV Capture All has solutions that can keep staff and the public safe and could ease the burden that allows work to continue and constituents to stay informed. Our meeting management solutions for local government can be up and running quickly, which can ensure little to no disruption.

Please contact us for more information and Request a Demo. Phone: 888.360.2822, Support: support@avcaptureall.com and Sales: sales@avcaptureall.com

Mar 2

Be Counted

By |2020-03-12T08:57:39-08:00March 2nd, 2020|Industry News, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

As a country, we will be filling out the census in less than a month.  The results of this decennial census can mean millions in resources and representation in the courts and local government.

Data from the decennial census is used to determine how half a trillion dollars in federal funds will be distributed to state and local governments.

The results of the census will hold the keys to even more federal money – more than $675 billion per year that is distributed through scores of federal programs based in part on census population data.

census-3.png

“If we are undercounting, especially parts of the population that need aid, that becomes a burden on the local city or local geography where there was an undercount, and it means either resources are going to have to come from elsewhere, or people go underserved,” said Myles Shaver, University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. “Those are bad things for a community, and bad things for a community often are bad things for businesses,” Shaver said.

Census data are used to fund multiple federal funding streams. In the fiscal year 2015, census data were used to determine the allocation of $675 billion for 132 programs, including Medicaid, SNAP, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, Head Start, and Highway Planning and Construction.

Federal funds are distributed based on annual population estimates. Census data are used to calculate the rate at which federal funds match state spending on programs including Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The top five programs funded in fiscal year 2015 were: Medicaid ($311 billion); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP $71 billion); Medicare Part B ($70 billion); Highway Planning and Construction ($38 billion); and the Federal Pell Grant program ($29.9 billion).

Many local governments, and even some private companies, have their own census turnout efforts underway.

The decennial census provides a uniquely comprehensive data source. Its accuracy affects not only political representation but whether adequate funding is disbursed to where it is needed the most in areas ranging from potholes to health insurance to education. The degree to which an inaccurate count will impact state and local finances, particularly an undercount of specific population groups, varies from one location to another depending on their characteristics and the federal programs from which they receive assistance.

For small rural cities that depend on Federal assistance, an accurate Census count is critical to provide the services on which residents depend.

“Every person in America deserves to be counted,” said Census Director Steven Dillingham.

Keep an eye out for your Census and fill it out completely. 

Feb 27

Don’t Cancel Your City Council Meetings

By |2020-04-02T14:35:13-08:00February 27th, 2020|Industry News, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

Businesses all over the country are taking steps to keep their employees safe from the deadly coronavirus outbreak by allowing them to work from home. In the area hardest hit in the country, King County in Washington state, government buildings are doing the same.

The Department of Homeland Security has closed one of its facilities in Washington state and directed all employees to telework for two weeks in response to the growing threat of coronavirus in the area.

courhouse2_400x312.jpg

Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf ordered the closure of a federal building in King County, Washington, which began today. The office will remain closed for 14 days, and its employees have been directed to self-quarantine for two weeks, Wolf said.

The Office of Personnel Management is urging agencies to ensure as many federal employees as possible are prepared for telework, amid growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus across the United States.

However, Courts and Legislatures may not be able to close because of a heavy docket load and schedule. Courthouses are some of the busiest buildings in every State and County and despite closures of other Federal agencies and buildings, justice centers may have to stay open.

“Every court is supposed to have an emergency plan. If you have an outbreak, there’s not time to be reading books and looking at your plan. You need to be doing that in advance,” said Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer who now heads the Ohio Judicial Conference.

“We’re looking at what the Supreme Court has issued. We want to make sure the employees and the visitors in this building are safe,” said Administrative Judge Brendan Sheehan.

In this unsettling time of the coronavirus, large group gatherings are discouraged for obvious health risk concerns. There is no reason to cancel your City Council meetings when you can use AV Capture to record and live stream your meetings. The People’s business can continue and your constituents can stay informed without risking public health.

In times like this, for the part of daily life that can’t be canceled, AV Capture All has solutions that can keep staff and the public safe and could ease the burden that allows work to continue and constituents to stay informed. Our meeting management solutions for local government can be up and running quickly, which can ensure little to no disruption.

Please contact us for more information.

Phone: 888.360.2822

Support: support@avcaptureall.com and Sales: sales@avcaptureall.com

Nov 15

Humanizing Government Presence Online

By |2020-04-15T12:33:36-08:00November 15th, 2019|City Clerks, Industry News, Live Streamng, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

Moving beyond managing towards building trust

More and more people are using the internet to interact and to get information about their local government. The human touch can be lost with the impersonal nature of the internet. We won’t end the debate of whether the internet is eroding or enhancing our society, but what we can do is create the kind of online spaces we seek in our real communities.

Governing bodies are groups of individuals that together work to further the good of all people in an area. Communicating this common goal and personalizing our online presence can build trust and relationships.

So how do we humanize our citys’ and towns’ online presence? The same way you gain trust in people.

Sincerity: Providing information to people is a straight-forward affair. But sometimes there are deeper issues, emotional concerns of residents. It’s not always easy to acknowledge these eloquently, but a little goes a long way. When addressing real people, sometimes we have to go beyond providing facts and data and talk about issues sincerely, getting to the heart of the matter. Here’s a great talk about leadership with Simon Sinek.

Humility: Being a public servant is an honor, though often taken for granted by those served. So much work done behind the scenes. There are times when constituents can be misinformed and vocal. As a public servant, you know how to maintain civility and professionalism in these circumstances. With the online medium, there is time to do even better, to make space even for trolls to practice free speech.

Humor: An excellent way to personalize our online presence is to have a laugh. Preferably at our own expense. There are some funny examples of turning internet fodder into funny memes. Here is Obama reading mean tweets. Bloopers of recorded video can also be funny and endearing, a way to humanize the often serious government staff.

The point is to make yourself more relatable, share the thoughts and interests of the city’s representatives and show that you are listening to other people online and off.

Build relationship with government transparency. Click here to request a Demo.

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