Every state in the country is dealing with the health crisis differently. Local governments are finding ways to keep cities running while the staff is stretched thin. As a result, many state and local governments have reduced access to public records that have details about key government decisions.

Public officials have said employees either don’t have the time or ability to compile the requested documents or data because they are too busy responding to the outbreak or are working from home instead of at government offices.

The result is that citizens may be in dark about how decisions are being made that affect their lives. Some governors have issued decrees allowing record requests to be put on hold for as long as the health emergency continues. Others have extended response deadlines by days, weeks, or even months. Governors from Washington to Michigan to Rhode Island also have used their executive powers to waive or extend response deadlines for open-records requests.

For open-government advocates, this is a challenging time.

In order to avoid waste, fraud, and abuse, it’s essential the press and public have access to records and information to hold accountable those who have the power to spend the billions of dollars states are receiving to address the issues from COVID19.

“The public records law exists to give people the ability to hold their government accountable, and without timely access to information, they can’t do it,” said Attorney Brian Black, executive director of The Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest.

While many local governments are holding virtual public meetings, the public is still not receiving information that pertains to their health and livelihoods because states have declared a “State of Emergency” which limits access to information.

“Things like that are especially problematic, because we have no idea when these states of emergencies are going to end,” said Gunita Singh, an attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, based in Washington, D.C. “Who knows how long these individual requesters are going to be waiting to have their public records requests fulfilled?”

With AV Capture All meeting management solutions, we make it easy for local Governments to keep constituents informed and engaged. Our Live-Streaming solutions are secure and easy to use and let’s local governments stay engaged with the public during this unprecedented time.

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.

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

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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.

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

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

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