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.

Apr 15

Closed Captioning – What’s the Real Deal?

By |2021-01-14T12:10:13-08:00April 15th, 2019|Industry News, Live Streamng, Technology Innovations|0 Comments

Are you getting marketing emails from companies telling you that Section 508 went into effect this year?  They’re saying that governments live streaming or recording public meetings now need closed captioning to be compliant?  What is the real deal?

What this is referring to is the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA).  The CVAA now requires closed captioning for online video content that was originally broadcast on TV with captions. The CVAA does not cover video content that aired only online and never on television.  Some companies’ marketing communications have been a bit misleading in this regard.

Even though these requirements do not pertain to your public meetings recorded and streamed online only, we are currently building a closed captioning service within AV Capture to meet the needs of users with disabilities.  We plan to launch our closed captioning service in early 2021.  If you have interest in this service, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

For more information covering the CVAA requirements, here is a good resource from the FCC:  https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/captioning-internet-video-programming

Now you know the real deal.

See how AV Capture All can get your meetings online in a simple solution.

Click here to Schedule a Demo

Go to Top