Ingram fights for transparency at tomorrow’s supervisor’s meeting

Lassen County District 5 Supervisor Jason Ingram wants the public to be able to watch and listen to the board’s meetings. Ingram got an item on the subject placed on the agenda of the Feb. 11 board meeting — but according to information in the agenda packet, that will cost the county at least $30,000 to implement.

According to the staff report, on May 14, the board approved live streaming of the meetings once the board began meeting in the Historic Lassen County Courthouse. The supervisors still meet at 707 Nevada St.

Earlier this week, Ingram made this post on his Facebook page, “Today, I’d like to address a matter important to me, one that is also important to all of you.

“It’s about transparency, which is a major point I campaigned on in 2022. One of my first campaign videos, which you can still access on this page, addressed this issue.

“Shortly after my election, I raised the idea of livestreaming board meetings myself so members of the public could watch them. Livestreaming meetings is such a commonplace practice in today’s digital era that virtually every county in the state already does it, save for ours and perhaps a very small handful of others.

“Subsequently, county counsel informed me of her belief that I could not legally do so. However, I was assured by our previous County Chief Administrative Officer that we would be livestreaming and archiving our meetings at the historic courthouse by September 2023.

“This project faced delays, and a new target was set for January, and later spring of 2024. As you all now know, these timelines were not met either, and it remains unclear as to when (if ever) we will occupy that building.

“Staff has already been directed to acquire software to facilitate the livestreaming of our meetings. I would like to point out that organizations like Long Valley Charter School Board and the Sierra Alliance, among others, successfully use an “Owl” meeting camera (which is relatively inexpensive) for this exact purpose. Even without new software, the county already possesses Zoom and Teams accounts that we could explore using to broadcast meetings live on our website.

“I have gathered from speaking directly with my constituents and residents from across our county, as well as recent online polls conducted, that the community we serve by and large does not believe that the Lassen County government is sufficiently transparent and forthcoming. At a very minimum, they believe that we fail to adequately release information to the public and press. I’d also note that this sentiment aligns with the findings of the 2024 Grand Jury report, with which I wholeheartedly agree. That’s why I voted no on the county’s official “response” to the Grand Jury’s report.

“Transparency is fundamental to keeping the trust of the public we serve. Implementing livestreaming and/or recording and posting board meetings is a necessary step that our county must take to catch up with the times and provide information to residents. Regardless of what anyone tries to tell you, it is an inarguable fact that setting up cameras to record or livestream the meetings is a relatively inexpensive and easy process. If it was a complicated beast, we wouldn’t be among the only county governments left in the state who do not already do it.

“To the critics I ask this question: what does the rest of the state already know about this process, including counties with budgets comparable to our own, that we can’t seem to figure out?

“We owe it to our community to do this. It is not the responsibility of JDX, Susanville Stuff, or Lassen News to provide all county-related information and transparency to the public; it is the duty of the Lassen County government. And it is a goal I will keep pursuing on the board, for however long is required, until I see something done about it.

“For this Tuesday, Feb. 11, I have asked to have this item on our agenda to discuss. I am hopeful I’ll have the support of my colleagues on the board. It’s time for livestreaming and filmed meetings to become a reality.

“The county’s business is the business of you, the people. And the people’s business should be brought to the light. Remember, Lassen County government works for you, not the other way around.”

According to the staff report
Discussion
Supervisor Ingram is requesting that the board of supervisors hold discussion and provide direction to the County Administrative Officer to create a new project to provide live streaming of board of supervisors meetings from the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 707 Nevada Street, Susanville.

Fiscal impact
Initial impact of approximately $20,000 in one-time fees and hardware/ equipment/ training/ software costs, and then an annual reoccurring cost of approximately $10,000 in fees for use of the cloud-based platform and encoding software. Project costs to be absorbed in Fund 104-0322 (Information Services) for Fiscal year 2024-2025 or staff will prepare a future agenda item to fund the project in this fiscal year. 

Alternative
Re-affirm the board’s direction of May 14, 2024; and/or direct staff to prepare an action to reconsider/repeal the board’s action of May 14, 2024; and/or take no action.

Other items on the agenda
The board meets in closed session at 9 a.m. for a conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation.

The public portion of the meeting begins at 9 a.m. Items on the agenda include public comment; Board and Commissions (Far Northern Regional Center appointment of Timothy Howard); Information/Consent Calendar; Miscellaneous Correspondence Items; and Department Reports, including the fair manager job description, a resolution regarding the Fair entertainment purchasing policy and modifications to the fair’s budget.