Cut live broadcasts of city meetings | Letters | Feb. 5

Published 3:45 pm Friday, February 5, 2010

City budget

Cut live broadcasts of city meetings

Recent media reports and articles in the Review talked about possible 2010 shortfalls totaling $2,000,000 with emergency borrowing of $600,000 from the water fund to remain solvent.

As council begins its emergency 2010 budget surgery, I have a cost-cutting suggestion that neither cuts staff nor reduces services.

I have brought to the attention of City Manager Walton and council the proposition of stopping the current yearly $287,936 community service contract for live broadcast of city meetings.

In lieu of this expenditure, COBI should follow the lead of the City of Port Orchard and use internet coverage of council meetings with minimum frills. In addition, it could live broadcast the audio version of the meetings since council already has a city employee recording all meetings.

Use of the current 5-star $287,936 contract with BITV is clearly an overkill level of service needed to inform the public. Coverage coincidentally amounts to 800 billable-hours of free political coverage for each council member that will be hard to let go.

While I am a strong advocate for open government and adhere to the notion that sunlight is the best disinfectant to governmental abuse of their duties, the current BITV contract is too expensive in the present dire financial straits.

James M. Olsen

Fort Ward