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WE TAKE A LOOK AT HOW ACCESSIBLE IS YOUR LOCAL COUNTY GOVERNMENT. WHEN COVID 19 STRUCK FIVE YEARS AGO, EVERYTHING WENT VIRTUAL. THAT INCLUDES MEETINGS FOR BUSINESSES AND CITIES, COUNTIES AND SCHOOLS. ����vlog CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER SUZANNE BENKE SHARES WHERE THINGS STAND FIVE YEARS LATER WITH CENTRAL IOWA COUNTY LEADERS, INCLUDING THE DALLAS COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. NEXT ITEM REVIEW THE CONSENT AGENDA FOR TODAY’S AGENDA. GOOD MORNING. IF THERE WAS ANYTHING GOOD THAT CAME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, IT WAS THAT GOVERNMENT BODIES ACQUIRED THE TECHNOLOGY FOR ZOOM, FOR LIVE STREAMING. THEY MADE ROOM ON THEIR WEBSITES TO PUT UP AGENDAS AND MINUTES AND VIDEO. AND WE OUGHT TO WE OUGHT TO ENCOURAGE OUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT TECHNOLOGY. RANDY EVANS LEADS THE IOWA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION COUNCIL, A NONPROFIT FOCUSED ON EDUCATING IOWANS ON OPEN RECORDS AND OPEN MEETINGS LAWS. EVANS SEES SOME ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN CITIZENS BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT LOCAL ELECTED LEADERS ARE DOING AND DECIDING COUNTY BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS, IN PARTICULAR SCHOOL BOARDS AND CITY COUNCILS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE TECHNOLOGY. MOST OFTEN. AND COUNTY BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS ARE. RELUCTANT ADOPTERS. ����vlog INVESTIGATES SPENT THE LAST SIX MONTHS REGULARLY CHECKING 20 CENTRAL IOWA COUNTIES, AND HOW EASY IT WAS TO FIND OUT WHAT BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS ARE DOING. A FEW FINDINGS. ALL 20 COUNTIES COMPLY WITH IOWA LAWS ON POSTING AGENDAS AND MINUTES, AND MOST OF THEM DO SO ON THEIR WEBSITES. BUT ABOUT HALF DON’T OFFER THE MEETINGS LATER. GRUNDY COUNTY JUST STARTED PUTTING RECORDINGS OF MEETINGS ON YOUTUBE THIS YEAR, AND ONE FAST GROWING COUNTY IS IN PROGRESS ON THIS DALLAS COUNTY. I THINK THERE’S A LOT OF GREAT STUFF HAPPENING IN DALLAS COUNTY, AND I WANT THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE TO KNOW ABOUT IT. IN MAY, SUPERVISOR JULIA HELM REQUESTED AN AGENDA ITEM TO THE WEEKLY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING TO DISCUSS MAKING THE MEETINGS MORE ACCESSIBLE. THE DISCUSSION REALLY CENTERED ON GOING ONLINE. MY CONCERN IS JUST BECOMING SOMEBODY’S ENTERTAINMENT. THEY CAN SIT AT HOME AND AND WATCH ALL THESE TYPES OF THINGS AND AND IF THEY WANT TO KNOW AND LEARN AND PARTICIPATE, THEY SHOULD BE HERE. THE BOARD MEETS AT 9 A.M. TUESDAYS IN A NEW ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, AND ITS MEETING ROOM HAS CAMERAS THAT COULD WORK FOR STREAMING. THEY’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE OFF WORK TO COME TO THIS, BUT IF THEY’RE NOT GOING TO SIT AT WORK AND WATCH TV, BUT THEY CAN WATCH IT AT HOME, THAT’S NOT A REASON NOT TO DO THIS. I THINK WE WOULD HAVE MORE. I THINK WE SHOULD DO IT BECAUSE I THINK IT’S IT’S THE THE TIME WE LIVE IN. AND I THINK THERE’S AN EXPECTATION TO THE PUBLIC THAT WE’RE MORE ACCESSIBLE. SUPERVISORS BRAD GOLIGHTLY AND KIM CHAPMAN SAY THEY HAD NOT HEARD REQUESTS FROM THE PUBLIC LIKE HELM HAD, BUT I’VE ALWAYS CAMPAIGNED TO BELIEVE THAT TRANSPARENCY IN WHAT WE DO. SINCE THEN, THE COUNTY EXPLORED OPTIONS. IN AUGUST, THE SUPERVISORS APPROVED PROVIDING MEETING MATERIALS THAT RELATE TO AGENDA ITEMS ON THE WEBSITE, AND SUPERVISORS OKAYED A QUOTE FOR ADDING RECORDING CAPABILITIES TO THAT ROOM. THE COST IS MORE THAN $10,000. WORK IS EXPECTED TO START NEXT WEEK. HELM SAYS HER MOTIVATION FOR DOING THIS CAME FROM RESIDENTS. IF PEOPLE KNEW IT WAS AVAILABLE, I THINK THEY WOULD TUNE IN. THERE ARE MORE CONSTITUENTS THAN EVER THERE. DALLAS COUNTY’S POPULATION SKYROCKETED MORE THAN 50% BETWEEN 2010 AND 2020. ANOTHER 15% OF GROWTH CAME BETWEEN 2020 TO JULY 2024. EVANS SAYS THE BENEFITS OF STREAMING MEETINGS ARE HAVING RECORDINGS OUTWEIGH CONCERNS. I THINK IT GIVES THE THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT THEIR CONSTITUENTS ARE THINKING ABOUT. A PARTICULAR ISSUE. IT MAKES IT EASIER FOR THE CITIZEN TO ENGAGE WITH THEIR GOVERNMENT BODY. AND A FAR BIGGER ISSUE THAN IT BEING INCONVENIENT FOR GOVERNMENT IS THAT WE HAVE WE HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE NOT WANTING TO ENGAGE. THEY THINK IT’S IT’S USELESS THAT THEIR OPINIONS DON’T MATTER. AND I THINK THIS IS A WAY FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO TO REACH OUT TO CITIZENS TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEIR OPINIONS DO COUNT, THAT THEY WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM.