Use technology tools to increase public access

County and local government leaders should use technology tools to increase public access and provide additional accountability to citizens.

Taylor County has gotten requests from members of the public to move at least some committee meetings to the evening to make them more accessible to people who are working.

On the surface this seems like an easy fix to increasing access.

The challenge is that there is no perfect time for holding government meetings. Those of “working age” often have school age children, and the time between work ending and bedtime is already crowded with parenting responsibilities. On top of that, historically, many of those who serve on county board also serve on their local municipal and school boards which almost universally meet in the evening. Switching to evening meetings also puts additional burden on county staff who need to attend the meetings to answer questions and give reports. Government workers are people too and are pulled in as many directions with too few hours in their days as everyone else.

Even when the county has tried to hold evening meetings, such as with annual budget review sessions – arguably some of the most important regular meetings of the year — the public turnout has been less than during daytime meetings. County residents, it seems, value their personal time higher than their time during the workday.

A better solution is for the county to follow the lead of Marathon and other counties around the state and use online platforms such as Zoom or similar services to allow those interested in what is on the meeting agenda to log in and watch or participate from wherever they may be.

Residents wishing to sit in on part or all of a meeting, or make a public comment would need only to log on through a cellphone or other device. Something that could be done from virtually anywhere with internet access or cellphone service without being a major disruption in their workday. It does not seem like an unreasonable thing to think any manager or foreman would allow someone to shift their break or lunch hour to log into a meeting.

Taylor County made a token effort with using Zoom during the pandemic and, while the county used pandemic relief money to invest in cameras and microphones, it was quick to push it aside as soon as in-person meetings could be held. Now, they are loath to use it unless absolutely necessary with department heads needing to jump through hoops to even offer it.

Beyond providing improved access to the public, utilizing online meeting tools could also save county taxpayers money by reducing the amount of mileage paid for committee members driving to Medford to attend routine meetings.

There is no doubt that physically being there is the best option when it comes to knowing what is going on and in sending a message to elected officials. However, it is impossible to schedule meetings at a time that is convenient to all the stakeholders involved.

Rather than attempt that impossibility by switching to evening meetings, when it presents even greater inconvenience for people wishing to attend, the county should follow the lead of other governments and businesses and utilize the readily available technology tools to expand public access.