Citizens of Madison County will now be able to utilize YouTube to view its meetings with the county making the switch to a new provider.
Spokesperson for Madison County Heath Hall said the switch to YouTube was prompted by changes made by its current streaming service, Livestream. All of the meetings of the board of supervisors, planning and zoning commission and election commission will still be streamed to the county website, and the public will notice no change in the quality of the stream and the archived videos will still be available.
“Madison County will save money by making the switch,” Hall said. “Livestream is doing away with the package Madison County currently uses. If the county were to renew its contract with Livestream, we would be forced to buy a more expensive package. A renewal would cost $10,000 annually. YouTube is free, so the county is saving $10,000 by making the switch.”
YouTube will provide the same service with the cost of saving $10,000 and no noticeable change in the quality or ability to archive meetings, which Hall said makes it the better option for citizens.
“Madison County prides itself on being transparent and accessible to the public,” Hall said. “Streaming and the subsequent archiving of the meeting videos is a great way for citizens, who are unable to attend the meetings in person, to stay informed.”
Hall said the county’s Facebook page is also very active with more than 9,500 followers and about 40,000 views per month. On the social media platform, the county posts meeting notices and agendas and does a one-page update on the board of supervisors meeting activity. They also archive the minutes from each meeting.
“Our app, Madison Supervisors, is also a great way to follow county government; one can literally sit in a parking lot in Iowa and watch the board meetings live,” Hall said. “Our website is also very active. It is updated on a regular basis and is home to the archived videos and much more. These are amazing tools that provide citizens with many options on how to keep up with Madison County Government.”
