The pandemic forced city hall to adopt a “farmer fix” to existing technologies so it could hold more online meetings, but city administration now wants to upgrade that gear for better coverage.
During the June 14 regular council meeting, city council unanimously approved a request from the city clerk’s office to proceed with a Microsoft Teams system upgrade for council chambers, with the $34,308 to come from the office’s equipment reserve account. That account currently has $69,238.72.
The upgrades are expected to augment the existing chamber’s audio/visual system so higher quality Teams-based video conference calls can occur and ensure participants can hear content shared in the room. They will also ensure that Shaw broadcast equipment can pick up participants in video conferences and enhance the existing equipment rack.
The life expectancy of most A/V equipment is five years; the gear in council chambers is 13 years old, a council report said. City administration expects the upgrades to increase reliability, allow the city clerk to control Teams from a dedicated tablet, and ensure the tablet is easier to use.
The upgrades will likely happen in October — a 16-week wait — since there is a worldwide shortage of computer chips.
Enhancing communications
Attending council meetings became more virtual after the pandemic was declared in March 2020 and in-person crowds were limited, IT director Wade McKay said. This forced city hall to develop a platform for virtual meetings that allowed all parties to communicate effectively.
The IT department landed on a “farmer fix” to ensure council meetings could be conducted virtually, which amounted to using existing equipment at city hall or buying gear from Staples, he continued. Administration was pleased with this, but there were challenges, such as echoes in the sound system; that was later fixed.
The proposed upgrades will re-use the chassis of the current audio set-up and add an interface card to modernize the system. This will allow it to connect to a new Teams computer designed for meeting rooms, McKay said.
The upgrades will also add two static cameras to the room, with one pointed at council members and the second directed at city administration and the speaker’s podium. The system can switch to the location where a microphone is active. There is also the option to show council and administration on screen together.
“This is the most cost-effective way to update the council chambers’ audio/visual system to a sustainable audio solution,” McKay said, since a new system will cost $100,000. “The projectors and video screens will remain the same and will be addressed at another time.”
Addressing audio/video concerns
Several residents contacted Coun. Doug Blanc about the poor audio quality during meetings on the city’s website, even with the volume at full. He wondered if the new system would correct that.
Shaw’s audio feed is pulled from the podium, so when a third-party company fixed the echo, it also removed the audio in the Shaw feed, McKay said. That issue has now been corrected, although this new solution will correct most audio problems.
Even though the entire audio/visual system will likely be replaced in 2025, investing in this technology now is not a waste of money, he continued. Much of the existing equipment should last a long time since it is in a climate-controlled room. What the A/V upgrades won’t address is Shaw’s video quality.
“They have no interest in working with us. Their cameras are as old as I am,” added McKay. “At some point, we may decide we want to do our own broadcast.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 28.
