Although the dates, times and agendas of Hattiesburg City Council meetings are posted in advance at Hattiesburg City Hall and the city’s website, some residents may not be able to make the meetings because of work or other scheduling conflicts.
To make the city’s dealings more accessible to those individuals, Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado is proposing live-broadcasting the meetings, whether that be over social media or through other means.
“Years ago, we talked about the possibility of televising our council meetings, and we weren’t able to come to an agreement about that,” Delgado said at a recent council work session. “I think that in 2020, in the interest of full transparency, (we should) allow citizens who are not able to attend our meetings to have a representation of how it is that we conduct their meetings.
“Other communities televise their council meetings, and I have not known of any community that has had any negative repercussions as a result of doing that. I think that we need to consider being able to broadcast our actions as we conduct the business of the citizens of Hattiesburg, so that it meets the convenience and the schedule of the people who elected us to office.”
Currently, the City of Petal is the only government entity in the Pine Belt News coverage area that broadcasts its regularly-called meetings. The Petal Board of Aldermen, which meets the first and third Tuesday of every month, streams those meetings through Facebook Live.
“I think it’s a good thing to do,” Delgado said. “We are a progressive city, and a 21st-century city should be televising its meetings. These meetings are public meetings, and I would like to see the city consider doing that, and begin doing that as soon as possible.”
Delgado said the expense for such as endeavor – whether it be on Facebook, Vimeo or another platform – would be minimal to none.
“It’s not going to be an expensive process, and for the benefit of the community, I know it’s worth it,” she said. “We have (public TV) – we have a cable contract that provides for a public access channel.
“I just got the contact person for Comcast, and I am going to call, but I do know that streaming has been looked into as well. However it goes, I think we just need to do it.”
To get interest started for the endeavor, Delgado plans to do some public outreach in the near future.
“I’ll ask them what they think, and have them to contact their council people,” she said. “Because me just saying it, it’s not going to happen – I need some support for it. And I think some of them know that it’s the way we should go; it’s just a matter of doing it.”
