YOU ARE HERE: Central Kentucky Home→Collections→Meeting Room

Harrodsburg agrees to pay half of audio system for meetings

September 26, 2006|ANN R. HARNEY

HARRODSBURG - A decision by city government here will make it possible for City Hall to have a permanent, automatic audio system in the second-floor meeting room.

Having received complaints about people's inability to hear when the room is full during meetings of the Greater Harrodsburg/Mercer County Planning and Zoning Commission, the panel's executive director, Shawn Moore, set about trying to find a way to enhance the audio part of the meetings.

City Commission meetings in that room are recorded and broadcast on the local cable company's public access channel.

Although there are microphones in front of members of the board of commissioners, there have been complaints about the audio portions of the broadcast. Moore said at the last meeting of the City Commission on Sept. 11 that the new system's microphones can be a part of the video recording system.

Commissioners agreed to pay half of the cost of an automatic audio system, but not without comment from the mayor and two commissioners.

"I wouldn't mind paying for part of it, but not half," said Mayor Lonnie Campbell said.

Commissioner Eddie Long disagreed. "I don't see any problem with paying half of it," he said, and made a motion for the city to foot half the bill of $4,635.

"I don't either," said Commissioner Jack Springate, who seconded Long's motion. Long asked City Attorney David Taylor to prepare a document outlining not only who will pay for the initial purchase, but also a statement confirming the cost of any repairs or replacements would be divided evenly.

Had the city not agreed to pay half the cost, it is likely no system would have been installed in the meeting room. At a special meeting of the planning and zoning commission on Sept. 18, members indicated there probably would not be any audio system at all in the second-floor meeting room.

Commissioner Bob Upchurch said if the city denied the request to pay half of the cost, the question would be brought back before the zoning panel at its next meeting on Oct. 9.

He said paying more than half the price would be out of the planning commission's budget.

|

|

|