Public meetings act as a pulse-check on community issues by letting community members voice their opinions. However, traditional, in-person meetings often result in a misrepresentation of the community because of lack of access for individual community members and grassroots organizations and an overrepresentation of special interest groups. In response, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors looked to make its public meetings more accessible, transparent and fiscally responsible.
The Need for Democratized Access
Government Technology Insider sat down with Josh Fruecht, Senior Sales Leader at Granicus, to discuss how the pandemic helped identify antiquated processes and helped drive change. Fruecht, who has over 17 years of experience working in, and for, public sector organizations, was integral to the transformation. He noted that, “Crisis spurred our innovation. We began a journey of reengineering not only our infrastructure and our processes, but our very way of thinking about how government can best serve its people.”
A recent eBook published by Granicus looked closer at some of the history of public meetings, outdated processes illuminated by the pandemic, and strategies for overcoming them to improve the future of public meetings. Multiple studies have found that a person’s ability to attend and participate in public meeting attendance is typically determined by socioeconomic factors. What this means is that traditional in-person meetings were more accessible to one group of people in the community than others – typically white, older, wealthier, homeowners who are highly-educated and longtime residents and already involved in other civic activities.
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Patrick Sisson, a journalist who specializes in how systemic issues shape urban life, summarized it best in an article that discussed how public meetings don’t often provide democratized access to all residents. “[Public meetings are] held at times of day that can make it hard for many people to attend without missing work, usually without day care options, and sometimes in locations not favorable to those with disabilities or who rely on transit, these meetings already exclude many groups before they even start,” Sisson explained. “Then there’s the matter of format: Experts and officials typically sit behind a table and give speeches and make presentations, with a microphone set up to take comments from neighbors who can spare the time to spend hours waiting for a few minutes on the mic.”
Pinal County Modernized Approach to Public Meetings
Over the last decade, many local agencies have become more aware of the issues that prevent residents from being able to participate in public meetings and have worked to make their meetings more inclusive with technology. One such agency is Pinal County.
Pinal County has been growing rapidly over the last decade, with the latest census data showing a 4.13 percent population increase in 2023 alone. As well as managing a growing and diversifying population base, the county was also aiming to meet Arizona’s mandatory statute that require local agencies to make public meeting minutes available to the public within three business days. This proved to be challenging, considering the fluctuation of the government and increase of special meetings as a result of the population increase.
To be transparent with residents during this time of continued growth, Pinal County Board of Supervisors decided they needed to modernize its approach to public meetings. To do this, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors worked with Granicus to integrate a high-quality live video streaming solution that would provide the public with a recording and full transcript within 24 hours of the meeting.
In an interview, Natasha Kennedy, Clerk of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, explained how livestreaming and recording all of their public meetings is critical to improving transparency and access. “When I walk into the hearing room and see the cameras turned on and ready for our meetings, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction,” Kennedy said. “As the person responsible for overseeing our board meetings, it’s crucial for me to ensure that the meetings are run properly and for our team to minimize any errors during our meetings.”
Kennedy estimates that the Pinal County Board of Supervisors saves $100,000 annually by using this livestreaming solution. By integrating this solution, Pinal County provides the public with more democratized access during and after the meeting. In addition, the county is able to meet Arizona’s statutes and provide residents with increased transparency by uploading video recordings and minutes within 24 hours.
Want to learn more about how local agencies can modernize to support the future of public meetings? Then download “The Future of Public Meetings” eBook here.