Sarasota, FL – The City of Sarasota has been recognized for achieving excellence in government efficiency in the 2009 Digital Governance Awards. The City received an honorable mention for using webcasting technology as a cost effective vehicle for the dissemination of information.
The City began offering video on demand for City Commission meetings in 2006. Meetings are posted on the City’s website www.sarasotagov.com within 18 hours. Meetings which are recorded with audio only are also posted online. All total, the City now offers 28 categories of meetings and workshops in video and/or audio format.
“The implementation of video on demand led to efficiencies almost immediately,” said Jan Thornburg Public Information Officer. “Prior to video on demand, the Communications Office would receive many requests for video copies of public meetings. It was time intensive, requiring a staff member to make the copies. Now, it’s rare for the City to receive a request for a copy of a public meeting,” said Thornburg.
City employees outside the Communications Office are also saving time due to video on demand. Many times City Commission meetings need to be reviewed. With video on demand, staff members no longer have to wade through hours of video searching for a particular agenda item. Now, they can view the portion of the meeting they are interested in immediately. Also, all agenda backup materials which are provided in the City Commission agenda books are included as part of video on demand. Staffers have realized they can use video on demand to quickly find a map, chart, or study rather than tracking down a co-worker who created the original material. Another time saver is that staff members who have an item on a City Commission agenda no longer have to sit in the Commission Chambers waiting for their item to be discussed. Now, they are able to monitor City Commission meetings live at their desks and continue working on other projects until their agenda item is called.
There are many efficiencies for residents too. “They do not have to wait for a meeting to be replayed on the government access channel or request and purchase a copy of the meeting,” said Bill Mallett, Webmaster. “They can view videos by the following day. They also have access to the City Commission’s backup material, so they don’t have to contact City Hall with a public records request, so that saves time for both the resident and City staff,” said Mallett.
The 2009 Digital Governance Awards are presented by Granicus, Inc., which provides video on demand services for the City of Sarasota. Granicus has 549 government agencies as clients including San Francisco, Miami and Cheyenne, WY.
For more information, please contact:
Jan
Thornburg, Public Information Officer (941) 954-2613
jan.thornburg@sarasotagov.com
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