Council approves audio and video upgrades for city hall

The audio and visual capabilities at Columbus City Hall are poised for an upgrade.

The Columbus City Council voted 7-0 to pass the second reading of an ordinance to appropriate $300,000 from a fund used for city hall improvements called the “Misc. Service Fund” to enhance the council chambers, the Cal Brand Meeting Room and three conference rooms, according to the ordinance.

Council members Frank Miller, R-District 4, and Jerone Wood, D-District 3 were absent.

Upgrades the city is looking for are multiple-camera set ups, adding screens and enhancing microphone systems to make public meetings more accessible to the community.

The $300,000 dollars is based off of one quote the city has already received from Ovation Technology Group, but Executive Director of Administration Eric Frey said they will get other quotes as well through a required request for proposal (RFP) process.

The Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety would have to sign off on the final contract and installation could begin in the fourth quarter of this year, Frey previously told the council during the first reading.

“(This is) way overdue, from what we hear from the public about not hearing in the rooms and facilities we have,” Councilman Tom Dell, D-at-large, said.

Zack Patchett, who is running as a Democrat this fall for one of the three at-large seats on the Bartholomew County Council, said during public comment that county government is in similar need of upgrades and wondered if there would be a way for the city to help.

“I’m glad to share what we’ve learned and some of our solutions with them, introduce them to some of the vendors if they want to see a sample of our RFP, I’m happy to work with them in any way that they need to,” Frey said. “But I don’t know where they are, I know our plans are pretty urgent and way past due.”