Coming Soon: Televised Bloomfield Township Public Library Meetings a Possibility

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees may not be the only public body that will soon have its meetings broadcast on local television.

The Bloomfield Township Public Library Board is seriously considering options to bring its public meetings to living rooms and computer screens through Bloomfield Community Television, Channel 15.

Library Director Karen Kotulis-Carter said the board heard a presentation from Bloomfield Township Community Relations Director Leslie Helwig at its meeting last week about possible options.

Helwig recently completed a similar process for the township board, which last week unanimously approved a $77,039 bid for video equipment and upgrades to the station’s control room.

Kotulis-Carter said the options ranged from the basic digital recording of the meetings to high-quality production utilizing the latest technology. The associated costs varied from $3,000 to $90,000 and remain the chief concern.

“The biggest roadblock is cost,” Kotulis-Carter said. “But we realize that in this day and age, the demand for transparency is so high, and the technology allows for a lot more opportunity to be available to the public.

The library board made no decision but did express an interest in having high-quality recordings if it's going to make investment.

Staff members currently record meetings on DVD to assist with producing the formal minutes, officials said. But the recordings are not high-enough quality for broadcast.

Kotulis-Carter said there is no room in the annual budget for a $90,000 project.

Library board members are independently elected and have the authority to make fiduciary, planning and programming decisions for the public building and staff. They are funded through millage dollars collected by the township government.

Library board meetings are scheduled on the third Tuesday of every month but April, when they occur on the fourth week. They are typically set at 7 p.m. in the John Rumsey Board Room, where seating is limited around the large meeting table.

Library board member Pam Williams said public turnout at their meetings is typically light, and she acknowledged that it’s unclear how many residents are interested in having the sessions televised.

It’s not an easy decision when weighed with other budget concerns for the library, which has nine furlough days this year and has cut back staff.

“We’d hate to take away from books or materials that people can check out to service only a small group that would use it. So we’ll have to take a closer look,” she said.

Moving library board meetings to Township Hall once the improvements to the township board meeting room are complete in January was discussed, but Kotulis-Carter said that, too, has drawbacks.

Library staff is often required to give presentations on programs and budget matters, as well as on new materials, which would then have to be transported from building to building.

“It’s not the most efficient way to do that as far as staff time and preserving materials, so we’re looking primarily at ways to do this in the library building,” she said.

A decision could be made in the next few meetings, with the tentative launch date for broadcasting before the end of the library’s fiscal year in April. Kotulis-Carter said the intent is to also present an improved “media package” to the public at the same time that will include board meeting packets provided through the library website.