Commission room gets modern tech

CLOVIS — A few high-tech features were installed last week at the new meeting chambers of the Curry County Commission.

The mission: Make the meetings more accessible to the public.

Microphones, monitors and a means of live streaming are expected to debut at 9 a.m. on June 6 at the commission's first regular meeting in their new space at 417 Gidding St. in Clovis.

The venue will boast three 70-inch TV monitors, two facing the audience and a third, the "confidence monitor," mounted opposite and facing commissioners so they can have eyes on what is being displayed to the public, said county technology director Todd Ulses.

Additionally, three video cameras will record and broadcast the meetings in real time online and over a public access television channel. That channel is still to be determined, said Ulses.

Each commissioner will have a personal audio-visual apparatus at their desk, with a small display monitor, microphone and an implement for casting votes as they come up during meetings.

A podium for outside speakers will include a microphone and an annotation screen allowing for more interactive presentations, and a "shot-clock" timer will count down the three minutes allotted to speakers during comment periods.

Assisted listening devices will be available to meeting attendees who are hard of hearing, said Ulses.

The technology additions will cost between $113,00 and $118,000, and are expected to last a minimum of five to eight years.

For the past several years, the county has held its commission meetings in the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library.

"We've been very appreciate of the city allowing us to use that space," said County Manager Lance Pyle.