CLARKSVILLE, IN (January 30, 2024) – The Town of Clarksville is using technology to improve transparency with the town government. Town officials have been working for the last year to upgrade the technology capabilities in the town’s municipal building, which includes the Town Council Chamber.
Beginning on Tuesday, February 6th, all Town Council meetings will be streamed LIVE on the town’s website, www.townofclarksville.com. Residents will be able to view the meeting agenda and follow along as the meeting progresses. All meetings will also be recorded and available for viewing at residents’ convenience. When you visit the town’s homepage, simply click the ‘Watch Meetings Online’ link in the top right-hand corner of the page.
“We hear so often that residents would like to stay up to date on what is going on in town, but they find it hard to attend council meetings,” said Ken Conklin, Clarksville Communications Director. “This new video system will allow our residents to watch from their computer, mobile phone, pretty much anywhere they have an internet connection.”
Clarksville Town Council meetings are held at 6:00pm on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Clarksville Redevelopment Commission (RDC) meetings will also be available to watch LIVE beginning in February. Most economic development projects in town are discussed and driven by the RDC, including new developments, businesses, and other community improvements. RDC meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm.
In May 2023, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed into law House Bill 1167, which requires all government public meetings to be streamed live or recorded. The new law does not take effect until July 1, 2025, to allow local governments to purchase and install the necessary equipment and technological infrastructure.
“We knew this law was going to be coming down from the state, so we went ahead and started preparing early,” said Conklin. “However, we’ve actually been working on this for years in hopes of improving transparency for our residents.”
As cities and towns across Indiana began preparing for the new law to take effect, there were various questions and concerns regarding what meetings need to be streamed or recorded, and other specifics which were somewhat vague in the original bill. For that reason, state lawmakers are now considering revisions to the bill to make it clearer and easier for local governments to follow. Once that revision is completed, the Town of Clarksville may offer live streaming of additional town meetings.