County unveils new way to watch board meetings

Multnomah County recently debuted a new system that allows the public to more easily access content, videos and documents from the Board of County Commissioners meetings via the web.

The new system provides indexed, archived and searchable audio and video files, along with all accompanying documents from the board meetings. The system makes county government and its proceedings more transparent and accessible to residents.

Users can search by keywords or topics without scrolling through the entire packet of materials, as the previous system required. Similarly, video and audio for each item on the board agenda will be indexed and time-stamped so residents can jump to specific agenda items without scrolling through two hours of video.

The system, powered by Granicus, also boasts more reliable streaming video and uses less bandwidth than the previous system. Granicus provides government solutions for improving transparency, citizen participation and community awareness via the web. Multnomah County joins the City of San Francisco, the State of California and King County in its adoption of this new system.

Watch a presentation about the Granicus system from a recent Board of Commissioners meeting. To watch current or past board meetings with the new system visit: web.multco.us/board.