With one very notable exception, the PRU Crew hasn't found much to complain about regarding the Park Ridge Park District. In fact, we feel it's one of the more well-run local governing bodies that we've seen.
Our expectation is that, with most of the new crop of Park Board members, the Park Ridge Park District will continue to function pretty well.
So today the PRU Crew wanted to offer PRUdos to the Park Ridge Park District for making the effort to provide taxpayers with the opportunity to view Park Board meetings on video. Nothing fancy. Simply some straight up and unedited recordings of their meetings. We're betting this doesn't cost anywhere near the costs that were quoted to the City Council for taping meetings.
We understand that such recordings may not always "make our elected officials look their best," as we've been told our City Cluck Betty Henneman has been known to say, but not looking your best is part of the human condition on occasion.
We are also aware the local press doesn't like the idea of video taping meetings -- residents and taxpayers, able to see what actually took place at a meeting, may come to understand the shortcomings of our local press...and the dwindling subscriptions may dwindle even more.
Still, the PRU Crew feels that with the technology available there is nothing preventing either the Park Ridge City Council, the Niles-Park Ridge Community Consolidated School District 64, or Maine Township High School District 207 from video taping meetings, and uploading those videos to their respective web sites.
Maybe some nice Park Board member could let our three other local governing bodies know how it can be done.
May 20, 2009
Smile for the Camera!
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4 comments:
With a $10-15 million budget, there's fewer places for the Park District to hide any financial mismanagement. But that may be as much the doing of the Director, Jim Lange, who will be retiring next month, and his staff - as well as a recent "tradition" of the Park District to be more of a pay-as-you-go operation.
But I'm with you on televising or videotaping the meetings.
I know the cost for the Park District to do this runs roughly $250 per meeting.
It's not perfect but it's a heck of a lot less money than where the City discussions have gone.
If you want to know what's going on with the Park District at least you can watch a meeting if you've missed one or are interested in a specific topic....like say Hinkley Pool springing a leak.
I think that this may be a "human need"...and that for every $1 they spend on providing the citizens with this unedited information would return $20 (at least) back to the community...hmmmm
Why does the press have such a problem with video taped meetings?
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