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Cloverdale council approves sound system
CLOVERDALE -- After consistent complaints about not being able to hear online, those listening in to the Cloverdale Town Council’s public meetings will be better able to do so.
In a major improvement to the meeting place at the Cloverdale Town Hall, the council approved the purchase of a new audio/video combination from Indy Sound.
The $12,765 package will include new wireless tabletop microphones, new ceiling speakers and a wall-mounted camera that would instantly livestream and record meetings.
The setup would also include installation and be “ready-to-run.”
“The people that are listening on Facebook or what have you, they can’t hear us,” council member Rick Dearwester said. “I think it would behoove us to at least move towards getting where everybody can hear us, online and in person.”
Including new sound and audio, Town Clerk Kelly Maners also proposed last month that each council member could have his or her own tablet, and thus eliminate much of the paper being printed out. Council Vice President Greg Jay said they were leaning toward Windows-based tablets, but were still pricing them out.
As to covering these improvements, Maners has pointed to using funds secured under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. While saying there was “no rush” to spend this money, she advocated that the council needed to use it now.
With servers and computer systems, Maners suggested the council hold an executive session so a representative from EAS Technology Consultants could come and speak. She added the town would see savings between $160-$250 a month after upgrades with Endeavor Communications.
These savings, Maners said, could go toward contractual fees for EAS. Last month, the council approved a $1,000 system analysis from EAS to identify potential updates and security needs.
In other business:
• Maners announced that online bill-pay service was live and could be accessed through the town’s website. She also said that a 24/7 pay-by-phone option had been established.
• The council reappointed Laura Hatton as one of Cloverdale’s two representatives at the Putnam County Visitors Bureau. Mark Wingler is the other representative, and his term will be up next year.
• The council approved a request by Street Superintendent Brad Fulk to purchase 80 tons of salt for $7,000.
• The council approved a resolution to transfer funds for the purchase of a snowplow. The snowplow will be a separate line item within the capital assets of the town’s road and street fund.
• The council approved a resolution approving a reduction of $100,000 from the town’s rainy day fund. Maners said this money was not going to be spent before the end of the year, and that not having it would better the town’s budget for 2021.
• Brady Dryer of Commonwealth Engineers told the council that a draft of Cloverdale’s ADA transition plan had been submitted to INDOT for review.
Town Attorney Daniel Hofmann was not in attendance.
The next regular meeting of the Cloverdale Town Council is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Cloverdale Town Hall.