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CASSELBERRY CITY COMMISSION <br />Minutes of September 27, 2021 — Regular Meeting <br />Page 13 of 18 <br />Audience Participation: The following individuals came forward to address the City Commission <br />regarding live streaming of City Commission Meetings: <br />1. Bill Hufford, 527 Queens Mirror Circle, thanked the Commission and staff for their analysis <br />on the feasibility of live streaming, but expressed concerns about the cost of ongoing <br />maintenance and upgrades and whether there would truly be enough benefit to justify the cost. <br />2. Emily Orey, (no address given), thanked the City Commission and staff for working to bring <br />this presentation forward, and spoke in favor of live streaming of the meetings as it would <br />provide greater accessibility, which she felt was incredibly important. <br />3. Rhonda Ovist, 220 South Embrey Dr., spoke in favor of live streaming of the meetings, noting <br />that she was not concerned about the cost, and she did not think that ADA (Americans With <br />Disabilities Act) compliancy issues should be used as an excuse not to do it. <br />4. Elizabeth Karoly, 1556 Elf Stone Drive (unincorporated Seminole County), appreciated the <br />work that had gone into researching the issue, but did not see the feasibility of live streaming <br />if there was not a component that included the capability for interaction. <br />5. Stephanie Fuller, 812 Rogers Court, spoke in support of live streaming of the City Commission <br />meetings, noting that it would provide citizens another avenue for civic engagement, and would <br />benefit those who were unable to attend the meetings in person due to health or other reasons. <br />6. Colleen Hufford, 527 Queens Mirror Circle, expressed concerns about what the possible <br />recurring costs might be, including staffing and technical assistance, and whether live <br />streaming would bring value to everyone or just a few. <br />7. Andy Searles, 1340 Queen Elaine Drive, shared that his personal experience in going to live <br />streaming for his ministry had provided many positive things, including increasing outreach, <br />communication, accessibility and engagement and he supported the City moving forward. <br />No one else came forward <br />Discussion: Discussion ensued during which each Commissioner gave individual input as to their thoughts <br />and/or concerns regarding potential live streaming of City Commission meetings and each expressed either <br />support for or non-support of live streaming. <br />Commissioner Ararnendia: <br />- Has had many conversations with different people over the past several months regarding the <br />issue. <br />- Expressed concerns that whether or not costs would increase after implementation was <br />unknown. <br />- Expressed concerns about ADA compliance issues and potential lawsuits, and whether funds <br />could be better used for areas which would benefit the whole community and not just a few. <br />- Shared some of his experiences while getting actively involved and engaged with the City, <br />including physically attending meetings without the benefit of live streaming and volunteering <br />on committees and boards. <br />- Stated that the City is only approximately 7-8 square miles in size, and he felt that made it very <br />accessible to its residents. <br />- Expressed concerns again about the end cost and stated he felt it was not as simple as it may <br />seem to be. <br />