Title
Information Technologies, Clerk of the Board, and Planning and Building Department recommending the Board:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign Agreement 5337 with Marin IT, in an amount not to exceed $127,222, for hardware, software, and services necessary for audio and video improvements for reliable virtual meetings in Board Chambers and the Planning Commission Room;
2) Make findings, in accordance with County Ordinance 3.12.160 A, that competitive bidding for these projects would not be in public’s interest because of the current public health emergency and the urgent need for reliable virtual meetings; and
3) Approve the addition of meeting room improvement projects to the FY 2020-21 Fixed Asset list in the amount of $56,868 for the Board Chambers and $70,354 for the Planning Commission Room.
FUNDING: General Fund.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Since March 2020, the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors have been hosting public meetings through zoom due to the public health emergency. The Board of Supervisors room has experienced audio and visual problems as the system is not set up for zoom streaming, and the patches put in place have caused audio and video problems disrupting meetings. The Planning Commission has not been able to run meetings at all in the planning commission room as the current equipment does not support zoom meetings. As it is unknown how long the meetings will need to be hosted through zoom with physical distancing, an Information Technologies company, Marin IT, was contacted as they have successfully helped other governmental organizations transition public meetings rooms to virtual meetings.
The upgrades to the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission rooms will result in better citizen engagement, as well as operational efficiencies simplifying the ability to control all audio and video on a tablet with one touch. This one-time cost will eliminate the need for a videographer onsite, which is an ongoing cost of...
Click here for full text