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What it cost NJ towns to stream meetings

By: Amanda Wallace
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Transparency in government has been bade easier over the years as modern technology allows officials to reach their communities far beyond the meeting room.
..... However, according to North Jersey officials, this unprecedented level of transparency can come at cost, ranging form small monthly fees to thousands of dollars each year.
..... The framework for virtual meetings was put in place in many towns during the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions pushed local governments to move their meetings Online.
..... Amy Torres, a jersey City activist, told NorthJersey.com in 2021 that virtual mentions were "trans formative" in how the public engages with its government.
..... Nevertheless, an April [2026] analysis by NorthJersey.com found that dozens of local towns and school boards do not offer virtual options for their meetings. This means that unless residents attend in person or obtain informality through a public records request, they have no firsthand knowledge of how business is being conduct in their town.
..... In Bergen, Morris and Passaic counties, for example, between 30% and 45% of governing bodes and school boards do not run virtual meetings, NorthJersey.com research found. in Sussex County only six of the 24 municipalities post recordings of council meeting Online.
..... Even among towns that offer virtual attendance, the details and logistics vary, ranging from live Zoom meetings to posted recordings and differential on whether virtual attendees can participate.
..... The cost of setting up and managing recordings is a common reason for the lack of video in some towns, Marre Pfeiffr, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and public Policy, previously told NorthJersey.com .
..... Bergenfield Mayor Arivn Amatoriio previously told NorthJersey.com the borough has to be "careful with spending," which is why council meetings are not available for the public to view remotely.
..... The logistic and Internet capabilities of meeting rooms, especially in older buildings can also play a role, Pfeifer said.
..... "For some places it's just going to be too much to do, particularly in a smaller organization," said Pfeiffr. "Larger organizations, arguably, should be able to handle the cost. But [for] larger organizational where you have a lot more people, having people able to come in remotely can be more challenging because you may get a lot more people coming in."
..... How much time and money does it cost North Jersey towns to run virtual meetings? Here's what we found out.
..... The cost, management and logistics of holding virtual meetings vary greatly from town to town.
..... In south Orange, for example, Mayor Sheena Collum said that it costs approximately 415,700 a year to operate hybrid public meetings. this number is primarily personnel costs, she said in an email, with an average of two or three IT staff members supporting each meeting throughout the year.
..... One member of the meeting support team is an independent contractor, while two are full-time village employees who receive compensatory time for after-hours meetings support, according to Collum.
..... Facility costs are minimal because the meeting room is in the community center, which is already staffed during normal operating hours, Collum added. Capitol costs have also been kept relatively low as the town relies on standard computer hardware and open-source software rather than investing in expensive propriety broadcasting systems.
..... Hybrid meetings are conducted through Zoom, offering South Orange residents the option to participate remotely.
..... Newton also offers a hybrid meeting option, a practice that started during the pandemic.
..... "Like a lot of municipalities, we started the process back during the COVID years, figuring how we could bring people into what we're doing here and make it convenient for them," said Newton Town Manager Thomas Russo. "At that point we invested in a desktop computer for the council chambers and some upgrades in the council chambers to make it easy to easer and see people. We upgraded our Zoom account to the webinar one that we're using today and it was very successful."
..... Today, Newton continues to offer a hybrid option for its council meetings.
..... With the infrastructure already in place, the primary cost is about $70 per month to cover Zoom subscription, Russo said. If there is a problem here and there, the town also has to pay for IT help as it comes from an outside vendor.
..... Russo manages the system during meetings and administrative Assistant Kathryn Alcock uploads the footage to YouTube shortly after. An audio recording is also available on the town's website, they said.
..... In Bloomfield, meetings live-stream are included in the full, operation of the township's government access television station WBMA-TV, which costs approximately $122,000 annually, according to spokesperson Carly Rubel.
..... "It's important to note that this contract covers the full operation of WBMA-TV, not just live-streaming public meetings," Rubel said in an emailed statement. Other services induce station management, programming and scheduling, bulletin boards, coverage of township council, planning board, and zoning board meetings, municipal events, public information, emergency communications and other government programing.
..... The contract also includes Broad of Education meetings. According to Rubel, the Bloomfield Board of Education reimburses the town approximately $11,000 annually for its portion of those services.
..... All aspects of the broadcast are handled by station staff.
..... Meetings are streamed live on WBMA-TV, the town's Facebook page, and the WBMA-TV website, where they remain available for residents to watch at their convenience.
..... While streaming can become costly, many government officials believe it is well worth the money to provide the community with more opportunities to get involved.
..... "Residents should be able to stay connected to their local government regardless of their schedule, mobility, or ability to attend meetings," said Bloomfield Mayor Jenny Mundell in a statement. "Live-streaming removes barriers to participation and gives people another way to follow the discussion and decisions hat shape our community."
..... Mundell's statement continued, "We see it as an investment in transparency, accessibility and public trust, and it's an important extension of Bloomfield's longstanding commitment to keeping residents informed through WBMA-TV."
..... Not only odes streaming meetings benefit the community, but it also benefits the government, according to Collum, who said that easy-to-access meetings allow residents to gain a greater appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes and an understanding of the reasons behind the decision that impact them.
..... Collum said that roughly $16,000 a year is a "remarkably modest investment" considering the number of meetings conducted in South Orange and he thousands of residents who have the ability to stay informed as a result of streaming.
..... "In my view, the question isn't whether municipalities can afford to live-stream public meetings, it's whether we can afford to do," said Collum. "If we want residents to be informed, engaged and trusting of their local government we should remove barriers to participation wherever we can."
..... Vistula options can also be very appealing to the public. Sometimes , according to Russo, more people attend Newton meetings virtually then in person.
..... He said that he loves when members of the pubic come to meetings and voice their options.
..... "We think we're doing the right thing, or we think we're on tack with something, and it's good for the public and the taxpayers to course correct us every once in a while," Russo said. "It doesn't have to be agreement, or it doesn't have to be unanimous in what we think. But I think for such a ow cost, shame on us if we don't take advantage of the opportunity to engage the public."
..... In 2023, the Sparta Board of Education faced heavy criticism when former BOE President Kurt Morris proposed ending live-streams to save costs. he argued that virtual recordings, which had been streamed on YouTube since August 2020, were no loner necessary with the resumption of in-person meetings following the COVID-19 pandemic.
..... The live-streams cost the district 4,000 in 2022, mainly in overtime wages for staff members, Morris said in January 2022.
..... Community and board members spoke out against this move, including former board member Lauren Colloier, who aid at the time: "All things considered, there;s many parents that cannot get here. they have bedtime, they have work, they have other maters, and they want to remain informed."
..... Today, Sparta's Board of Education mentions continue to be live-streamed on the district's YouTube channel.
..... This year, as of August 14, [2026] the cost of district personnel involved in recording and live-streaming Sparta's meetings was $4,550, according to public records obtained by NorthJersey.com . any additional; costs accrued as a result of virtual mentions were not disclosed.
..... "The discussion to end the virtual option as raised in Sparta at one point, but that discussion predates every current board member and was met with considerable push-back," Sparta Board of Education President Kaitlin Gagnon said in an emailed statement. "Given the level of budget scrutiny all NJ districts have grappled with in recent years, we know well that every dollar matters. Nonetheless, we believe that maintaining this virtual option is essential. It engages our community on a greater scale compared in-person attendance alone."

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