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Motion of the Council of Allegheny County amending and supplementing the Rules of Council, Article II, Rule F, by the inclusion of a new Rule F.13 in order to establish a uniform mechanism for fostering transparency by recording meetings of the committees of Council.
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Whereas, Allegheny County Council’s regular meetings are recorded on video, and archives of those recordings are posted on the County website; and
Whereas, those recordings often prove to be an invaluable resource for both the County’s residents and Council and other County staff, as they provide a means of directly observing proceedings; and
Whereas, it is the desire of Council to provide at least audio recordings of committee meetings, in order to allow the public and staff a similar ability to review the committees’ proceedings; and
Whereas, the Council already has the equipment to create audio recordings of its committee proceedings, and initiating the process will therefore not require the expenditure of any County funds;
The Council of the County of Allegheny therefore hereby moves as follows:
For the reasons delineated herein, the Rules of Council, Article II, Rule F., is hereby amended by the creation of a new Rule F.13., comprised as follows:
13. Audio recordings shall be made of the all meetings of the Council’s committees, with all such recordings to be posted upon the County’s website within three (3) days of the approval of the minutes of such meetings, whether such approval takes place via vote or Council policy. Appropriate disclosures of the recording of all committee sessions shall be conspicuously posted in any area(s) in which such committees meet, and the presiding officer for each committee meeting shall disclose the recording of such meeting immediately after calling the session to order, and provide an opportunity for any individual(s) who do not consent to the recording to leave the meeting. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any committee...
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