Dewey Beach Town Meetings Now Can Be Viewed On The Web

BY ALEX RUOFF | DELAWARE COAST PRESS

DEWEY BEACH — Town meetings can be viewed through online broadcasts as a new innovation to involve part-time residents, officials said.

“It seemed to get a good response, but the technology, to be frank, I think stinks,” said Dick Cleaveland, a member of the Dewey Beach Information Technology Committee. “I set it up as a trial using my own equipment just to see what people would think of it.”

The first broadcast took place Jan. 9, and despite giving only two days notice, online participation stood between 12 and 17 viewers, with participants signing in from as far away as Tokyo, Japan. Officials expect the number of participants will triple by February.

Through the town’s Web site, www.townofdeweybeach.com, anyone can view the archive footage. While the footage skips at first and is a bit grainy, Interim Town Manager Ken Lodge said it still allows people to keep up with town business even if they are miles away.

“The meetings should revolve around your life,” he said. “I’ve been pretty active in town, but I don’t live here. … It’d be a cold day in hell that I drive the two hours down just to sit in a meeting for two hours and drive right back.”

The town spent about $50 for the first broadcast, Cleaveland said. As of now, the expenses are being covered by the general fund. It is not yet clear how much future broadcasts will cost, as expenses will depend on the service provided, officials said.
“I think it all depends on how much money the town will put into it,” Cleaveland said. “If they want to be able to let people comment online or zoom, then they need better resolution cameras.”

Jill Carr, a full-time resident, said she watched the town’s last meeting via her computer.

“I think it’s great, letting everyone keep up with what’s going on,” she said. “I was watching from out of state with a friend who’s a resident, and we thought it was wonderful.”

Lodge said the town may consider purchasing high-resolution cameras for better picture quality and a two-way microphone to allow for Internet comments. Neither upgrade would cut too deep into Dewey’s budget, he said.

“For the town to look into getting their own equipment and improving on it would be a fairly inexpensive thing,” Lodge said.