Metrocast fee for meeting videos eyed for Nov. ballot

LEBANON - Selectmen said on Monday they plan to put a referendum question on the November ballot that would initiate a levy on Lebanon Metrocast video service subscribers to fund the videotaping of town government meetings.

A compromise between ranking Democrats in the state Legislature and Gov. Paul LePage last week on a transportation bond paved the way for the November ballot.

The fee amount would be 2 percent of the total video portion of the bill. Internet services charges would not figure in the fee formula. About 62 percent of Lebanon households use Metrocast as their video provider, according to Metrocast.

Company officials briefed selectmen on the option at a meeting last month, and said with the funds produced by the fee, a top-notch videotaping system could be delivered to residents.

For those that don’t have Metrocast, meeting videotapes could be burned on discs and uploaded for viewing onto the town website.

Metrocast would provide technical expertise in the setup, said Regional Manager Moira Campbell.

It was discussed that a dedicated fiber optic line might be run to a primary meeting venue from where live feeds could be broadcast. If meetings were held in other venues then a camera would be used to record the meeting and then the meeting would be played back on the cable channel and uploaded to the website for public viewing at a later date.

The most recent videotaping initiative began when town resident and selectman candidate Corinna Cole’s citizens’ petition was passed overwhelmingly by town voters last June.

The referendum asked if citizens wanted to see government meetings videotaped and asked for a $500 disbursal by the town to do so.

Since it was passed, selectmen have stated proper funding mechanism language was missing from the  ballot question, and that they were uncomfortable with the lack of a definitive process in how the videotaping would be executed and who would be in charge.

Selectmen have said they like the Metrocast option because it provides money for those in charge of shooting and producing the videos.