MWA chairman nixes livestreamed meetings

The Macon Water Authority Board chairman decided last Thursday to stop live streaming the board’s monthly meetings on Facebook, a practice it began five years ago when the governor declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19.

“We had some complaints about not being able to hear everybody and things like that due to the microphones and everything and then they started looking into some drop-down mics,” authority board chairman Gary Bechtel told The Melody in a phone call Friday. “I just didn’t think that was an expenditure that was necessary. So, rather than expending the money, I made the decision to terminate the livestream.” 

Instead of continuing to use the existing equipment, which is sometimes faulty but more advanced than some local boards, Bechtel said he decided to do away with the livestream altogether because he recently learned Gov. Brian Kemp’s 2020 emergency declaration, which allowed virtual meetings, had expired.

The emergency declaration, which ended in summer 2020, allowed governments to meet virtually and continue meeting the requirements of the Georgia Open Records Act, which guarantees public access. 

“I inquired as to our mandate to continue that and I was told that was not a mandate,” Bechtel said. “I made the decision to terminate the live stream. As chairman, I have that ability.”

The pandemic forced governmental bodies and boards to conduct business online. Virtual public meetings allowed more people an opportunity to engage with decision makers and follow along with public business. 

The impact of switching to virtual meetings has been lasting for other governments across the state. For example, the City of Sandy Springs, which had long resisted live-streaming meetings before the pandemic, committed to the practice in an effort to promote a more engaged citizenry, according to a 2021 article on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Bechtel’s decision to limit public access to in-person attendees will likely mean fewer eyes on the authority board’s meetings, which begin at 2 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month and regularly last four to five hours. 

After The Melody made an open records request for the video on Friday, the authority board posted the first two hours of it to Facebook on Monday. The second half of the meeting was posted Tuesday. It is unclear whether the authority will continue recording meetings for later posting.

Bechtel did not respond to subsequent requests for additional information.