BY JENNIFER DOME
Staff Writer
BRICK — Residents should expect to see Township Council meetings aired on Channel 20 for the rest of the year.
At the council’s Oct. 19 meeting, township funds to pay for taping the meetings through December were approved unanimously with a 6-0 vote. Councilman Fred Underwood was absent from the meeting.
Township Business Administrator Scott MacFadden said the company hired by the Republican Club to tape the meetings beginning in September, J&R Guarino Productions, of Brick, will stay on to tape the rest of this year’s public meetings. The council passed a resolution that allocated no more than $3,000 for the contract. The money will come from the account for the office of the mayor, which had a balance, MacFadden said.
Republican Councilman Anthony Matthews said he has had a lot of positive feedback about taping meetings.
Democratic Councilwoman Kathy Russell agreed.
“People really thought it was good to have it televised,” Russell said.
Council President Stephen Acropolis, a Republican, called the council’s decision to allocate funds to continue taping the meetings for the rest of the year “historical.” He said it was a huge step to opening up government to the residents.
The Republican Club was asked to step in and help pay for taping the meetings because, Acropolis said, he kept waiting for someone to put money in the budget for that purpose.
“I was tired of government going so slow when it came to that,” he said.
So far, the Republican Club has paid approximately $1,600 for taping the council meetings since Sept. 14.
“It’s pretty impressive that we’ve actually allocated the funds to do it,” Acropolis said of the council’s vote last week.
Both Acropolis and Mayor Joseph Scarpelli, a Democrat, said they want to take proposals from companies before awarding a bid for taping the meetings next year.
Acropolis said he would like the company to be from Brick. Scarpelli he said he wants to make sure the company has the proper equipment so there will be quality picture and sound.
Scarpelli said he thinks the council’s decision to allocate township funds for taping the meetings was the right way to go.
“A political party should not be paying for taping the meetings,” the mayor said.
While some residents have given council members a positive review of airing the meetings on Channel 20, Scarpelli said others questioned the council’s priorities. He said it may cost up to $25,000 to tape the meetings next year, and some people have asked him if the money should go toward other township costs, such as programs for children.
Several council members discussed certain specifics about how to handle taping the meetings at the Oct. 19 meeting. Scarpelli said he thinks the council needs to decide if the whole council will be on camera at all times or if the camera will focus in on who’s speaking at the time.
“I believe the whole council should be in every shot, from right to left,” Scarpelli said.
Republican Councilwoman Ruthanne Scaturro said some people have told her that it’s hard to follow the meetings because they don’t have an agenda. She said people should know that the agenda is available on the township Web site — www.twp.brick.nj.us.
Matthews suggested that after the meetings are aired, a list the council members’ names and e-mail addresses could be listed on the screen. And Russell said that perhaps the council should consider expanding the tapings to include the caucus meetings as well.
“This is one of the best things that we’ve done so far,” Acropolis said.