Agoura Hills : Cable to Air All City Council Meetings

Beginning this month, Agoura Hills will begin airing all of its City Council meetings on cable television, officials said. It currently airs just eight meetings a year.

On Jan. 21, the city will begin airing taped meetings about twice a month on Ventura County Cablevision’s Channel 8. Under the plan, the twice-monthly Wednesday meetings will be taped, then aired the following Sunday at 7 p.m.

The city, which is searching for a video production company to tape the meetings, has agreed to allow two companies to tape the meetings on a trial basis over the next six months. It has entered into a three-month contract with an Agoura Hills company, Stephen’s Video Productions, and at the end of that time, officials said, Thousand Oaks-based Videomax Productions will enter into a similar three-month contract. The council will ultimately choose between the two.

Staff originally recommended that Videomax Productions be given a six-month tryout, based on the company’s extensive experience in taping government meetings.

But the council agreed to let Stephen’s Video Productions participate because they “wanted to give the local guy a chance to perform,” City Manager Dave Adams said.

Under the arrangement, Stephen’s Video Productions will be paid $800 a month, officials said. Carol E. Tubelis, an administrative assistant for the city, said Videomax entered a bid of $1,039, which is still being negotiated. Ventura County Cablevision airs the meetings free as part of its community service program.

The city has been under pressure to begin airing more meetings on cable, and has ruled that airing the meetings live is too costly.