Video of the Williamson County Commissioners Court regular meetings are now available to watch on the county’s website.

Individuals can select a specific agenda item to view or watch the entire meeting. The video is not a live-feed of the meetings, but can be viewed the following day.

The court began providing video of the meetings to comply with Texas Government Code on Oct. 8. House Bill 283, which was passed in the last legislative session, requires certain governmental bodies make audio and video recordings of open meetings available on the Internet.

The legislation requires the court to record each regularly scheduled open meeting that is not a work session or a special called meeting. The court is also required to maintain the archived recording on the Internet for no less than two years.

In an email, County Judge Dan Gattis said providing video is another way the county is working to provide more transparency in local government.

“While our meetings always have been open to the public, now the public can watch the meetings in their homes or offices,” he said.

The county purchased the camera and video-hosting capability from Swagit, a Plano company specializing in video streaming for local, state and federal government agencies. Williamson County opted to pay $4,490 in upfront costs and $795 per month for the ability to stream video.

When the court discussed the pricing, Commissioner Cynthia Long was the lone dissenting vote.

“It’s an unfunded mandate—let’s do what the state requires and no more,” she said.

To view the meetings, visit the WilCo Commissioner's Court website. This link directs individuals to the View Meetings page, where there is an option to view video.