Lantzville councillors have approved nearly $6,000 extra for the installation of audio and video equipment in council chambers.
On Monday, Lantzville councillors voted in favour of spending an additional $5,972 on their audio and visual equipment budget after receiving a recommendation from district staff.
Earlier this year, Lantzville councillors allocated $15,850 to install microphones, speakers, a camera and other related equipment in an effort to increase their transparency.
The district has managed to install most of the audio and video equipment, but the current audio setup has microphones being shared among councillors and one microphone allocated for the mayor.
Speaking to the News Bulletin, Brad McRae, the district’s chief administrative officer, said the extra money will be spent on “enhanced” audio abilities.
“We are going to put three more microphones in,” he said. “Two wired mikes and one wireless mike. That allows council to not have to climb over each other to speak on the microphone.”
A microphone will also be installed for the public use during the public participation period.
McRae said council tried to spend as little money, but felt the current audio setup was not adequate enough. As a result, district staff recommended spending just under $6,000.