PTC to broadcast Thurs. meeting on web

Peachtree City residents can avoid the cold Thursday night and watch the first City Council meeting of the new year from the comfort of their easy chair if they want.

When new Mayor Don Haddix bangs the gavel to convene the 7 p.m. meeting, the city will be streaming the action live on its website at www.peachtree-city.org/video. Anyone with a computer will be able to tune in.

This will be a first for any government agency in Fayette County. In the past several years, council has considered various proposals to broadcast council meetings via television but the necessary equipment made those concepts cost prohibitive.

The city recently installed security cameras in council chambers to be used during municipal court, and it’s those cameras that will provide the feed for the video stream, said city spokesperson Betsy Tyler.

The free video streaming service used by the city will roll a brief video advertisement before the live feed begins. Also, there will be ads located at the bottom of the video screen during the meeting, although they can be wiped off the screen by clicking a “x” box in the upper right corner of the ad.

The city cannot control which ads are displayed to residents who use the streaming service, Tyler said.