TDHCA Sunset Recommendation #3: Webcast all TDHCA board meetings

As previously discussed here at Texas Housers, TDHCA is currently undergoing Sunset Review.  We are presenting recommendations for ways to improve TDHCA that have been endorsed by a broad range of stakeholders in TDHCA’s activities.

Issue:

Information regarding the events at TDHCA Board meetings is not quickly available to those not physically present at the meetings.

Background:

The TDHCA board meetings are generally held in Austin.  Transcripts of meetings are not generally made available until at least a week after the meetings are held.  Stakeholders who are not in the Austin area or not able to attend meetings have historically had no way of monitoring the proceedings in real or near-real time.

TDHCA recently web broadcast the proceedings of the March 11, 2010 meeting, but the archive of the broadcast was not immediately made available to the public.

Recommendation:

Broadcast all meeting proceedings via webcast and make the archived webcasts immediately available to the public.

Other public entities such as TDI (http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/webcast/audio10.html) and the Sunset Commission (http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/audioarchives.htm) provide web broadcasts of their meetings to allow the public real-time access to the proceedings.  TDHCA should do the same on a regular, ongoing basis, and make the archived webcasts immediately available to the public.

This Recommendation is Endorsed By:

• Advocacy, Inc.
• Association of Rural Communities in Texas
• Center on Disability and Development – Texas A&M University
• Easter Seals Central Texas
• Habitat Texas
• Motivation Education & Training, Inc.
• Texas Association of Community Development Corporations
• Texas Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies
• Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities
• Texas Center for Disability Studies-UT
• Texas Low Income Housing Information Service