BERGENFIELD, N.J. — Want to watch your town council meeting from home instead of sitting in the meeting room?
In Bergenfield, that option isn’t available.
Mayor Arvin Amatorio previously told NorthJersey.com the borough has to be “careful with spending,” which is why council meetings are not available for residents to view remotely.
The issue is part of a broader question facing Bergen County towns, including Teaneck, Englewood, Fair Lawn, Paramus, Tenafly and New Milford: How much should taxpayers spend to put local government online?
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed towns across New Jersey to move meetings online. For many residents, virtual meetings became an easier way to follow government without attending in person.
But the technology comes with a price.
NorthJersey.com found that between 30 percent and 45 percent of governing bodies and school boards in Bergen, Morris and Passaic counties do not run virtual meetings.
Costs vary widely.
Newton spends about $70 a month for its Zoom subscription, while South Orange spends approximately $15,700 a year on hybrid public meetings, primarily for personnel.
The logistics can also be a challenge, particularly in older municipal buildings that may need upgraded internet, cameras, microphones or other equipment.
Marc Pfeiffer, a senior policy fellow at Rutgers University, said smaller governments may simply find the cost too high.
“For some places it’s just going to be too much to do, particularly in a smaller organization,” he said.
Supporters argue that livestreaming is worth the expense because it lets residents follow government when they cannot attend in person.
Sometimes, virtual attendance can even exceed the number of people in the room.
“It doesn’t have to be agreement, or it doesn’t have to be unanimous in what we think,” Newton Town Manager Thomas Russo said. “But I think for such a low cost, shame on us if we don’t take advantage of the opportunity to engage the public.”
For Bergenfield, however, the calculation remains focused on the bottom line.
