How Ford County Board Enhances Meeting Transparency with the Meeting Owl

Overview

The Ford County Board in Paxton, Illinois successfully implemented the Meeting Owl to livestream and record its monthly board meetings, dramatically improving public access and governmental transparency.

Within weeks of deployment, the Meeting Owl enabled remote meeting viewing for constituents and attendance for board members, improving meeting accessibility and transparency going forward.

Challenge

The Ford County Board faced two primary obstacles to best serve its constituents:

• Limited geographic access: Citizens and board members unable to attend in-person meetings at the board room in Paxton, IL had no way to follow along with county business.

Transparency gaps: Board members and other county officials had requested meeting recordings to improve transparency around open issues and decision-making during meetings.
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Solution

Board Chairman Chase McCall spearheaded the adoption of the Meeting Owl, used with the county's existing Microsoft Teams video conferencing platform. Key product features that appealed to the board when considering its adoption include:

• 360-degree coverage: The Meeting Owl's panoramic view captures the entire board room
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• Face-to-face focus: Automatic speaker tracking concentrates on individuals as they speak
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• Zero additional software costs: Using the Meeting Owl with the county’s existing Microsoft Office Suite eliminated new licensing fees
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Implementation

The board conducted a successful pilot program during its July 2025 meeting, with an absent board member participating remotely to test audio and video quality.

Following positive feedback, the county planned full deployment for the August 2025 meeting, and the system would be used for all regular monthly meetings and committee meetings upon request going forward.

Results

• Improved Transparency: The county achieved its goal of enhancing "transparency and community engagement" by making all proceedings publicly accessible. Citizens can now watch meetings live or via on-demand recordings through the county website.

• Better Documentation: An official video archive provides clear records of board actions, resolving disputes about past decisions.
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• Cost-Effective Solution: The county leveraged existing Microsoft Teams infrastructure, avoiding additional software expenses beyond the initial investment in the Meeting Owl.
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Looking Forward

Ford County's successful Meeting Owl deployment demonstrates how even small government bodies can leverage video conferencing technology to serve constituents better.

The Meeting Owl's ease of use and intelligent features made it simple and immediately impactful for the county to implement hybrid meeting technology without requiring dedicated technical staff or setup complexity.