Download lowdown

It took my Verizon DSL connection about ten minutes to download the entire .mp3 audio file of last Tuesday's City Council meeting from the City's website -- and nearly two hours to listen to the meeting -- but it was worth it, just to hear Mayor Cole explain the amendment process after a Councilman's motion went down in silence.

But based on my downloading experience, it's doubtful that any Dial-Up internet users will take the hour so it would take take to download an entire meeting. Nor will many others spend ten minutes on a high speed. It would be more useful to citizens of all data streams if the files were saved agenda item by item. Faster to download, and to access the information. It would take a city tech person less than an hour to segment it.

Citizens shouldn't have to listen to the entire meeting to hear the discussion of an item, or the Mayor's condolences to the family of SIU President James Walker; nor should it take such a long time to download the file. As long as the City is hiring young people, audio transfer assistant would make a good student job . . . even better than picking up trash.

The kids over at Attucks Community Services could do it with the new computers they have been given by the State. By listening to the meetings, they might be inspired by Councilman Wissmann's impassioned proposal to give $72 more to the Women's Center. (Couldn't he just buy more art or chocolate at tomorrow night's event?) and Councilman Hayne's unfriendly objection. Or just skip ahead to Mayor Cole's punch line, recalling his previous explanation the amendment process (linked above).

Some questions: who told the Angie Kaye it was okay to ask for more than the requested 5%? What will happen to Councilwoman Simon's portion of her band's payment for Brown Bag gigs? Will Councilman Fritzler write a check to the Women's Center for $72?