Council members are expecting to host the new Facebook video series periodically to keep residents informed about what’s going on around town.
During the public comment portion of last Monday’s Cherry Hill Township Council meeting, resident Yoni Yares complimented the township on its recent efforts to engage the community on social media. Among the township’s online efforts is a new initiative council launched in late February.
Following council’s Feb. 25 meeting, Council President Dave Fleisher, Council Vice President Sara Lipsett and Councilman Brian Bauerle hosted the first ever Catch Up with Council. The five-minute video was posted on the township’s Facebook page shortly after the conclusion of that night’s meeting.
The video was produced along with the township’s live streaming of the meeting. Council currently streams both the caucus and action portions of its meetings on Facebook.
“It’s to make sure the residents can hear part of what’s going on with council, just in case you don’t have time to listen to the whole meeting or just want to get a snippet,” Lipsett said about Catch Up with Council.
Lipsett added Catch Up with Council won’t be produced after every council meeting, but it will be done on a periodic basis, possible once a month. As part of the video, council runs down a list of some of the ordinances and resolutions it recently approved. In the first video, Bauerle talked about several of the approved resolutions from the Feb. 25 meeting and why council took action on them.
“We whittle it down to a couple bullets,” Lipsett said. “It’s the CliffsNotes of the council meeting.”
Catch Up with Council isn’t just about running down a list of approved ordinances and resolutions, however. It also gives council an opportunity to discuss other ongoing issues in town. In the first episode, Fleisher talked briefly about the township’s involvement in advocating for more state funding for Cherry Hill Public Schools as the district enters budget season.
“We talked a little bit of Fair Funding, we talked about the play going on at East, stuff that’s happening in town,” Lipsett said.
“It’s not just township business, but it’s community business,” Lipsett added. “The community wants to be a part of this.”
Lipsett added the videos are just another step in making information about the township more available to residents.
“Accessibility is so important that everybody gets the information,” she said. “This is just another avenue, another branch for everyone to know that this is what happened at council this week.”
In other news:
· Council issued two proclamations at last week’s meeting. One proclamation was given to the Cherry Hill High School East girls swimming team for winning the South Jersey Group 4 championship. The other resolution was given to resident Jen Richman for her volunteer efforts in running the Woodcrest Neighborhood Facebook group. Richman was awarded the Camden County Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Medal in January.
· Several representatives from a nonprofit organization called the Intl. WeLoveU Foundation attended the council meeting in hopes of establishing a partnership with the township. Roberto Alonzo, one of the representatives from the group, spoke during public comment about the foundation and how the group is hoping to do volunteer work in the Cherry Hill area.
· The next Cherry Hill Township Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cherry Hill Township Municipal Building.
