(See the full county commission meeting packet for November 2025 on the Hickman County website for more details.)
I appreciate the work done on the proposal and the goal of improving how to conduct county business. But this proposal costs too much, solves problems we do not have, and locks us into tools we do not need. There are simpler, cheaper, and better ways forward. These are my reasons for opposing the purchase.
- Electronic packets already exist.
- We do not need to buy tablets.
- Record the meetings first.
- Electronic voting is not worth the price.
- Vendor lock-in creates long-term risk.
- Local students can help.
I downloaded the full meeting packet from the county’s website. We already distribute these documents digitally. Printing is a choice, not a requirement. Software will not change printing habits if we do not change policy.
Nearly everyone owns a laptop or iPad. Buying 14 devices only adds cost and future maintenance. They will break, get lost, and need support. A small annual technology stipend would be cheaper and more practical.
The simplest step toward transparency is recording every meeting and posting the video. This requires minimal equipment and almost no cost. Teleconferencing tools can also record and transcribe meetings. Affordable AI tools can already draft minutes and summaries.
Our current system works. If we use teleconferencing software, it already includes simple voting features.
Once we depend on one company for agendas, minutes, voting, and streaming, we lose leverage. Prices can rise. Features can change. It is wiser to use broad, common tools we can replace at any time.
Our high school technology programs could assist with recording, streaming, and basic support. This builds real skills for our students and keeps our investment here at home.
These are practical, proven alternatives that cost far less and give us more flexibility. I offer them as someone with 30 years of experience in technology and software development. For these reasons, I cannot support the OpenMeeting proposal.
Rural counties often lag in technology. We are ten years behind the times and following trends that were popular a decade ago. AI is already overtaking specialized software like this, I say that as someone actively developing software today.
We should use these challenges to broaden our skills, not narrow them. Our leaders and citizens need tools that work across all future challenges. That means getting good at teleconferencing, using flexible and widely supported platforms, avoiding vendor lock-in, and staying ready to move to better and more affordable options as they appear.
For these reasons, I cannot support the OpenMeeting proposal.
If anyone wants to learn more about the solutions I’ve mentioned, or how to use AI tools more effectively to support county government—I am available as a resource and glad to help.
Respectfully,
Ethan Post
Coble, TN