The City of West Chicago has resumed the practice of recording and publishing its public meetings, expanding digital access to local government proceedings.
Since June 2024, City Council meetings have been recorded and posted to the City’s official YouTube channel. In early 2025, this effort expanded to include the City’s four Standing Committees—Finance, Development, Infrastructure, and Public Affairs—along with the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. Recordings are typically uploaded within a week of the meeting.
This initiative is part of the City’s broader effort to increase accessibility and public engagement. Each video includes English closed captioning and Spanish-language transcription. These features aim to support residents who are hearing impaired, Spanish-speaking, unable to attend meetings in person, or managing scheduling conflicts.
Meeting access prior to 2017 included live broadcasts and recordings through local public access television. That program ended due to outdated equipment, staffing limitations, and a lack of available volunteers.
The City reports that it evaluated several options before selecting a cost-effective approach to restore access. Instead of investing more than $80,000 in new broadcast infrastructure, approximately $2,500 was spent on video conferencing technology. Ongoing costs for captioning and translation services are estimated at $1,000 per month.
The Comprehensive Plan, adopted by the City in January 2022, includes a stated goal to “encourage active participation in City decision-making.” Public input collected during the plan’s development highlighted the need to cultivate civic participation and improve access to government processes. The plan is available in both English and Spanish.
A full schedule of public meetings is available on the City’s website. Recordings can be accessed through the City of West Chicago’s YouTube channel.
