Thumbnail photo by Ken Lund via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License Lynn Coker evoked Abbott and Costello before he and his colleague Patrick Hollinger approved a $6,335 agreement between Curry County and Spectrum Business on Wednesday. Coker, who was appointed to the Board of Commissioners earlier this year, said he hoped the agreement, which will allow Curry County to televise its public meetings, will help residents better navigate local government. “They attend these meetings, they listen and they read the news and they’re not quite sure who’s on first and why there’s a first base in the first place,” he said. “What’s the difference between the work a legislator does, like a Court Boyce, and the work the county does? Those kinds of things can be addressed in an educational format using our Spectrum education channels.” Coker and Hollinger approved a 36-month proposal with Spectrum Business that includes updated equipment as well as video service on the cable provider’s public, education and government (PEG) channel. This will allow residents to have another option besides the county’s YouTube livestream. In addition to paying $6,335 in start-up costs, the county would also pay a monthly fee of $644, according to Hollinger. Board Chairman Jay Trost was absent. According to the staff report included with the Board’s agenda on Wednesday, equipment for the county’s PEG channel was outdated and “no longer functional.” The report recommended the Board of Commissioners choose a 36-month term over a 60-month term since the technology typically needs updating every 18 months. In addition to providing another place for residents to view Board of Commissioner meetings, Coker said the public library has a variety of videos that could be distributed over Spectrum’s cable network. Coker said he also envisioned 4H or the Oregon State University Cooperative Extension also produces programs the county could air on its PEG channel. “They have amazing programs, everything from gardening to husbandry to legal kinds of programs, and that can be made available as well over the public and education channels,” he said. According to Hollinger, the county already has a fund for its PEG channel in its budget, “which this will all be paid out of.” “It’s much past due,” he said.