PONTIAC - Arraigning Livingston County inmates via a video hookup between the jail and courthouse will be the subject of another meeting of county officials.

A meeting involving contractors, the Livingston County sheriff and chief deputy, county judges and the County Board's information technology committee is planned but unscheduled.

"This is so when we kick this off, we will all know where we are and be on the same page," IT committee Chairman Bill Fairfield said. "This is just going to be a meeting with all involved so we can get everything functioning and work toward a goal."

The court will have jury trials next week, so a date for the meeting has yet to be set, Fairfield said.

The committee has been working on installing a video arraignment system in the courthouse for quite some time, and the County Board accepted bids in May.

Advocates say having an inmate appear before a judge via video is cheaper and safer because officers do not have to move the inmate from the jail to the courtroom.

Livingston County Circuit Judge Harold Frobish previously said safety is a concern because often officials know little about the inmate as a security risk on the way to an arraignment.

The committee sent out requests for proposals in April in its search for a contractor to install and test the system and train people to operate it.

The County Board voted to spend around $92,000 to hire Advanced Communications to set up the network and Cremer Engineering to set up the cameras and monitors. The county had previously set aside $150,000 in their budget for this system.

The board voted to wire all three courtrooms and install monitors and cameras in two of the courtrooms. Fairfield said that determining which courtrooms get the system will be handled by Frobish.