SEQUIM — The city of Sequim plans to get into videography starting next year.
City Council members gave their unanimous approval last Monday for city staff to pursue and plan up to $15,000 for purchasing and installing video equipment to live-stream public meetings from council chambers in the Sequim Civic Center in next year’s budget.
City staff intend to use the equipment with the city’s existing online service, which archives audio and broadcasts meetings live via video and archives them for residents.
The intent behind live-streaming and archiving the meetings is to increase public access to meetings following city council members’ direction late last year, said Barbara Hanna, Sequim communications and marketing director.
City staff and an ad hoc committee formed by Hanna considered if the city should pursue its own broadcasting or go through Peninsula Area Public Access TV, known as PAPA TV, on a dedicated Wave Cable channel.
In Hanna’s research, she learned 1,411 households within the city limits subscribe to Wave Cable and 3,826 subscribe to an internet provider.
Hanna said the panel collected data about options through a short survey in which 73 residents participated.
Some council members questioned the validity of the survey due to the turnout.
It revealed the surveyors were more likely to watch a live broadcast than listen online or watch on TV.
The survey showed that if a meeting were streamed live, 12 percent, or nine people, would watch often; 59 percent, or 43 people, would watch sometimes; and 29 percent, or 21 people, never would watch.
Only one person said he/she listens to city meetings often, whereas 65 people, or 89 percent, said they never listen. If given the option to view on cable, half, or 36 people, would watch sometimes; 40 percent, or 29 people, never would watch; and 10 percent, or seven people, would watch often.
Sequim council members renewed a contract with Wave Cable in 2011 through 2022 that gives the city access to its own cable access channel.
However, the city would need to provide a minimum of 48 hours of programming.
Hanna said the city of Port Angeles is only required 20 hours per week.
Annually, the city of Sequim hosts about 200 to 220 hours of meeting time every year between the City Council and other committees, Hanna estimated.
“It’s a low number we’re in public meetings,” she said.
Hanna estimated contracting with PAPA TV to record city meetings between $17,300 and $20,760 per year.
“It would be a significant investment for us to activate the channel at this time,” she said.
The city’s current system, Granicas, offers audio and video options, but the city uses only audio.
Hanna said with video equipment, city staff could live-stream onto the city’s website, www.sequimwa.gov, and its YouTube channel.
She said it’s similar to the city of Port Townsend’s system, which uses three cameras and motion sensors, but that Sequim might opt for fewer cameras because officials aren’t sure exactly how much $15,000 in equipment and installation fees will buy and cost.
Mayor Dennis Smith said the video gives residents more options. He said he has wondered why more people don’t attend meetings now.
City Manager Charlie Bush said viewers can select portions of the meeting they want to watch marked by the topic and they’ll be able to send links specific for that presentation.
City Councilwoman Pamela Leonard-Ray said she thinks viewing meetings online is the better way to watch.
“You can go to the items you’re interested, and you don’t have to sit through everything,” she said. “You get more people interested with something that’s more interactive.”
Hanna said city staff would re-evaluate partnering with PAPA TV in the future.
She added that the proposal recommended for the 2017 budget is subject to change.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
