B. Update on Web Streaming City Council Meetings
CITY OF
CHANHASSEN
7700 Market Boulevard
PO Box 147
Chanhassen, MN 55317
Administration
Phone: 952.227.1100
Fax: 952.227.1110
Building_Inspections
Phone: 952.227.1180
Fax: 952.227.1190
Engineering
Phone: 952.227.1160
Fax: 952.227.1170
Finance
Phone: 952.227.1140
Fax: 952.227.1110
Park & Recreation
Phone: 952.227.1120
Fax: 952.227.1110
Recreation Center
2310 Coulter Boulevard
Phone: 952.227.1400
Fax: 952.227.1404
Planning &
Natural Resources
Phone: 952.227.1130
Fax: 952.227.1110
Public Works
1591 Park Road
Phone: 952.227.1300
Fax: 952.227.1310
Senior Center
Phone: 952.227.1125
Fax: 952.227.1110
Web Site
www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us
8
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MEMORANDUM
TO:
Todd Gerhardt, City Manager
FROM:
Laurie Hokkanen, Assistant City Manager
DATE:
December 2, 2008
6~
RE:
Webstreaming for Public Meetings
BACKGROUND
Currently, Planning Commission and City Council meetings are broadcast and re-
broadcast on Mediacom Channel 8. Verbatim minutes of the meetings are posted
on the City's website, approximately 2 weeks to 1 month following the meeting.
As a third option for improvil)g public access, staff was asked to research
webstreaming. This would allow residents and other interested parties to view
meetings via the City's website.
There are a number of options and corresponding levels of cost involved with
webstreaming.
The first option is to post the files on our website, either directly through the
website or by download through Laserfiche (as we do with agendas/minutes).
Meetings would not be available live, but could generally b~e posted within 1-2
days. Our current capacity would allo)-\! us to post the most recent meeting but not
to archive meetings. Other costs would be related to bandwidth charges (would
vary based on the number of views/downloads) and storage space (would vary
depending on the number of meetings we wish to archive). This option requires
the most staff time and is estimated at three hours per meeting.
The second option is to work with an outside vendor to provide the streaming and
archiving service. This is the most prevalent option among cities who currently
offer streaming meetings.
Elements to the costs of working with a vendor include:
Up-Front Costs - Hardware, Software and Set-Up Fees:
Estimate $15,000
Operating Costs - Monthly fees for broadband, hosting, storage
Estimate $1,000
In addition to being able to access the streaming meetings from the City's
website, the available software programs offer a variety of enhancements.
Chanhassen is a Community for Life - Providing for Today and Planning for Tomorrow
Examples include chapter marking, whereby a resident could choose an agenda item and watch
the portion of the meeting related only to that item.
FUNDING
Both the capital and operating expenses are eligible expenses for the Cable TV fund, which is
funded through franchise fees paid by cable subscribers. These funds are dedicated to improving
communication with the public. The fund currently pays the salary and benefits of the City
Recorder. Recent capital purchases include the upgrades made in 2007-08 to the City Council
chambers and broadcast equipment. That equipment is compatible with the hardware that would
be needed to achieve webstreaming. The Cable TV fund would be able to accommodate both the
capital and operating costs of webstreaming on an annual basis.
Neighboring communities who currently offer webstreaming include Burnsville, Blaine, Eagan,
Eden Prairie, Edina, Shakopee, Maple Grove, Woodbury and others.