The Hanford City Council wants to upgrade its own meeting chambers in the near future, but how it wants it improved is still subject to debate. Besides the aesthetic renovations involving reconfiguration of the room and a furniture upgrade, city decision-makers are looking into technological upgrades to allow for video recording of council proceedings so they could be broadcast or posted online as streaming videos.

The idea has been on the table since the forming of the so-called Media Policy Committee two years ago as a way to improve public transparency and encourage public participation. But on Tuesday, the council discussed the specifics for the first time in public since 2007.

The cities of Visalia, Tulare, Bakersfield, Fresno as well as the Tulare County Board of Supervisors already have their meetings available for viewing either live on Comcast or online or as archived videos online. Some members of the Hanford City Council would like to see something similar for the local residents.

But still there is no consensus on how they want to do it or whether they want it.

Councilman Joaquin Gonzales said he wasn't keen on the proposal.

"I don't want the technological upgrade at this time. That's something that can be done down the road," Gonzales said, adding that he would prefer to see the aesthetic upgrade out of the way first before considering the technological upgrade.

But Councilman Dan Chin, who initiated the idea two years ago, still advocated for it, although he stressed the relative importance of making the video available online.

Although its franchise agreement provides the city of Hanford with 60 hours of free broadcasting, there is a drawback, Chin said.

"If you don't subscribe to Comcast, you're not going to get to see it," Chin said. "That is a limited approach. I think the future is the Internet. I think it's already here. If we want to project our meetings so that people can actually see them, the Internet is the way we need to prepare the city for."

Among the issues discussed Tuesday:

l the number of cameras to install inside the chambers.

l video recording of proceedings and broadcasting via Comcast or the city Web site.

l whether to contract with a company, such as Granicus, that specializes in streaming media for governments

l whether to broadcast it live on Cable TV or online or to make only archived videos available online

The city currently has $100,000 in the budget for the chambers renovation project. City public works staff has been directed by the council to study further how other government entities' chambers are set up and report back at a later date.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.

(May 21, 2009)