Ripon City Council meetings could soon be accessible online.

Elected leaders on Tuesday unanimously approved the use of a single camera to record their meetings via the Internet.

According to Dan Brannon, the city’s Information Systems Technician, these sessions would require uploading and playback while using services such as YouTube.

“It won’t be aired live,” he said.

The cost would be about $4,500 from the general fund’s capital expenditure. Another projected $1,620 will be needed annually for staff time in uploading video.

Brannon, who offered three options – he described them as “small,” “medium,” and “large” packages – with Council option for “small’ or “Class 1.”

He indicated that “Class 1” could later be upgraded to the “Class 2” option.

“Class 2” is the “medium” package that also called for upgrading the existing single-camera. Streaming equipment along with service subscription would make possible live-streaming and archive of videos for later payback.

Cost would be about $10,000 but staff time wouldn’t necessary as uploading of video would be eliminated.

The “large” and pricier “Class 3” was estimated $65,000 to $75,000 in capital expenditure. Another $3,200 annually would cover labor cost, specifically, someone to run the system consisting of installing multiple cameras with pan/tilt/zoom capability coupled with a camera-switching system, streaming equipment and local-record capability.

In addition, a monthly fee ranging from $50 (basic) to $600 (advanced) for stream service would be charged to customers.

“People are looking for an instant response,” Councilman Jake Parks said. “I’m for ‘Class 2’ (live feed), but I have no problem with ‘Class 1.’”

Added Councilman Leo Zuber:  “All three options are Internet base (and not television) – you could only watch (Ripon council meetings) on your computer.”