The Puyallup City Council will review several options today for broadcasting meetings – something that its smaller neighbors Orting, Sumner and Fife do, but that the city of about 40,000 has yet to pursue.

Puyallup council members will meet at 6:30 p.m. to discuss two proposals, including one that would stream broadcasts of meetings online.

Of the two cities in Pierce County larger than Puyallup, Tacoma televises its meetings, but Lakewood does not.

In a memo to Puyallup City Manager Gary McLean last month, Ron Tiedeman, the city’s information technology director, recommended that the city pursue online video streaming with Granicus, a company that specializes in posting government meetings on the Web.

Tiedeman wrote that using Granicus could create an archived and searchable online database of meeting broadcasts.

But some council members said they oppose streaming broadcasts online at the expense of televising them on a local government access channel.

“I think most of my constituents want to see these things on their television,” Councilman George Dill said. “A lot of them don’t use the Internet. They want to see our meetings on TV, where the other cities’ are.”

The other TV-based option before the council is partnering with the Rainier Communications Commission, which televises meetings for governments of Pierce County, including Sumner, Orting, University Place, DuPont and Fife.

Tiedeman estimated that using the Rainier service would cost Puyallup about $31,000 per year. With the Granicus package Tiedeman recommended, the city would pay about $36,000 up front, plus an additional $1,900 per month in fees.

Puyallup Mayor Don Malloy said that with those kind of costs, the city needs to seriously think about whether televising is the most cost-effective way of communicating with citizens.

“I’m not sure how many people watch the meetings on television,” Malloy said. “I know I never do. I get my news from the newspaper and the pamphlets that are sent out.

“I think we need to discuss what’s the best bang for our buck as far as communicating with constituents, before we just say this is what we’re going to do.”

Councilwoman Tami Brouillet said she thinks televising council meetings would distract the council from its important business.

“We need to focus on what’s happening in Puyallup and not what’s on TV,” Brouillet said. “I’d like to see all of us focus on our issues and not what camera we’re looking at.”

Councilman Mike Deal said he supports broadcasting meetings first and foremost on television, but ultimately thinks the city needs to have a Web presence, too.

Either way, the money is worth it, he said.

“I look at it as just part of the cost of doing the citizens’ business,” Deal said. “For a city as big as Puyallup, it’s not a cost issue.”

Melissa Santos: 253-552-7058

What: Tonight’s council meeting will be the first held in Puyallup’s new City Hall.

Where: 333 South Meridian St.

When: Council members will meet for an executive session at 6 p.m., followed by the 6:30 p.m. study session on broadcasting its meetings. A regular council meeting will follow at 7 p.m.