Ortonville- Finally, the village will have a voice in local cable operations.
After months of discussion, on Monday night the village council unanimously approved a cable agreement with Brandon Township.
The township board approved the intergovernmental agreement for collection and joint use of cable franchise fees and management of public access channel several weeks ago, but village councilmembers had qualms over some of the language? including concerns over the ability of the village to opt out of the agreement in the future.
At the Oct. 12 meeting, Council President Ken Quisenberry said he was ‘satisfied? that the village council could terminate the agreement if necessary.
The agreement, he said, means that the village and township now share control over cable issues.
‘We give them our money every year, we wanted some say in the operation,? Quisenberry said. ‘We always had that say, we just never exercised it.?
Currently, village residents pay about $224,000 each year for cable service, of which 5 percent, or about $11,200, is used to pay for the public access station, Channel 18. In comparison, Brandon Township Charter subscribers also contribute 5 percent of their total Charter Cable fees to the public access channel, about $70,000 per year.
Previously, the village was submitting their fees to the township for implementation, said Township Supervisor Kathy Thurman, adding that the new agreement will allow for the township and village to ‘cohesively manage the cable access channel.?
Quisenberry said he would like to see improvements for the public access channel, such as a better broadcast with up-grades to audio equipment. An inability to hear meetings broadcast on the channel has been a consistent complaint from both township and village officials.
Thurman would like to see the sound improved, but said funding is limited due to the small amount of franchise fees collected from a low population in the township and village.
The township board approved a 2009-2010 budget for the cable station of $63,068. That figure includes a $30,000 stipend for the cable coordinator and $18,573 for cable technicians? the Brandon High School students that film meetings and events, run cameras, and do editing within the confines of the station. Currently, there are seven students working.
Township officials voted 7-0 on July 6 to keep current Cable Coordinator Greg Normand on a month-to-month basis, rather than extend the position. There has been no contract for the cable coordinator in more than nine years. The township board also suggested that the cable coordinator contract be put out for bid, although that may not happen until next year, due to concerns of fairness to Normand.