Notes from the Fort Wayne City Council Budget Hearing on October 1, 2009.
This post covers notes from the Cable budget discussion. This budget may be downloaded here.
Deputy Controller Valerie Ahr is still at the table with Jim Haley, City IT Manager.
Increased budget is due to FiOS coming on-line. Â Fees are set by State in a franchise agreement. Â City Council determines how the allocations are made. Â State only allows us to collect from Verizon and Cable.
Mitch Harper is commenting he wouldn’t like to see the City ask for franchise fees from other sources like satelite dishes because it would end up being another tax passed on to the consumers.
The operating transfer out, $90,000, will reduce property tax support for the Cable Fund.
Mitch is asking why legal notices have been zeroed out. Â Do have to give notice for the two cable meetings that evaluate originators. Â Thinking is it can be paid out of the franchise budget.
Liz is wondering how much the cable access channels are accessed, if there’s ever been a study on it. Â And about the impact of $1,000,000 in grants.