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Home My WebLink AboutMN-CABLE-2014-05-051 Access Oversight Committee (AOC) minutes Monday, May 5,2014,4:30 PM Meeting Room, PEGASYS Access Center, 519 West Green St., Ithaca, NY (as approved June 2, 2014) Present: AOC members Wayles Browne, vice -chair Wies van Leuken, Liaison from Common Council (City of Ithaca) J.R. Clairborne, and Michael Brutvan; studio manager Lauren Stefanelli. Absent: chair Rich DePaolo. 01. Call to Order at 5:07 by vice -chair Wies van Leuken. 02. Agenda Additions and/or Deletions: none. 03. Public Comments: none. 04. Approval Minutes of the April 7, 2014 meeting: with amendments, approved 3 -0 -1. 05. Access Studio Coordinator Report (attached) a. TWC's recommendations for 2015 Budget: a placeholder budget [see attached] b. TWC's Annual Subscriber Fee Report for 2013 (due at the February meeting) was submitted and shows revenues in the amount of $13,977.69 (see attached). c. TWC's 2013 Budget Purchases Report: requisitions for the 2013 budget, submitted last month under the new operating account developed for this purpose, were delayed within Time Warner's expense processing system. Lauren is working with a TWC staff person to bring things back on track — see attached report for details. d. TWC's Maintenance and Repair Report: Camera 47 cannot be repaired (see attached report). The studio is now down to 4 cameras — all in precarious state themselves. 06. Budget a. Status of 2014 Budget: the AOC will discuss accessing the 2014 monies at a future meeting. b. AOC Recommendations for FY 2015 Budget. With the purchasing of 2013 budget items still uncompleted, the AOC resolved to approve a placeholder budget for 2015 as it had done for 2014. Van Leuken distributed a statement of actual and projected PEG Fee collections and Budget expenditures that showed the funds available for the 2015 budget (see attached). The AOC wants to use some of the 2014 and 2015 Operating Budget funds to bring the PEG Studio up to current standards and to reverse the trend of PEG marginalization. This includes internet access at the studio for producers, archiving equipment and services, streaming of programs, better publicity including inclusion of PEG channels on the Program Guide listings and TV menus, a PEG website that links to the TWC website, making sure all TWC customer - service employees are well informed about PEG. Van Leuken will ask the chair to extend an 2 invitation to David Whalen (Director of Government Relations, TWC's CNY Division, Northeast) to come to our next meeting to discuss these matters. The Agenda for the meeting attended by Mr. Whalen will also include common lingo definitions and the migration of PEG channels. Such a meeting will be dedicated entirely to the items listed in this paragraph. Stefanelli brought up the need for a paint job and new carpeting. In the past the AOC had ruled that this was TWC's responsibility. Van Leuken will research earlier opinions by the City Attorney on the use of PEG funds for new carpeting The AOC approved the following recommendations for the FY 2015 Budget: WHEREAS, Section 15.12 of the Franchise Agreement between the City of Ithaca and Time Warner Entertainment- Advance /Newhouse Partnership (TWC) of January 2003 requires the participating municipalities (City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, Village of Cayuga Heights) to provide TWC with an annual budget for public, educational and governmental access operations by June 30 of each calendar year, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca's Ordinance #2003 -17, Par 18 -4 -G, requires the Access Oversight Committee (AOC) to provide the participating municipalities with a recommended annual budget by May 31 of each calendar year; now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the AOC accepted the attached budget for Fiscal Year 2015 in the amount of $30,000.00 at their regular meeting of May 5, 2014, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the AOC forwards its recommendations for approval by the Common Council of the City of Ithaca, the Town of Ithaca Board and the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees, so that they may meet their obligation to provide TWC with an annual budget for public, educational and governmental access operation, which budget is due June 30 of each calendar year. Budget for Fiscal Year 2015 Budget $30,000.00 Description: The PEGASYS studio has a great deal of equipment that is 10 -17 years old, and will need replacement as it fails. This might include studio cameras [$10,000 each], camera cabling [$2,000 each] and the studio special effects generator /video switcher [$30,000), the studio audio system ($5,000), and any other equipment and associated items that the Access Oversight Committee deems necessary for the proper functioning of the PEGASYS Studio. TOTAL $30,000.00 3 Approved unanimously 6c. Distribution Schedule of 2015 Budget Resolution to Participating Municipalities: Clairborne, DePaolo and van Leuken will take this Resolution to their respective municipalities for review at their June meetings. 07. Member Reports a. Publicity: tabled to next meeting b. Public Comment Session at 3/3/14 Meeting: Follow -Up: tabled to next meeting c. Quality of PEG Cablecasts: tabled to next meeting d. ADC's Equipment Purchases Report to City: information for this report comes from a TWC report that was due at the March meeting, which would now cover the 2013 and 2014 budget purchases, which are still hung up in TWC's purchasing process. Until that is resolved, the AOC will be unable to submit said reports for the City. See also 5c above. e. Draft PEGASYS' Policies and Procedures Manual: van Leuken submitted a new draft that includes the comments and corrections she received. AOC members will submit this new draft to a careful review in time for a final vote at the next meeting. 08. Old Business a. Franchise Agreement: tabled b. Equipment Recipients' reports: tabled c. Migration PEG channels: tabled d. Repairs to PEGASYS' entrance: in process. 09. New Business: none. 10. Next meeting: 4:30 PM, Monday, June 2, 2014 11. Adjournment: 6:55 PM. Notes by W. Browne as AOC secretary. Contact information for AOC members: City of Ithaca: Wayles Browne, secretary <ewb2 @comell.edu> City of Ithaca: Michael Brutvan <mbrutvan @me.com> City of Ithaca: J. R. Clairborne, Common Council liaison 2014 <jclairbo @cityofithaca.org> Town of Ithaca: Rich DePaolo, chair <rd @richdepaolo.com> Village of Cayuga Heights: Wies van Leuken, vice chair <pmv4 @comell.edu> Web site for the PEGASYS studio, with program schedules: http://pegasys.webstarts.com/index.html studio location: 612 West Green Street, Ithaca, New York mailing address: 519 West State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 phone (607) 272 -7272 fax (607) 277 -5404 PEGASYS staff. studio manager Lauren Stefanelli <lauren.stefanelli @twcable.com> 5 To: AOC May 2014 Access Studio Coordinator Report - Educational and Governmental Access News Lehman Alternative Community School completed and cablecast its 2014 Mid -East Debates. Cascadilla School students will shoot their talent show at our studio on May 19. Access Equipment Fund The 2013 access capital fund requisition, submitted for expenditure last month under the new account developed for this purpose, got hung up in the system. I was able to get it reactivated, but it still is awaiting approval for purchase within Time Warner's expense processing system. A staff person from the approval group is researching the hold -up. Regarding 2014 and 2015 expenditures, I recommend deferring expenditures for 2014. The budget I made was purely "contingency," and the contingencies have not been needed. Our primary current equipment need is for the field equipment covered by the 2013 budget. Studio equipment is operating; editing equipment has just been upgraded. No educational or governmental institutions have submitted specific requests. All funding is still available for future spending if it is not spent this year. I recommend further putting in a placeholder budget for 2015 [attached] pending discussion of appropriate uses for the access "facilities and equipment fund." I recommend that Time Warner and the AOC revisit the parameters of what expenses are appropriate for spending under this fund. For many years, we have had no budget for building renovation, internet services, advertising, and only a small stipend for backup staff. - Equipment Repair Camera 47, sent out for repair last month, will not be returned to service. The repair facility reported that parts are no longer available to fix this model camcorder. 2015 PEGASYS Capital Budget Draft Contingencies $30,000 Total $30,000.00 R Addendum [April 81 to April 7, 2014 report: The updated report for our capital collections over the life of the franchise, including 2013 collections [$13977.69] is attached. Capital collections and spending on equipment, 2004 through 2013 2010 2004 2004 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $16,593.60 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $22,768.04 PEG Access Equipment Spending $19,372.15 2005 2005 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $15,088.35 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $20,144.93 PEG Access Equipment Spending $14,814.73 2006 2006 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $14,032.50 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $19,616.00 PEG Access Equipment Spending $0.00 2007 2007 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $13,977.69 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $18,807.00 PEG Access Equipment Spending $19,338.81 2008 2008 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $18,347.25 PEG Access Equipment Spending $11,749.14 2009 2009 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $17,509.95 PEG Access Equipment Spending $17,954.00 PEG Access Equipment Spending $3,148.13 2010 2010 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $16,593.60 PEG Access Equipment Spending S17,433.96 2011 2011 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $15,088.35 PEG Access Equipment Spending $9,589.92 2012 2012 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $14,032.50 PEG Access Equipment Spending $4,254.78 2013 2013 PEG Access Collections ($.15) $13,977.69 PEG Access Equipment Spending Total $176,885.31 $117,655.62 Note: Peg Access collections repr. $.15 /mo. from the City, Town of Ithaca, Cayuga Heights.