HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/01/2015 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 106, 2015, APPROPRIAgenda Item 14
Item # 14 Page 1
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY September 1, 2015
City Council
STAFF
Wendy Bricher, Financial Coordinator
Carson Hamlin, Cable Television Manager
SUBJECT
First Reading of Ordinance No. 106, 2015, Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the General Fund for the
Purpose of Completing the Construction of a Public Television Studio for Fort Collins Public Access Network.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to appropriate funds from PEG reserves to be spent on additional improvements for
FC-PAN’s television studio in the City’s Carnegie Building.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
Under its cable television franchise with the City, Comcast collects a monthly fee from all subscribers to be
used, by federal law, solely for capital costs related to public, educational and government access (PEG)
programming. The City in turn contracts with Fort Collins Public Access Network (FC-PAN), a non-profit
organization, to serve as the City’s designated public access television provider. The City designates a portion
of the PEG funds received from Comcast for public access television needs. These funds are to be spent on
capital improvements, such as studio facilities and equipment used to produce programming content, when
requested by FC-PAN. Such assets are purchased and owned by the City. Any funds not used in a given year
go back into the PEG reserves and are available for future purchases.
The City and FC-PAN are in the finishing stages of constructing a new public television studio located in the
basement of the Carnegie Building. FC-PAN has requested that $49,535 in existing PEG reserve funds be
appropriated and spent on completing the new facilities.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
This request will appropriate funds from PEG Reserves (federally restricted) to be spent on the FC-PAN
television studio.
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ORDINANCE NO. 106, 2015
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS
APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE GENERAL FUND
FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPLETING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PUBLIC
TELEVISION STUDIO FOR FORT COLLINS PUBLIC ACCESS NETWORK
WHEREAS, pursuant to the cable television franchise agreement between Comcast and
the City of Fort Collins, Comcast collects a monthly fee from subscribers that, under federal law,
must be spent for capital equipment and infrastructure used to provide public, educational and
governmental (PEG) television programming; and
WHEREAS, the City receives the PEG funds from Comcast and designates a portion of
the funds to be used for providing public access television; and
WHEREAS, through a services agreement, the City has designated Fort Collins Public
Access Network, a 501(c)3 corporation (FC-PAN), as the City’s public access television
provider; and
WHEREAS, the City works with FC-PAN to identify capital needs and spends the PEG
funds on appropriate equipment and facilities to be owned by the City and used by FC-PAN to
provide public access television programming; and
WHEREAS, any funds not spent go back into the City’s PEG reserve account and are
available for future expenditures; and
WHEREAS, the City and FC-PAN are in the finishing stages of constructing a public
television studio located in the basement of the Carnegie Building at 200 Mathews Street, Fort
Collins; and
WHEREAS, funds are needed to complete the studio facilities; and
WHEREAS, restricted PEG reserves are available in the General Fund to pay for
completion of the project; and
WHEREAS, City staff recommends appropriating from prior year reserves in the General
Fund $49,535 to be used for completion of the public television studio; and
WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council to
appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be
available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not
previously appropriated.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
FORT COLLINS that there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from prior year reserves in the
General Fund the sum of FORTY NINE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED THIRTY FIVE
DOLLARS ($49,535) to be used for completion of the public television studio.
Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 1st day of
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September, A.D. 2015, and to be presented for final passage on the 15th day of September, A.D.
2015.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk
Passed and adopted on final reading on the 15th day of September, A.D. 2015.
__________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST:
_______________________________
City Clerk