Monies Collected from Your Comcast Franchise Fees

Dear Neighbors,

As a result of a Public Records Request, which any of you can have access too, I found out the following: 

The 2011 total 5% Franchise Fee that is added to your bill every month which pays for PEG (Public Access / Education Programming / Government programming) amounted to $886,316.  Of that the city's general fund (allowed under a home-rule petition) recieved $519,288.  Through the home-rule petition can be used for anything area of the city's budget.  In other words without Comcast subscribers the city would be in the hole $519,288.

Public Access (Channel 3) recieved $183,514. 

Education and Government Channels monies were recieved together as one lump sum of $183,514  and went to the School Department. 

These two accounts Education and Government are not supposed to be together.  They should be seperated as Education:  $91,757: Government: $91,757

Education (Channel 15) is designed to promote the Highschool's TV station and programing.

Government(Channel 16) is designed to promote transparency; open city council meetings, open commitees of the whole, and open finance meetings.  Currently no one is in charge of the Government portion of this agreement, the money however is in the control of the school department.  The contract with Comcast is public record apon request. 

Also of note, Comcast does not use Direct Deposit but rather sends the monies by check to city hall.  City hall then dispenses the Education and Government (channels 15 / 16) portion to the School Department and signs out the check to Public Access (Channel 3).

Respectfully,

Jeanne Martin