Cable Franchise Fees

Dear City of Racine Alderpersons,

I am in support of restoring the PEG channel along with the public
production facilities because it is a valuable asset for many
Community Members and allows the free exchange of thoughts and ideas.

I was looking through the Wisconsin State Statutes which concern Video
Service MUNICIPAL LAW 66.0420- the link is here:
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66.pdf#page=61
 />
Where I found this section - 66.0420 (3) 5. (e.) 2 (b):

"b. If a municipality specified in subd. 2. a. has granted any cable
franchise that is in effect immediately before January 9,2008,
the municipality shall, no later than 10 business days after receipt
of the copy, notify the applicant in writing of the number of PEG
channels for which incumbent cable operators are required to
provide channel capacity in the municipality, the amount and
type of monetary support for access facilities for PEG channels
required of incumbent cable operators as described insub.(7)
(em), and the percentage of revenues that incumbent cable operators
are required to pay the municipality as franchise fees".

In my humble opinion - this section implies that when City of Racine
created the PEG channel, it also specified a certain amount on cable
franchise fees to be solely used for that channel - and that for City
of Racine to end the PEG channel, without reducing the Franchise Fee
by the former specified amount - would mean that City of Racine is
operating in violation of State Statute.

Perhaps one of the Alders could ask City Attorney Scott Letteney for
an opinion of that State Statute and how much City of Racine
designated from the franchise fee to fund the PEG channel.

Everything was fine at CAR 25 until former Mayor John Dickert decided
he didn't like voices of dissent or criticism - like that of George
Meyers or Wayne Clingman. In what can be described at best as being a
questionably legal action - John and Mary Jerger Osterman gave it to
Friends of John, who didn't even actually want it - and then moved it
from Downtown Racine to the Village of Mount Pleasant (!!!) while Ron
Thomas and Mary Jerger Osterman cried about how they could attract
people to Downtown Racine; the channel fell into re-runs of syndicated
shows and dirty rap songs, was abandoned, and then taken up by the IT
Department.

Please make the right choice to restore CAR 25 with it's allocated
funding. I won't be there tonight - but HOT Government will - shining
the light on darkness.

Sincerely,

Tim & Cindy

Cable Franchise Fee

Click to enlarge

In case no one has looked at it - it can be found at Wisconsin State
Statutes MUNICIPAL LAW 66.0420

https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/66.pdf#page=61
 />
I took a screen shot of the pertinent section - which would indicate
that City of Racine would be in violation of the law if they took the
PEG channel down and did NOT reduce the Franchise Fee by the allocated
amount. An Open Records Request should be filed to find the pertinent
documents.

Talking Racine Episode 156 Was the Community Access TV Channel Rigged?

COMMON COUNCIL MEETING

From Racine County Corruption:

ILLUMINATING

HIDDEN TRUTHS

COMMON COUNCIL MEETING

City Hall

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

7PM

Room 303

Mayor Cory Mason

AKA

Prince of Darkness 

Racine Mayor Cory Mason will be presiding over the

 Common Council meeting 

as they determine the future of Cable channel CAR 25.

The Common Council finance committee on January 13th. voted to approve funds, now on Tuesday night Jan. 21, at 7 PM the Common Council gets to vote on turning the channel back on. 

It is widely known that Mayor Mason wishes to keep citizens uninformed of the real operations within city hall. Mason put an evil eye upon the city finance committee as they approved funds to once again light up the channel.

Why do we call Mayor Mason the Prince of Darkness?

BECAUSE

This is the same mayor who subverted Common Council approval and conducted a secret police survey to the tune of around $140,000 dollars in an attempt to subvert and discredit 

Police Chief Art Howell.

Mason's secret police survey failed miserably. 

The Prince of Darkness also authorized and presided as Mayor over the Secret Court of Sandy Weidner vs. City of Racine.

The secret court brought national attention to the City of Racine

as Racine County Circuit Court Judge Eugene (Gagthebitch) Gasiorkiewicz committed crimes while conducting 

illegal secret court.

Not to be outdone by himself or his wife, Mason also presided as Mayor while his henchmen City Attorney Scott Letteney and sidekick Nhu Arn engaged in outrageous court proceedings within City of Racine Court to wrongly prosecute Jim McClain. When McClain appealed his case, court records were mysteriously destroyed and 

City Judge ROBERT  ROBBER Weber said 

no records were available.
In the appeal, 
Jim McClain's case was dismissed with prejudice

In further attempts to silence citizens, Mayor Mason allows city emails to be routinely blocked and impeded to discourage citizens to communicate and petition government officials.

And not to be forgotten, one of Mayor Mason's finest accomplishments is 

Machinery Row!

What can we say about Machinery Row that already

 hasn't been said. A criminal enterprise conducted by numerous state, county and city officials.

Oh that has already been stated.

How about this?

Raise funds to honor the Prince of Darkness around Machinery Row. You can place lawn gnomes along the Promenade, bike path and river walk with the likeness of  Mayor Mason.

They could look like this.

Or more like this.

Oops we forgot!

 There is no walkway, bicycle path, Promenade or canoe and kayak launches open to the public.

 DNR money in excess of $700,00 dollars to build the public accesses to the properties was fraudulently squandered for other City of Racine officials consideration like

 fences to keep the public out. 

 THE ABOVE IS MAYOR MASON'S LEGACY

ATTEND TUESDAY'S COMMON COUNCIL MEETING
AND BRING A FLASHLIGHT!

From: https://racinecountycorruption.blogspot.com/2020/01/illuminating-hidden-truths-common.html

City Administrator, Jim Pale-dick, tries to blackout Car 25

From The Journal Times.com:

• Christina Lieffring

CAR25 could go back on air, funds would come from contingency fund and other budgets

RACINE — Restoration of Racine’s public-access channel is set to go to the City Council for a vote on Tuesday, though the cost is higher than the initial $30,000 estimate.

Last week, the Finance and Personnel Committee voted to send to the City Council, with a recommendation of approval, an amended proposal for purchasing equipment and budgeting the manpower needed to get BelleTV, also known as CAR25, back on the air.

Cost estimate

When BelleTV/CAR25 first went dark in early December, the estimated cost for replacement equipment alone was $30,000, which is the amount Alderman Sandy Weidner of the 6th District had included in her request to get the channel up and running again.

That request went before the Committee of the Whole, a subcommittee of the full City Council, which after a long discussion decided to send it to Finance and Personnel. The decision granted city staff more time to find answers to questions raised by the aldermen and put together a proposal that addressed concerns about the channel’s longevity.

The budgeted amount presented at last Monday’s meeting was $145,666.29. City Administrator Jim Palenick said the first estimate was “off the cuff,” whereas the new estimate was based on further research about what would be the best investment.

A few members of the public, as well as Weidner, expressed concern that the increased price tag for the equipment, which includes 4K technology, was going to deter aldermen from passing the resolution.

“We don’t need that; we just need a channel that operates,” said Weidner.

MIS Director Paul Ancona said that the intention was to recommend the best equipment so it could have a prolonged lifespan.

“What we’re looking at in terms of the equipment is going to state-of-the-art equipment so that we’re not facing this again in a few years,” Ancona said.

The proposal included budgeted items that could be reallocated for CAR25:

• $56,500 from the contingency fund. Assistant Finance Director Kathleen Fischer told the committee that around $100,000 would remain in the fund.
• $30,000 budgeted for the MIS department to replace switches. Ancona stated said his department would still be able to replace the oldest switches, they would just put off replacing some of them until 2021.
• $37,000 budgeted for additional body camera data storage.
• $22,500 for wireless access points for community centers.

Palenick emphasized that they chose line items that are “the lowest priority of the things that made it into the budget,” and could be delayed until 2021.

Need for access

Generally, members of the committee were receptive to reviving CAR25, and not just because several members of the public and aldermen attended the meeting to advocate for it.

“I’m obviously in support of trying to bring the service back, and I promise it’s not just because my grandma called me and threatened me,” said Alderman Jason Meekma of the 14th District. “It’s a powerful influencer nonetheless.”

Meekma asked Ancona if the staff budgeted to operate the channel would also be charged with enhancing the its programming, to which Ancona said yes. One point that has been raised in the discussion has been the decrease in programming for the channel, which used to air the Fourth Fest parade, the Holiday Parade through Downtown and the Racine Rotary Post Prom.

The committee decided to remove one line item — an upgrade of Sony cameras in the council chambers to 4K video, valued at $29,975— after learning that the new cameras were not a necessity for the new system and that the city had installed new cameras two years ago. Ancona stated that that particular expense could be undertaken further down the road.

The estimated cost going before the City Council would be $115,691.29. As of press time it was unknown how that change would affect the proposed reallocation of funds from the budget.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 730 Washington Ave., Room 205.

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/local/car-could-go-back-on-air-funds-would-come-from/article_5c926992-caae-5820-89e6-e77886ccffd8.html

Pale-dick lies for Butterball.  Lying pigs run the city.  Where's the $800,000 the city receives annually to run Belle TV?  Did Butterball waste it hiring more swine assistants?  I wonder who wipes his ass for him.  Probably Pale-dick . . .

See: http://www.jtirregulars.com/2020/01/common-council-meeting.html and http://www.jtirregulars.com/2020/01/will-city-council-vote-for-transparent.html

Racine Finance Committee Discusses Funding For City Community Cable Channel