APPRO-2024-40 : An appropriation in the amount of 248,581.83 from Peg Access to MMTV and the School Department.

Transcript (~7 min @ 25:20)

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▶ 25:13 Speaker 3: Councilor Repe? Yes. Councilor Stewart? Yes. Councilor Che? Yes. Councillor Hamilton? Yes. Councillor Romanul? Yes. Councillor naca? Yes. President Elli? Yes. Uh, chair Jamal Dean? Yes. And Vice Chair Williams? Yes. Motion passes.

▶ 25:32 Speaker 4: Great. Thank you.

▶ 25:34 Ryan Williams: Next up we have, uh, appropriation number 2024 dash 40, which is an appropriation in the amount of $248,581 and 83 cents from PEG access to MMTV and the school department. And we are joined by Mary Beth from MMTV. Well, and thank you. We're still operating under suspension of the rules, so please feel free to

▶ 25:57 Speaker 2: Thank you. Let us know what your plan

▶ 25:58 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Is for this. Thank you for having us. It's nice to see so many of you again, good luck. As I like to say at the beginning of a term. Um, I, yeah, I'm here to speak to order 2024 dash 40, which is, uh, an appropriation of $248,581 and 83 cents, which is, um, revenue that is held in the PEG access account.

▶ 26:28 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Yes. And, um, it, it comes from the subscriber fees that are paid by people who have Comcast and Verizon. Fewer and fewer, but, um, we're happy to receive whatever we can from them. Um, we have entered into new contracts with both, uh, providers this past year. We have a 10 year contract with Comcast and a five year contract with Verizon.

▶ 26:56 Speaker 2: So, um, we hope that, uh, people will,

▶ 26:58 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: some people will continue with their cable and, um, that you'll appropriate the necessary funds from the excess.

▶ 27:08 Speaker 4: Thank you. Any counselors have questions? Councilor Repe.

▶ 27:12 Mark Garipay: Thank you. Um, I've asked this question every year. I've been on the board and I don't know that I've actually configure or have gotten an answer is on the school portion of the money that they get. How is that determined and who does determine

▶ 27:26 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: That? That was determined? Uh, every time we renew the, every time that the contract is renewed. And the contract is, is technically between the vendor, Verizon and Comcast and the mayor, the mayor's office. So historically, um, initially when we decided to, um, share this co share this revenue with the schools, um, we negotiated with, um,

▶ 27:56 Speaker 2: let me see, who was the mayor?

▶ 27:59 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Um, there've been so many in my tenure. I think it might have been, I don't think it was Dick Lyons, I think it was after Dick. But anyways, um, it was determined that we would do, uh, give 20% basically of the revenue that comes through to the school department in addition to that MMTV supplies. Um, much more than that because, uh, the last contract before this one, we went up to, um, 5%, um, of the, of the revenue with the providers. And that, um, part of the reason for that was because we told them that we were gonna share it with the schools.

▶ 28:37 Mark Garipay: Okay. Um, I appreciate that. Um, when's the next contract up? When would the

▶ 28:43 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: 10 years for Comcast and five years for Verizon. And

▶ 28:45 Mark Garipay: Where are we in, uh, in that contract? Are we,

▶ 28:48 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: We just, we just signed them this past year. I think it was January for Comcast in June. For Verizon.

▶ 28:54 Mark Garipay: Um, and is the 20% that's decided after the fact, um, or is that in, that's decided with Comcast? No, that's

▶ 29:04 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: To my knowledge. I mean, you could check with the city solicitor, but to my knowledge, that is part of the negotiations, Um, through the chair.

▶ 29:12 Speaker 1: The, my memory of the contract, I don't have it in front of me, either one in front of me right now, but the amount that either Verizon or Comcast will give to the city is determined in the contract language. The split percentage. My understanding, it's always been,

▶ 29:24 Speaker 2: You know what it was Correct, Correct.

▶ 29:25 Speaker 1: Just that it is correct. Yeah. It's going back to that, the split percentage of that. It's not actually codified in the actual agreement or contract anywhere.

▶ 29:33 Mark Garipay: So that can get changed if the mayor chooses during the 10 years.

▶ 29:37 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Uh, I believe it has to be changed when the contract is up for renewal.

▶ 29:43 Mark Garipay: Okay. And I'm not saying MMTV does a great job. I think the schools do a wonderful job too, and I'd like to support them any way possible to continue the program.

▶ 29:52 Speaker 5: Totally understand. And

▶ 29:53 Mark Garipay: That's why I'm fighting, fighting for 'em. Um, yeah. And especially with the tight school budget. Um, so I think, um, can, can we get a copy of that contract? Absolutely. Thank you. Um, that's all my questions,

▶ 30:11 Speaker 4: Counselor Ro I

▶ 30:11 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Just have a question about, um, do these fees sustain MMTV in Yes. The school programming, or do you get funds from? Um, I, I can't really speak to the school programming. I can tell you, however, the 20% that they receive through the, um, contract is augmented by our own funds. Mm-Hmm. Um, because we buy pretty much all of their equipment, and we do provide some, um, technical and educational support for the program, for the schools, for the, for the, um, audio visual program. Oh, for the school. For the schools. Okay. Yep. Mm-Hmm.

▶ 30:49 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Yeah. We have a great program at the high, at, particularly at the high school. I, you know, we have, um, the huddle system now, which we, um, MMTV pays for that subscription annually, which is almost $20,000 so that people can, um, access any of the sports online via, um, the YouTube channels. Mm-Hmm. So we don't really, we don't get any revenue from any of the online, um, programming that we provide via our YouTube channel right now. We are advocating for that, um, at the state and federal level.

▶ 31:27 Speaker 2: Okay. Thank you. You are welcome.

▶ 31:30 Mark Garipay: Councilor Gar. Just one other question and one of the comments. Um, if there's any way we can get mics with a button that we can press in the council that

▶ 31:38 Speaker 5: Get what? Mike's, Mike's that with buttons that we can press

▶ 31:40 Mark Garipay: with buttons instead of being on all the time

▶ 31:45 Speaker 6: Mics.

▶ 31:46 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: I'm not sure if that's, uh, in compliance with the open meeting law.

▶ 31:51 Speaker 2: So, counseling. Okay. Good.

▶ 31:55 Mary Beth McAteer-Margolis: Solicitor, we are getting, you know, we are, we are getting more, better equipment in here in the coming year.

▶ 32:02 Speaker 2: Cameras and whatnot for the public to, to hear better.

▶ 32:05 Speaker 4: Councillor Stewart, Mr.

▶ 32:06 Speaker 5: Vice Chair, I'll make a motion to recommend to the full council.

▶ 32:09 Ryan Williams: Second. Motion to recommend by Councilor Stewart. Seconded by Councilor Karen Shady. Roll call please. On discussion. Roll call please.