By Melinda J. Overstreet / Glasgow News 1
The Glasgow Common Council approved, 8-1, the first reading of an ordinance extending the franchise agreement with the Glasgow Electric Plant Board for the provision of cable television services.
A public hearing on the matter took place just prior to the regular council meeting, and no one spoke in favor of or against the extension.
The ordinance as presented to the council would have extended the franchise only five years, but prior to the council’s vote, Councilman Terry Bunnell proposed an amendment to change that to 15 years.
“Do you have a reason for that?” Mayor Harold Armstrong queried.
Glasgow Councilman Terry Bunnell explains why he proposed to extend the Glasgow Electric Plant Board’s franchise agreement with the city for cable television service by 15 years rather than the five years proposed by the mayor. Melinda J. Overstreet / Glasgow News 1
Bunnell said he had several, starting with the fact that the EPB is investing a lot of resources into the cable and Internet service, and he felt a five-year term was too short, given the resources they were putting into improving the infrastructure.
“No. 2 is we have a history of having a 15-year contract, so I think it’s not out of the norm that we approve a 15-year contract,” he said. “A third reason is we’re dealing with our local provider, and they provide excellent service to us and I feel like an extended term would be reasonable.”
Armstrong asked whether he’d thought about what cable service might look like 15 years from now.
“I think that’s a matter of management of the Glasgow Electric Plant Board and their staff,” Bunnell replied. “Our agreement is to offer the franchise, and with that franchise, they’re going to be operating. It’s not for us to dictate to them what they’ll be offering in that time; it’s up to us to approve allowing them to operate within the city.”
Armstrong invited Dave Puskala, superintendent of the EPB, to the podium to comment.
Councilman Joe Trigg asked Puskala to clarify during his comments about cable versus Internet service.
Puskala said the broadband network provides both of those services, and his board has agreed to invest into upgrading to fiberoptic cabling throughout. The history of such franchises, he said, is that they are typically even longer – 20 to 30 years. He said that what cable will look like in 15 years is anybody’s guess.
“What we’re committed to doing, as the team at the plant board, is to bring whatever that looks like to the city of Glasgow, because we want to survive and thrive as a plant board operating with cable and Internet. … I would appreciate the 15-year, but [we] can live with whatever the council decides.”
Councilwoman Marna Kirkpatrick asked whether the five-year recommendation came from the board, and Puskala said his recommendation is 15.
Councilman Patrick Gaunce asked about the origin of the five-year term.
“Me,” Armstrong said, noting frequent contacts he receives about various satellite options and changes. “I was thinking that if we went 15 years, and all of a sudden the cable was outdated and there wasn’t very many subscribers, I didn’t want to obligate the electric plant board to doing something outside the range of what they felt comfortable with. That’s reason I put five years, renewable on the parties, would be easier, but it doesn’t matter to me.”
The vote on the amendment from five to 15 years for the term of the franchise agreement was 8-1, with Councilman Marlin Witcher casting the sole opposition vote. Witcher is the council representative on the Glasgow EPB’s board of directors.
At that point, Councilman Wendell Honeycutt asked a question about the high pricing of area broadcast stations, and Puskala said he understood his frustration, and it’s not unique to Glasgow. Related discussion continued for a few minutes with input from other council members, the city attorney and the mayor.
Councilman Joe Trigg added that as streaming becomes increasingly popular, he thinks those broadcast stations may be forced to do things a bit differently, and it’ll make the fiberoptic network that much more valuable as well.
The vote on the amended version of the ordinance brought the same tally, with Witcher again voting in the negative, and again with no comment.
After the meeting concluded, Glasgow News 1 asked Witcher to comment about why he voted the way he did.
“Five years, I thought was plenty, five years at a time,” he said. “Well, they’s always changes to come along.”
Other business included the unanimous approval of the following:
— Reappointment of Woody Gardner to Glasgow Water and Sewer Commission;
— First reading of an ordinance rezoning roughly 2.15 acres at 100 Leslie Ave. from light industrial to general business;
— Resolution authorizing the mayor’s signature for a federal funding agreement for the Trojan Trail Path project;
— Resolution allowing the city to apply for a Kentucky Fire Commission grant for equipment for the fire department; and
— Resolution authorizing the city to use the standard allowance to receive funds from the Local Fiscal Recovery Fund as authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act.
Also, the mayor read a proclamation honoring Fred Miller, who is retiring from the board of directors for the Glasgow Municipal Airport after serving since 2010.
Glasgow Electric Plant Board Superintendent Dave Puskala answers questions at Monday’s regular meeting of the Glasgow Common Council. Melinda J. Overstreet / Glasgow News 1
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