Public Hearing

Town of Greenville Public Hearing Minutes 09-04-24 www.greenvilleborough.com MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING OF THE TOWN OF GREENVILLE COUNCIL HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order Paul Hamill, Mayor 2. Attendance: Paul Hamill, Mayor Jean Fisher-Carr, Deputy Mayor Chad Bromley, Councilor Anne Butcher, Councilor Brian Shipley, Councilor Jasson W. Urey, Town Manager Also present: Lucas Wentling Joel Rinella – audio recording David Welton Patrick Eaton Becky Savchuk Staff: Media: Amy Hollowell, Administrative Assistant Caleb Stright, The Record-Argus Rosalynn Reagle, Assistant Town Manager -audio recording Dave Hetrick, Financial Assistant 5. Mayor Paul Hamill read the following statement: OPENING REMARKS OF THE TOWN OF GREENVILLE [CHAIR] FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING ON CHARTER/SPECTRUM FRANCHISE RENEWAL September 4, 2024 Good evening. This is a public hearing of the Town Council regarding cable franchise renewal for the Town of Greenville. This public hearing is held pursuant to Section 626 of the federal Cable Act, which sets forth the process for franchise renewal. The Town’s current franchise with Charter/Spectrum is within the industry norm renewal window, and the Town is beginning the process of renewing the franchise. This public hearing is part of the preliminary portion of franchise renewal in which the Town reviews the cable operator’s past performance and identifies the Town’s future cable-related community needs. As such, as part of this public hearing, we invite comments from any citizens who wish to speak regarding either or both of the aforementioned subjects. Franchise renewal is the best opportunity for municipalities to assert their rights with respect to their cable operator and to obtain important benefits in return for granting the cable operator the right to use their public rights-of-way. These benefits include: 1. A State-of-the-Art Cable System now and in the future; 2. Strong Customer Service Standards; 3. Free Services to Community Facilities; 4. Better Reporting Requirements from the Cable Operators; 5. Maximized Franchise Fees; 6. Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) Channel(s) (if desired); 7. PEG Capital Support Funding (if desired); 8. Legal Protections of the Rights-of-Way; and 9. Better Mechanisms to Enforce the Franchise Agreement. These are just some of the potential benefits available through franchise renewal. Citizens may address these 1 Town of Greenville Public Hearing Minutes 09-04-24 items or any other cable-related items that are important to them. We will now open the hearing up to citizen comments. Thank you. 6. Public Comments – Mr. Joel Rinella, 424 South Main Street, objected to the hearing, stating it was a violation of the Sunshine Law. Mr. David Welton, 25 Hamburg Road, expressed concern with many service outages, about one per month, and the service is way too expensive. Mr. Lucas Wenling, 16 Donation Road, addressed service issues as a Spectrum employee. Mr. David Welton, 25 Hamburg Road, feels Spectrum is using low quality materials. Mr. Patrick Eaton, 18 Leet Avenue, questioned the number of downed lines wrapped around poles and why they are never addressed. Mr. David Welton, 25 Hamburg Road, asked if the contract would be put out to bid. 7. Adjournment Having no other comments, the Public Hearing was adjourned at 6:11 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jasson W. Urey Town Manager/Secretary 2