Title
Receive Recommendation from Public, Educational, Government (PEG) Ad Hoc Committee and Adopt City Council Resolution Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Mendocino TV for PEG Support Services and Authorizing City Manager to Execute Same Upon Execution by Consultant (Amount Not to Exceed $70,000 total: $20,000 for Initial Set Up and $50,000 for First Year Operations; Account No. 110-4190-0623)
Summary
Since Mendocino Coast Television (MCTV) went out of business nearly two years ago, cable television subscribers on the Fort Bragg and the Mendocino Coast have been without Public, Education, Government (PEG) services. Last November, the City of Fort Bragg issued a Request for Proposals and one proposal was received from Eric Dwyer, representing an entity to be known as North Coast Television & Theater (NCT&T). The City Council's ad hoc committee (Cimolino, Hammerstrom) met with Eric Dwyer to receive clarification about his proposal. The committee found Dwyer's proposal to be unresponsive insofar as the financial proposal greatly exceeded available funds and no specificity was provided regarding how or when PEG services would be provided. The ad hoc committee then met with Terrence Vaughn of Mendocino TV and requested that he prepare a proposal. The Council received a presentation regarding the Mendocino TV proposal on March 9, 2015. The ad hoc committee had a subsequent meeting with Mr. Dwyer and Mr. Vaughn. The committee reviewed a draft Professional Services Agreement (see Resolution, Attachment 1) with Mendocino TV and recommended that the City Council approve the Agreement and authorize the City Manager to execute it. Once the Agreement is executed, Mendocino TV will complete the set-up of the PEG hardware and software at Town Hall and PEG programming will be up and running by July 1. Mendocino TV will coordinate two advisory committees: a PEG Volunteer Advisory Committee and a PEG Volunteer Program Committee, both of which are explained in the Mendocino TV proposal (see Professional Services Agreement, Exhibit A).
The total cost for Mendocino TV's services is $20k for initial set-up, and $50k for services from July 1, 2015 through July 1, 2016. The set-up charges will be covered by PEG funds appropriated in the FY 2014/15 Budget. The 2015/16 charges are included in the draft FY 2015/16 Budget. Since 2006, the City of Fort Bragg and the County of Mendocino each have allocated 50% of their Comcast franchise fees to PEG services. For Fort Bragg, budgeted funds for PEG services are approximately $20k per year. The County has agreed to continue its support for PEG services based on coastal subscribers (estimated $30k per year) and a written agreement will be brought forward at a later date.