Information Items:
- Cable Franchise Fees and Cost to Operate the GOV Channel
- Road Conversion for Arrowood Road and Nations Ford Road
- Building to move Off of Fire Station 42 Land Parcel
- Sprinter Public Meeting: August 20

Stimulus Information:
- City Receives Justice Assistance Grant

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Cable Franchise Fees and Cost to Operate the GOV Channel
Resource:
       Kim McMillan, Corporate Communications, 704-336-2643, kmcmillan@ci.charlotte.nc.us

The following information addresses questions raised by Council member Edwin Peacock at the July 27 Council Meeting about cable franchise fees and the cost to operate the GOV Channel.

Cable franchise fees, which were collected directly by the City from Time Warner, are now Video Programming Sales Tax Revenues allocated from the NC Department of Revenue. The General Fund receives quarterly Video Programming Sales Tax Revenues of approximately $8 million annually. The $8 million in Video Programming Sales Tax Revenues is part of the General Fund revenue structure including property tax, sales tax, business privilege license and other sources. These General Fund revenues support key services such as Police, Fire, Solid Waste and Transportation as well as other support services like Corporate Communications and the GOV Channel.

Revenue from the Video Programming Sales Tax also supports the City's annual contract with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Access Channel 21 (CMPAC). CMPAC is among four City-certified Public Access, Education and Government Channel operators along with CPCC, UNCC-TV and the City (GOV Channel). The Council-approved contract for FY10 is $509,876 to CMPAC.

To address the cost of operating the GOV Channel, other services and functions performed by the same staff, resources and budget must be considered. Of the total annual operating budget of $1,830,317 for Corporate Communications, $646,633 is allocated toward:

• Staffing and operating the external GOV Channel.
• Staffing and operating the internal training channel.
• Covering Council Meetings, the Annual Retreat and Budget Retreat and producing special programming such as Queen City Limits where citizens can hear directly from elected officials on City issues, policy making and focus areas.
• Developing educational messages that teach citizens to be pro-active. Examples include cankerworm tree banding, protecting our environment, making homes and neighborhoods safer, encouraging alternative ways to commute, improving neighborhoods, and coaching small business owners.
• Supporting KBUs with video and electronic communications to inform citizens, and educate and train employees.
• Maintaining the technology investment that allows citizens to access Council Meetings via www.charmeck.org and assisting with public information requests by offering the public the ability to download meetings and programs.

More detailed information on these activities is as follows:

Staffing and operating the GOV Channel -  The GOV Channel, which is carried on both Time Warner Cable 16 and AT&T U-verse, is primarily dedicated to airing public affairs programming covering local policy making, focus areas and priorities. The GOV channels broadcast City Council and County Commissioners meetings, live press conferences, and special programming such as the Flight 1549 ceremony. Staff also oversees FCC-required closed captioning for GOV channel programming.

Viewers are directed to the GOV Channel in four primary ways: access from www.charmeck.org, which receives an average of 721,751 visits per month; links or information provided in the City's electronic newsletter (CMail) sent to over 1,200 citizens bi-monthly; on Time Warner Cable's scrolling menu; and through corporate and KBU publications.

The GOV Channel is among the top television resources for City issues and local news according to a 2008 survey conducted by Marketwise.

Staffing and operating the internal training channel - The internal training channel is a vital means to reach the City's employee population located throughout government buildings, the Police and Fire Training Academy and Police and Fire stations. Information ranges from general updates to service change alerts, safety training to customer service education, and emergency communications. Staff also converts and uploads information and training to the City's intranet (CNet) site.

Supporting City Council and KBUs with video and electronic communications - City departments also rely on GOV Channel staff to:

1. Produce Public Service Announcements (56 were produced in FY09)
2. KBU training and customer service videos (30 were produced in FY09)

This graph demonstrates the growth in Public Service Announcements and KBU training and customer service videos.

3. Provide Video and Copies of Programming on DVD
4. Record Local News Coverage
5. Produce Special Programs
6. Produce Podcasts
7. Convert Video into Power Point
8. Support Presentations to City Council
9. Carry Live Press Conferences at a moment's notice
10. Offer Live Streaming for Programs, Education and Training

Maintaining Technology Investments - Staff archives GOV Channel programming on www.charmeck.org through Granicus technology that enables citizens to access Council Meetings. An additional benefit of the technology allows the public the ability to download meetings and programs thus reducing the cost of providing copies on DVD's.

During the past six months the top accessed programming and videos included:

• How to park at the airport
• Firefighting and safety videos
• Outlasting the Economy (a special panel discussion)
• 311 Customer Service
• City Council Meetings & Citizen Forums
• US Airways Flight Crew Ceremony
• Gun Safety

Leveraged services and current consolidated resources - The staff that supports the GOV Channel is the same staff supporting all of the above outlined services and functions. Staff, resources and budget are leveraged in multiple ways that make it difficult to outsource one component. Additionally, the City has agreements with Mecklenburg County in which the County and CMS pay a set per hour rate for studio services. Revenues from the hourly rate go into the General Fund. A television engineer is also shared by the City, County and CMS to operate and maintain the GOV Channel and CMS 3. The on-site studio at the Government Center provides invaluable convenience and time-savings for City and County officials to participate in programming and, in the event of an emergency, assemble quickly to communicate with citizens. Once CMS administration moves into the Government Center, staff anticipates even more ways to leverage resources.

Road Conversion for Arrowood Road and Nations Ford Road
Resource:
       Johanna Quinn, CDOT, 704-336-5606, jquinn@ci.charlotte.nc.us

Each year Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) staff reviews the list of resurfacing projects to identify street segments that could be candidates for adding bicycle lanes. In some cases, we find an opportunity to convert four travel lanes with no left-turn lanes into two travel lanes with two-way center left-turn lane and bicycle lanes. CDOT staff evaluates operating conditions at intersections and street segments, analyzes connectivity and multi-modal travel factors and, when appropriate, prepares recommendations to proceed with a conversion.

Arrowood Road and Nations Ford Road have been added to the 2009 Resurfacing Contract "B" through change order. Both streets are suitable candidates for street conversion and are integral to the overall bicycle network. CDOT staff evaluated the four-lane segments of Arrowood Road, east of Interstate 77, and Nations Ford Road, south of Interstate 77. Based on the technical analysis, CDOT staff concluded that converting the following street segments from four-lanes to two-lanes with a center turn lane and bike lanes will have negligible impacts on intersection levels of service for motorists:

• Arrowood Road from Fawnbrook Lane to Nations Ford Road
• Nations Ford Road from Forest Point Boulevard to Huntsmoor Drive

Staff's decision to move forward with converting both streets supports the Transportation Action Plan and the City's Bicycle Plan. Resurfacing Arrowood and Nations Ford Roads is scheduled for the first week of September followed immediately by restriping the streets.

Building to Move Off of Fire Station 42 Land Parcel
Resource:
       Bob Drayton, E&PM, 704-336-3300 rdrayton@charlottenc.gov

The City acquired two properties on June 26 as the site for the future Fire Station 42 at 5620 Central Avenue, across from Eastland Mall. One of the lots includes a 3,900 sq. ft. former bank building that has been vacant for more than a year. Sona Oliver, owner of Paralegal Outsourcing Associates, Inc., expressed interest in moving the building to become offices for her business, which she started in 2004. Ms. Oliver has identified a location approximately 1 block from the fire station site. The building has no value to the City, and if she moves it, demolition costs are avoided. To give her the opportunity to move the building, Ms. Oliver was sent a license agreement on June 25, which was returned fully executed on August 12. This agreement enables her to remove the structure if she meets certain milestones, outlined below. Real Estate staff is working with Ms. Oliver to facilitate the move. However, the need for Fire Station 42 is urgent and construction will proceed quickly, requiring her to meet the time constraints in the license agreement.

In accordance with the agreement, Ms. Oliver must:

1. Furnish proof of completed purchase or ground lease transaction for the new site of the former bank building by August 30.

2. Furnish copies of a valid, fully executed contract with Crouch Brothers House Moving Contractors, Inc., and move-off and move-on permits and current contractor's certificate.

3. Complete the move of the former bank building from the City's property no later than September 30, 2009.

Sprinter Public Meeting: August 20
Resource:
       Kiera Terrell, CATS, 704-432-3030, kterrell@ci.charlotte.nc.us

On Thursday, August 20 from 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will conduct a public meeting to preview the upcoming Sprinter service, including new shelter designs, passenger amenities and hybrid bus. The meeting will be held at the West Service Center located at 4150 Wilkinson Boulevard.

The Sprinter enhanced bus service is part of the approved 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan and will operate along Trade Street, West Morehead Street and Wilkinson Boulevard, providing more efficient service to destination points such as the Charlotte Transportation Center (CTC), retail and health centers, neighborhoods and the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. With consolidated convenient stops along the corridor, the Sprinter will provide 20 minute service weekdays and 30 minute service weeknights and weekends. Sprinter will replace the existing Route 5 Airport with an improved service that offers a high level of passenger amenities.

Service begins on September 14, 2009.

City Receives Justice Assistance Grant
Staff Resource:
       Darrellyn Kiser, CMPD, 704-336-7736, dkiser@cmpd.org

The City of Charlotte has received the grant award for the special Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) that was included as a part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). The normal JAG Grant is a formula grant that is given annually to states and local jurisdictions for law enforcement purposes; the amount of money allocated is based on the jurisdiction's violent crime rate. This year, there was an additional JAG Grant included in the economic stimulus package. Council approved the special grant application on April 27.

The enabling legislation for the grant required all eligible law enforcement agencies in Mecklenburg County to file a joint application. The total grant is for $4,453,144. The funds are allocated as follows:

City of Charlotte           $3,200,544
Mecklenburg County      1,066,848
Town of Huntersville           50,010
Town of Pineville                47,190
Town of Mint Hill                37,977
Town of Matthews              37,225
Town of Cornelius              13,349

Acceptance of the grant is on the August 24 Council agenda.