Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

August 29, 2008

TADL claims $75,000 in tctv2 funds

Board: Money covers 'past rent,' other fees

By BRIAN McGILLIVARY

TRAVERSE CITY -- Area officials are "shocked" by the Traverse Area District Library board's decision to grab more than $75,000 in newly created charges from leftover public television funds.

The library board on Aug. 14 approved a staff proposal to return just under $8,000 of defunct public access station tctv2's $110,000 fund balance to the Cherry Capital Cable Council. The proposal was subject to review by the library's attorney.

The library plans to hold back $26,000 for possible future unemployment and "unknown" costs. But the library board's decision to claim eight years of what officials called "past rent" and three years of administrative fees prompted some to question their motives.

"I hope somebody didn't decide they are going to create all these fees because the money was sitting there," said East Bay Township Supervisor Glen Lile, a member of the cable council that represents Traverse City and area municipalities served by Charter Communications.

Lile said the cable council never paid rent or administrative fees, and he's "shocked, to say the least" that the library would claim tens of thousands of dollars now.

"My God, if we had waited any longer we would all have had to write them a check," Lile said.

Library Board president Gregory Luyt said the library agreed to operate tctv2 at zero cost to the library. The money it wants to retain from the fund balance are "baseline, reasonable expenses," he said.

Grand Traverse County Commissioner Christine Maxbauer called the charges "unreasonable and very wrong.

"They are just taking it. This is not part of their agreement," said Maxbauer, a member of the citizens advisory committee for the new public access channel Up North 2, tctv2's replacement.

The cable council was funded through franchise fees collected by Charter Communications for area municipalities. The council then contracted with the library to run tctv2.

Traverse City Manager Richard Lewis, fiscal agent for the cable council, said he's anxiously awaiting the library's accounting of tctv2 expenses so the city can close out the cable council that disbanded June 30.

Lewis said he won't agree to paying eight years worth of back rent because it wasn't included in the agreement.

The cable council pledged leftover funds to help launch Up North 2, run by the nonprofit Land Information Access Association.

A loss of about $75,000 would be painful for Up North 2, said LIAA director Joe VanderMeulen. That money was pledged to install video equipment in town halls, including East Bay Township, for the broadcast of township board meetings.

Text Only