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06/12/2012
F:LE—�so LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA 7:30 P.M. TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2012 LAUDERDALE CITY HALL, 1891 WALNUT STREET The City Council is meeting as a legislative body to conduct the business of the City according to Robert's Rules of Order and the Standing Rules of Order and Business of the City Council. Unless so ordered by the Mayor, citizen participation is limited to the times indicated and always within the prescribed rules of conduct for public input at meetings. 1. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER M-ZITOll 1[N�ilil 3. APPROVALS a. Agenda b. Minutes of the May 22, 2012, City Council Meeting c. Claims Totaling $109,976.93 4. CONSENT a. PCIC Minutes b. Music Agreements for Music under the Tree Events c. 2012 Rental License d. Park Use Application 5. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS/RECOGNITIONS/PROCLAMATIONS 6. INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATIONS / REPORTS a. Community Television and Cable Franchise Renewal Update — Cor Wilson, Executive Director of the North Suburban Cable Commission (CTV) b. Northwest Youth and Family Services Presentation — Jerry Hromatka, President 7. PUBLIC HEARINGS Public hearings are conducted so that the public affected by a proposal may have input into the decision. During hearings all affected residents will be given an opportunity to speak pursuant to the Robert's Rules of Order and the standing rules of order and business of the City Council. 8. DISCUSSION / ACTION ITEMS a. Community Use of City Property b. Rental Housing License Ordinance c. Reconsider Date of August 14_ Council Meeting (Primary Election Day) 9. ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA 10. ADDITIONAL ITEMS 11. SET AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING a. Presentation by MWMO Staff b. Contractor Safety Policy c. Police Contract: 2014 and Beyond d. City Logo Design Discussion — July 10 12. WORK SESSION a. Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council Any member of the public may speak at this time on any item not on the agenda. In consideration for the public attending the meeting for specific items on the agenda, this portion of the meeting will be limited to fifteen (15) minutes. Individuals are requested to limit their comments to four (4) minutes or less. If the majority of the Council determines that additional time on a specific issue is warranted, then discussion on that issue shall be continued at the end of the agenda. Before addressing the City Council, members of the public are asked to step up to the microphone, give their name, address, and state the subject to be discussed. All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a whole and not to any member thereof. No person other than members of the Council and the person having the floor shall be permitted to enter any discussion without permission of the presiding officer. Your participation, as prescribed by the Robert's Rules of Order and the standing rules of order and business of the City Council, is welcomed and your cooperation is greatly appreciated. b. Alley Trimming Policy 13. ADJOURNMENT LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 May 22, 2012 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Roxanne Grove, Denise Hawkinson, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator; and Kevin Kelly, Deputy City Clerk. Mayor Dains asked for changes to the meeting agenda. The Council offered no changes to the agenda. Councilor Hawkinson moved to approve the agenda. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the May 8, 2012, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Hawkinson moved approval of the claims totaling $36,054.93. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved the consent agenda acknowledging the April finance report, 2012 business licenses, Resolution 052212A —Findings of Fact for 1792 Walnut Street, and park use applications. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski addressed the Council regarding the annual storm water report. The City is required to meet certain standards to be in compliance with its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. To remain in compliance the City has updated ordinances, utilized best management practices, informed the public of storm water related information, and held a public hearing annually so residents can address the Council. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will be issuing a new permit to urbanized cities like Lauderdale this year. Mayor Dains opened the annual public hearing regarding the City's storm water program at 7:36 p.m. No member of the audience came forward and the public hearing closed at 7:37 p.m. The Council also had no further discussion and thanked Butkowski for her work on storm water management. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 The Council discussed the constitutional amendments relating to same sex unions and voter ID which will be on the ballot in November. Staff drafted Resolution 052212B — A Resolution in Opposition to the Constitutional Amendment Ballot Questions. The Council discussed; no amendments were proposed. Councilor Gaasch moved to adopt Resolution 052212B, A Resolution in Opposition to the Constitutional Amendment Ballot Questions. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski addressed the Council regarding deficiencies in the current rental housing ordinance. The rental housing ordinance was first adopted in 2006. Since then property owners have made positive improvements to safety in rental units but changes need to be made to more effectively handle conduct on licensed premises. The rental housing ordinance currently states a license can be revoked if there are three code violations within three months. The Council and Police Chief Ohl felt this was too lenient and discussed allowing for revocation after three violations within a year. Chief Ohl stated the City of St. Anthony has the three violations within a year written in their city ordinance. Butkowski also said Brandychase Condominiums may want to be part of the rental housing license program going forward. Brandychase Condominiums were exempt from the rental housing ordinance initially due to their bi-laws being more stringent than the city's proposed ordinance. Staff will work with the police and prosecuting attorney on changes to the ordinance. Agenda items for the next meeting are a presentation by Northwest Youth and Family Services President Jerry Hromatka, the annual update by Cor Wilson regarding the North Suburban Cable Commission, and the city logo design discussion. The 2014 police contract with the City of St. Anthony discussion is set for June 26. The Mayor asked if anyone present wished to address the Council. Ralph Mikel of 1843 Malvern addressed the Council. Mikel stated his garage is falling into the alley and attributes the deterioration of the garage floor to the alley paving project in 2003. Mikel stated other neighbors received concrete walls to protect structures and he was asking the City Council to provide him one now. Butkowski said the city engineer determined who needed additional concrete barriers based on the slope from structures to the alley. Mikel's garage did not meet the standard. Mikel thanked the Council for listening to his request. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 Kristi Stauffer from Ramsey County Emergency Management held an emergency management round table with the Council. Police Chief Ohl and Falcon Heights Fire Chief Clem Kurhajetz were also present. Stauffer presented a tornado disaster scenario in which the Council discussed how they would respond to this emergency situation. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Hawkinson moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Kelly Deputy City Clerk CITY OF LAUDERDALE CLAIMS FOR APPROVAL June 12, 2012 City Council Meeting Payroll 05/25/12 Payroll: Direct Deposit # 501376-501385 05/25/12 Payroll: Payroll Liabilities, e -payments #668E-671 E 06/08/12 Payroll: Direct Deposit # 501386-501390 06/08/12 Payroll: Payroll Liabilities, e -payments #672E -674E Vendor Claims 06/12/12 Claims: Check #'s 21241-21265 $8,294.79 $7,159.55 $7,496.87 $5,852.67 $81,173.051 SUBTOTAL $109,976.93 ,Total Claims for Approval $109,976.93 CITY OF LAUDERDALE 05/31/12 11:54 AM Page 1 *Claim Register© 052512pyroll MAY 2012 Pre -Written Check $7,159.55 Checks to be Generated by the Compute $0.00 Total $7,159.55 Claim Type Direct Claim# 2695 NORTH STAR BANK, CHECKING S Ck# 000668E 5/31/2012 Cash Payment G 101-21703 FICA WITHHOLDING. 5/25/12 Payroll $1,759.75 Invoice Cash Payment G 101-21701 FEDERAL TAXES 5/25/12 Payroll $1,132.34 Invoice Transaction Date 5/31/2012 Due 0 NORTH STAR CHE 10100 Total $2,892.09 Claim# 2696 /CMA RETIREMENT TRUST- 457 Ck# 000669E 5/31/2012 Cash Payment G 101-21705 ICMA RETIREMENT 5/25/12 Payroll $1,474.18 Invoice Transaction Date 5/31/2012. Due 0 NORTH STAR CHE 10100 Total $1,474.18 Claim# 2697 PERA tt Ck# 000670E 5/31/2012��m��ta~��� Cash Payment G 101-21704 PERA 5/25/12 Payroll $1,555.56 Invoice Transaction Date 5/31/2012 Due 0 NORTH STAR CHE 10100 Total $1,555.56 Claim# 2698 MN DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE Ck# 000671 E 5/31/2012 Cash Payment G 101-21702 STATE WITHHOLDING 5/25/12 Payroll $1,237.72 Invoice Transaction Date 5/31/2012 Due 0 NORTH STAR CHE 10100 Total $1,237.72 Claim Type Direct Tota $7,159.55 Pre -Written Check $7,159.55 Checks to be Generated by the Compute $0.00 Total $7,159.55 CITY OF LAUDERDALE 06/07/12 3:25 PM Page 1 *Claim Register© 060812pyroll JUNE 2012 Pre -Written Check $5,852.67 Checks to be Generated by the Compute $0.00 Total $5,852.67 Claim Type Direct Claim# 2716 NORTH STAR BANK, CHECKING S Ck# 000672E 6/7/2012 Cash Payment G 101-21703 FICA WITHHOLDING. 6/8/2012 Payroll $1,638.57 Invoice Cash Payment G 101-21701 FEDERAL TAXES 6/8/2012 Payroll $1,158.88 Invoice Transaction Date 6/7/2012 Due 0 NORTH STAR CHE 10100 Total $2,797.45 Claim# 2717 ICMA RETIREMENT TRUST- 4 57 Ck# 000673E 6/7/2012 Cash Payment G 101-21705 ICMA RETIREMENT 6/8/2012 Payroll $1,474.18 Invoice Transaction Date 6/7/2012 Due 0 NORTH STAR CHE 10100 Total $1,474.18 Claim# 2718 PERA Ck# 000674E 6/7/2012 LL Cash Payment G 101-21704 PERA 6/8/2012 Payroll $1,581.04 Invoice Transaction Date 6/7/2012 Due 0 NORTH STAR CHE 10100 Total $1,581.04 Claim Type Direct Tota $5,852.67 Pre -Written Check $5,852.67 Checks to be Generated by the Compute $0.00 Total $5,852.67 CITY OF LAUDERDALE 06/07/12 3:06 PM Page 1 *Check Detail Register© JUNE 2012 s A Check Amt Invoice Comment �s..�-.�,r-:.:...a�r�.�.�..?�`+:�:,,:w�.`€�....'„-�>¢:r,.x�.�'.,;�x;.�':.�--�•`�'-�"ia;.-u.�.a ,,.�"°:x,F`-�''.'�S� .._ s'��.r _;�'�.,_._,_ _ ,. .�. .. „^....�,,-.-�:,, ,.,,,,..,-,_... s';� ._.. ,,, - _J 10100 NORTH STAR CHECKING Paid Chk# 021241 6/12/2012 AFSCME G 101-21709 UNION DUES $109.18 5/12 Union Dues 6/12 Police Contract Total AFSCME $109.18 $49,672.42 Paid Chk# 021242 6/12/2012 AMERIPRIDE 6/12!2012—GOPHERSTATEONE-CALL , ,—,—, M,.—..,m ,-,-- w-..,, E 101-43000-228 MISC REPAIRS MAINT SUPPLIE $93.43 Paper Towels for City Hall Total GOPHER STATE ONE -CALL Total AMERIPRIDE $93.43 Paid Chk# 021250 Paid Chk# 021243 6/12/2012 BARR ENGINEERING CO. E 601-49000-327 OTHER SERV- SEWER/NPDES 1 $5,132.72 Waste Soil Disposal Assistance Total BARR ENGINEERING CO. $5,132.72 Paid Chk# 021244 6/12/2012 BLUE CHIP TREE CO., INC. E 101-43000-317 TREE SERVICE $1,339.06 Remove Downed Tree on Carl Street E 101-43000-317 TREE SERVICE $535.63 Remove Downed Tree in Skyview Park Total BLUE CHIP TREE CO., INC. $1,874.69 $95.91 Paid Chk# 021245 6!12/2012 elTY OF FALCON HEIGHTS E 101-42100-321 FIRE CALLS $2,408.85 5/12 Fire Calls Total CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS $2,408.85 Paid Chk# 021246 _CITY OF FRIDLEY E 101-41200-308 TRAINING\CONFERENCES $50.00 MCFOA Excel Training - HB Total CITY OF FRIDLEY $50.00 Paid Chk# 021247 6/12/2012 CITY OF ROSEVILLE E 101-41200-306 CONSULTING FEES $398.75 6/12 IT Services E 101-45200-371 NON-RESIDENT REIMBURSEM $792.00 Jan -May Rec Program Reimbursements E 101-41200-391 TELEPHONE/PAGERS $95.40 6/12 Phone Services Total CITY OF ROSEVILLE $1,286.15 Paid Chk# 021248 6/12/2012 CITY OF ST ANTHONY E 101-42100-319 POLICE CONTRACT $49,672.42 6/12 Police Contract Total CITY OF ST ANTHONY $49,672.42 PaidChk#021249 6/12!2012—GOPHERSTATEONE-CALL , ,—,—, M,.—..,m ,-,-- w-..,, E 101-43400-386 GOPHER STATE ONE CALL $39.25 5/12 Locates Total GOPHER STATE ONE -CALL $39.25 Paid Chk# 021250 6/12/2012 GORDON MEYER E 201-45600-369 MUSIC UNDER THE TREES $200.00 Music Under the Trees - Blue Stratum Total GORDON MEYER $200.00 Paid Chk# 021251 6/12/2012 HOME DEPOT CRC E101-43000-228 MISC REPAIRS MAINT SUPPLIE $37.66 PW Tools E 101-45200-228 MISC REPAIRS MAINT SUPPLIE $58.25 park supplies Total HOME DEPOT CRC $95.91 CITY OF LAUDERDALE 06/07/12 3:06 PM Page 2 *Check Detail Register© JUNE 2012 E101-45200-427 PORTA POTTY RENTAL $106.87 6/12 Portable Restroom Total ON SITE SANITATION $106.87 Paid Chk# 021260 6/12/2012 RAMSEY COUNTY, PROP REC & REV E 101-41200-355 MISC PRINTING/PROCESS SER $25.00 6/12 Health Insurance E 101-42100-442 MISC $6.24 5/12 800 MHz radio licenses E 101-42100-318 911 Dispatch $1,010.43 5/12 911 Dispatch G 101-21706 HEALTH INSURANCE $429.15 6/12 Health Insurance Total RAMSEY COUNTY,,PROP REC & REV $1,470.82 Paid Chk# 021261 6(12%2012 �VEIT E 601-49000-316 SEWER TELEVISING $4,559.63 TH280 sewer televising E 602-49100-327 OTHER SERV- SEWER/NPDES 1 $2,468.25 Stormwater sump cleaning Total VEIT $7,027.88 12 WASTE MANAGEMENT E 101-43000-384 REFUSE DISPOSAL $173.72 6/12 Refuse Disposal - Public Works E 101-43000-384 REFUSE DISPOSAL $144.39 Refuse Disposal June/July/Aug - City Hall Check Amt Invoice Comment Paid Chk# 021252 6/12/2012 HUGHES AND COSTELLO E 101-41500-300 LEGAL FEES -PROSECUTING _ $850.00 5/12 Legal Fees Total HUGHES AND COSTELLO $850.00 Paid Chk# 021253 6/1212012KENNEDY & GRAVEN E101-41500-305 LEGAL FEES - CIVIL $48.00 Legal Fees - Audit & Sewer Response Total KENNEDY & GRAVEN $48.00 NOLTA E 101-41200-401 COPIER CONTRACT $222.00 6/12 Copier contract Total KONICA MINOLTA $222.00 Paid Chk# 021255 6/12/2012 MAMA E 101-41200-308 TRAINING\CONFERENCES $20.00 6/12 Luncheon - HB Total MAMA $20.00 Paid Chk# 021256 6/12/2012 MCFOA E 101-41200-438 DUES & SUBSCRIPTIONS $35.00 2012 Annual Membership MCFOA - HB Total MCFOA $35.00 Paid Chk# 021257 6/12/2012 MET -COUNCIL ENVIRONMENTAL SER. E 601-49000-387 WATER TREATMENT SERVICE $9,765.51 7/12 Waste Water Treatment otal MET -COUNCIL ENVIRONMENTAL SER. $9,765.51 Paid Chk# 021258 6/12/2012 NAPA AUTO PARTS E 101-43000-212 MOTOR FUELS $82.28 Truck and Tractor Fluids E 602-49100-212 MOTOR FUELS $17.63 Truck and Tractor Fluids E 601-49000-212 MOTOR FUELS $17.63 Truck and Tractor Fluids Total NAPA AUTO PARTS $117.54 E101-45200-427 PORTA POTTY RENTAL $106.87 6/12 Portable Restroom Total ON SITE SANITATION $106.87 Paid Chk# 021260 6/12/2012 RAMSEY COUNTY, PROP REC & REV E 101-41200-355 MISC PRINTING/PROCESS SER $25.00 6/12 Health Insurance E 101-42100-442 MISC $6.24 5/12 800 MHz radio licenses E 101-42100-318 911 Dispatch $1,010.43 5/12 911 Dispatch G 101-21706 HEALTH INSURANCE $429.15 6/12 Health Insurance Total RAMSEY COUNTY,,PROP REC & REV $1,470.82 Paid Chk# 021261 6(12%2012 �VEIT E 601-49000-316 SEWER TELEVISING $4,559.63 TH280 sewer televising E 602-49100-327 OTHER SERV- SEWER/NPDES 1 $2,468.25 Stormwater sump cleaning Total VEIT $7,027.88 12 WASTE MANAGEMENT E 101-43000-384 REFUSE DISPOSAL $173.72 6/12 Refuse Disposal - Public Works E 101-43000-384 REFUSE DISPOSAL $144.39 Refuse Disposal June/July/Aug - City Hall CITY OF LAUDERDALE 06/07/12 3:06 PM Page 3 *Check Detail Register© JUNE 2012 Check Amt Invoice Comment Total WASTE MANAGEMENT $318.11 Paid Chk# 021263 6/12/2012 XCEL ENERGY, CITY HALL E 101-43000-381 ELECTRIC $162.16 5/12 City Hall Utilities E 101-43000-383 GAS UTILITIES $24.21 5/12 City Hall Utilities 602 STORM SEWER ENTERPRISE FUND Total XCEL ENERGY, CITY HALL $186.37 $81,173.05 Paid Chk# 021264 6/12/2012 --XCEL ENERGY, PARK & E 101-43000-381 ELECTRIC $4.06 5/12 PW & Warming House E 101-45200-381 ELECTRIC $4.06 5/12 PW & Warming House Total XCEL ENERGY, PARK & GARAGE $8.12 Paid Chk# 021265 6/12/2012 XCEL ENERGY, STREET LIGHTING E101-43000-380 STREET LIGHT UTILITY $34.23 5/12 Bridge Lights Total XCEL ENERGY, STREET LIGHTING $34.23 10100 NORTH STAR CHECKING $81,173.05 Fund Summary 10100 NORTH STAR CHECKING 101 GENERAL $59,011.68 201 COMMUNITY EVENTS $200.00 601 SEWER UTILITIES $19,475.49 602 STORM SEWER ENTERPRISE FUND $2,485.88 $81,173.05 ACTION REQUESTED Consent X LAUDERDALE COUNCIL MEETING DATE June 12, 2012 Special Public Hearing ITEM NUMBER PCIC Minutes Report Discussion/Action STAFF INITIAL Jim Resolution Work session APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATOR DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: Attached are the minutes from the Park & Community Involvement Committee meeting of June 4, 2012. OPTIONS: 1) Approve as consent item. 2) Remove from consent for discussion. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: By approving the consent agenda, the Council acknowledges receipt of and placing on file the attached minutes of the Park & Community Involvement Committee. COUNCIL ACTION: 6/4/12 PCIC Minutes MINUTES MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2012 PARK & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEE 1. CALL TO ORDER 6:36 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Members Present: Monica Gallagher, Marilyn Smith Members Absent: Trygve Hansen, Nicole Johnson Staff & Council Present: Jim Bownik Others Present: 3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA A quorum was not present to approve the agenda. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 9, 2012 MEETING APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 19, 2012 MEETING A quorum was not present to approve the minutes. 5. REPORTS A. Playground Update Bownik updated the Committee on the playground improvements. The approximate total cost for this project was $104,000. However, the City was responsible for only $13,000, as a grant covered $91,000. Smith suggested promoting the accessible aspects of the playground. Skyview Park improvements were also discussed, as well as potential future improvements. 6. DISCUSSION/ACTION A. Garage Sale Wrap Up (Sat 5/19) Bownik reported 22 registered sales this year, compared to 27 last year. The weather was nice this year, compared to last year when it rained. B. June & July Music Under the Trees Planning #2/2 (Mon 6/25 & Mon 7/23) Bownik provided an update on plans for the event. Blue Stratum will perform Monday, June 25, and Sweet Rhubarb will perform Monday, July 23. Both performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Hamline Auto Body has agreed to sponsor the summer music again, and Schwan's will provide frozen treats and a fundraiser again. Gallagher volunteered to help distribute frozen treats. Bownik informed the Committee the time commitment for preparing the event was heavier this year than it should be next year because of the music licensing issue, searching for a volunteer to book the musicians, finding musicians that can perform 1 6/4/12 PCIC Minutes under the new requirements, and drafting the agreements. Smith volunteered to book the musicians next year, and Gallagher volunteered to be the back up. C. Day in the Park Planning #1/2 (Sat 8/18) The committee discussed plans for the event. The time will be the same as last year, 12-3 p.m. Bownik has arranged for the Lazy Does It Dixie Land Band, and will be contacting Simply Steve's Food Truck, a bounce house company, businesses , and volunteers. Smith volunteered to monitor the bounce house, and recruit a volunteer to assist her. Smith will also see where her church gets the bounce house from for their event. D. Volunteer Fair The Committee discussed the urgent need for finding more people to join the committee and volunteer for events in order to sustain what we can offer residents. Bownik also mentioned how cuts to Local Government Aid (LGA) and subsequently staffing levels at City Hall have contributed to this challenge, adding that these challenges represent a new normal in how the City must operate. Bownik provided a background on how we got to this point. The Lauderdale Civic Club used to organize events without any involvement from the City for staffing or funding. When the group disbanded, the Park & Community Involvement Committee (PCIC) was created, and the City dedicated Staff and resources to events. However, the number of events has grown over time, while the number of resources has not. Bownik suggested a volunteer fair as a recruitment tool for finding more members of the committee and volunteers. He also suggested using the volunteer fair to recruit residents for a leadership academy such as the one offered through the Blandin Foundation. Bownik stated the City of Winsted sent twenty-four residents to the academy, resulting in four groups that independently organized and funded activities based on community needs that were identified at the academy. The Committee suggested exploring this idea and asked what the next step would be. Bownik said the idea has been discussed with City Administrator Butkowski, and the next step would be to discuss it with the City Council and determine when to have the volunteer fair. More research will also be needed to find a suitable organizaton for a leadership academy because the Blandin Foundation appears to only assist rural communities. Gallagher suggested checking with the Bremer Foundation, and volunteered to gather a list of other organizations that we may be able to use. She also suggested the possibility of apply for a grant to hire a community organizer, part-time, to increase the volunteer capacity in Lauderdale. Smith mentioned residents at Brandychase may be a resource for involvement because the condominium units are mostly owner -occupied, and have many long-term residents. Gallagher suggested checking with the Vital Aging Group, which is a 50+ leadership group. V, 6/4/12 PCIC Minutes 7. OTHER BUSINESS A. Gallagher mentioned she received a postcard from a neighbor about Nextdoor, a neighborhood social networking site. She said she would be willing to promote the need for volunteers through this group. 8. SET PRELIMINARY AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING Gallagher read the preliminary agenda for the next meeting. 9. SET DATE FOR NEXT MEETING The committee meets on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting will be Monday, August 6 at 6:30 p.m. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:59 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jim Bownik Assistant City Administrator PCIC Staff Liaison 3 ACTION REQUESTED Consent X . LAUDERDALE COUNCIL MEETING DATE June 12, 2012 Special Public Hearing ITEM NUMBER Performance Agreements for MUTT Report cussion/Action STAFF INITIAL Jim solution rk session L APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATOR DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: Here is the promotion for MUTT: Music Under the Trees: Bring your lawn chairs or blankets to Lauderdale Community Park and enjoy the music. Event is cancelled for rain or severe weather. Sponsored by Hamline Auto Body and Schwan's. • Blue Stratum - Monday, June 25, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m. • Sweet Rhubarb - Monday, July 23, 2012 @ 7:30 p.m. Budget • The city has budgeted $300 per event ($200 for music, and $100 for frozen treats and supplies). Sponsors • Hamlin Auto Body has agreed to sponsor the summer music again. • Schwan's has agreed to set up a fundraiser and provide frozen treats again. Agreements • New this year: I drafted agreements that include information such as the date and time, the fee, cancellation policy, and performance provisions. These are attached for your review. OPTIONS: 1) Approve as consent item. 2) Remove from consent for discussion. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: By approving the consent agenda, the Council is approving the Performance Agreements for the Music Under the Trees events. COUNCIL ACTION: City of Lauderdale Performance Agreement Lauderdale Community Park, 1885 Fulham Street Music Under the Trees ARTIST or GROUP INFORMATION Artist or Group Name: Blue Stratum Event Date: Monday, June 25, 2012 Event Time: 7:30 p.m. Artist/Group Leader: Daytime Phone: Email Address: PAYMENT INFORMATION # Chairs Needed: Tax ID/ SS #: Cell Phone: Website Address (if applicable): Performance Fee: $200.00 Name & Address of Individual or Group for Payment of Fee: PERFORMANCE PROVISIONS 1) The Artist or Group is considered an independent contractor and is responsible for all appropriate insurance, income taxes, and the licensed use of any or all copyright music performed. 2) The Artist or Group understands the City does not hold a public performance license, thus the artist agrees not to play music registered with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or any other licensing entity. 3) The Artist or Group will supply their own sound system, music stands (if needed), and stage (if needed). 4) The City will provide chairs, electricity, and an extension cord. 5) Cancellation/Inclement Weather Policy: • If the performance is cancelled by the City before 4:30 p.m. on the concert day, the City will not pay for the performance. If possible, cancelled performances will be rescheduled. • If the performance is cancelled by the City after 4:30 p.m. full payment will be made. 6) The Artist or Group will perform the program without a break or intermission. 7) Sale of promotional merchandise is allowed at the concert site. 8) The Artist or Group will perform for a minimum of 45 minutes, preferably 60 minutes. 9) Payment Information: The City will make every effort to present payment to the Artist or Group the day of the performance, but may mail payment within 2 weeks after performance date. 10) Indemnification: The Artist or Group agrees to defend and indemnify the City, and its employees, officials, volunteers and agents from and against all claims, actions, damages, losses and expenses arising out of the Artist or Group's performance or failure to perform its duties under this Agreement. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties, have caused this Agreement to be approved on this 12 day of June, 2012. City of Lauderdale, Minnesota By: Its Mayor And: Its Clerk Artist or Group Name By: Artist or Group City of Lauderdale Performance Agreement Lauderdale Community Park, 1885 Fulham Street Music Under the Trees ARTIST or GROUP INFORMATION Artist or Group Name: Sweet Rhubarb Event Date: Monday, July 23, 2012 Event Time: 7:30 p.m. # Chairs Needed: Artist/Group Leader: Daytime Phone: Tax ID/ SS #: Cell Phone: Email Address: Website Address (if applicable): PAYMENT INFORMATION Performance Fee: $200.00 Name & Address of Individual or Group for Payment of Fee: PERFORMANCE PROVISIONS 1) The Artist or Group is considered an independent contractor and is responsible for all appropriate insurance, income taxes, and the licensed use of any or all copyright music performed. 2) The Artist or Group understands the City does not hold a public performance license, thus the artist agrees not to play music registered with ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or any other licensing entity.. 3) The Artist or Group will supply their own sound system, music stands (if needed), and stage (if needed). 4) The City will provide chairs, electricity, and an extension cord. 5) Cancellation/Inclement Weather Policy: • If the performance is cancelled by the City before 4:30 p.m. on the concert day, the City will not pay for the performance. If possible, cancelled performances will be rescheduled. • If the performance is cancelled by the City after 4:30 p.m. full payment will be made. 6) The Artist or Group will perform the program without a break or intermission. 7) Sale of promotional merchandise is allowed at the concert site. 8) The Artist or Group will perform for a minimum of 45 minutes, preferably 60 minutes. 9) Payment Information: The City will make every effort to present payment to the Artist or Group the day of the performance, but may mail payment within 2 weeks after performance date. 10) Indemnification: The Artist or Group agrees to defend and indemnify the City, and its employees, officials, volunteers and agents from and against all claims, actions, damages, losses and expenses arising out of the Artist or Group's performance or failure to perform its duties under this Agreement. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties, have caused this Agreement to be approved on this 12 day of June, 2012. City of Lauderdale, Minnesota By: Its Mayor And: Its Clerk Artist or Group Name By: Artist or Group LAUDERDALE COUNCIL ACTION FORM Action Requested Consent X_ Public Hearing Discussion Action Resolution Work Session Meeting Date June 12, 2012 ITEM NUMBER: 2012 Rental & Business Licenses STAFF INITIAL: KK DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: A list of rental property and business owners who have completed the rental hous- ing inspections and/or renewed their application for licensure for 2012. 1866 Eustis —Rental Housing OPTIONS: 1. Motion to approve listed licenses for 2012. 2. Motion to deny all or some of the listed license applications for 2012. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: By approving the consent agenda, the Council approves the completed 2012 Licenses on the attached list. COUNCIL ACTION: LAUDERDALE COUNCIL ACTION FORM Action Requested Consent X_ Public Hearing Discussion Action Resolution Work Session Meeting Date June 12, 2012 ITEM NUMBER City Park Application STAFF INITIAL _KK APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATOR DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: The City received an application for use of the Park. The group expects 30 people to attend. Per city ordinance, council approval is required. The application is attached for your review. The application is from the Northern Lights $H Club and they expect 30 or more attendees. They are seeking a reservation for the use of the Park Shelter from 5:30-8:00 p.m. on Monday, August 13. OPTIONS: A) Approve the requests to use the park. B) Do not approve the requests. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: By approving the consent agenda, the Council approves use of Lauderdale City Park for August 13. COUNCIL ACTION: N City of Lauderdale 1891 Walnut Street e Lauderdale ® Minnesota 55113 Phone: (651) 792-7650 Fax: (651) 631-2066 Address: 5 a At a,-�u erA 5 w-7 - : Lauderdale. State: _MN Name of Organization Zip: Telephone No.: PARK USE INFORMATION: F Date of Picnic Shelter Use: 3 90 Hours Used: * Number attending: 30- * Note: Groups of 30 or more must receive council approval Other park facilities may be reserved (circle all that apply): Ball Field / East or West Tennis Court / East or West Basketball Court / Hours Used: (Volleyball Court/ awed Hockey Rink (Summer) / Ice Skating Rink (Winter) Hours Used:�U (Winter Skating Rinks can only be reserved from 9-10 p.m. when open skating ends at 9 p.m.) BY SIGNING THIS APPLICATION, THE APPLICANT AGREES TO THE FOLLOWING: ® The applicant will clean up the area after the event has occurred. Please bring your own garbage bags and take garbage with you when you go. ® The park facilities may not be used for advertisement of products, goods, or services, or for personal profit. ® The proposed event may not unreasonably interfere with the general public use of the park, or with the safe and orderly movement of traffic on streets surrounding the park.. ® The applicant is aware of a parking lot on Roselawn Avenue which includes spaces for people with disabilities. ® The applicant understands that the park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. ® The applicant understands that no intoxicating liquor may be present or consumed at the park. ® The applicant agrees to carry a copy of the approved application form with them as proof of reservation. ® If the applicant experiences problems with the facilities, the applicant shall contact City Hall during office hours, or Ramsey County Dispatch after hours at 651-767-0640. ® The applicant understands that the renter/users of Lauderdale park facilities at all times indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the City of Lauderdale, Minnesota, its officers, employees, and contractors from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, and expenses of whatever nature, including attorney fees, in any manner connected with, related to, or as a result of any actions or inaction associated with the usage of rental of Lauderdale facilities. Furthermore, renter/users may be required to provide a certificate of insurance naming the City as an additional insured. `GJ S A Applicant's Signature Applicant's Printed Name Date ' FOR OFFICE USE ONLY: Date Application Received:iv Z Approved By: Fees Received: Check #: Receipt #: Damage Deposit Check #: Temporary Non -Intoxicating Liquor License Granted ? If so, date Council granted: LAUDERDALE COUNCIL ACTION FORM Action Requested Consent Public Hearing Discussion Action Resolution Work Session Meeting Date June 12, 2012 ITEM NUMBER _CTV Update STAFF INITIAL APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATOR DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: Cor Wilson, Executive Director of the North Suburban Cable Commission, will be at the meeting to discuss what is happening at CTV and progress on the cable franchise renewal. She provided the following material for councilors to review prior to the meeting. OPTIONS: STAFF RECOMMENDATION: COUNCIL ACTION: North Suburban Access Corporation (CTV North Suburbs) CTV MISSION STATEMENT Building our communities by Providing access to services, tools and training to Facilitate communications through electronic media Instructions Below please find the suggested strategic goals. These goals were developed through an analysis of the notes from the Strategic Planning Study Session held on April 14 as well as an examination of the relevant outcomes of the needs assessment process. As we move forward with further developing the plan, I will develop strategic initiatives for each goal that will be necessary in order to reach the goal. Under each strategic initiative will be tasks that will be necessary to fulfill each initiative and fulfill each goal. This is a building block process. What you see below is the first step in the development of the strategic/business plan. STRATEGIC GOALS Strategic Goal 1: Raise the Level of Awareness of CTV and its Services Undertake a series of one time and ongoing activities including the development of marketing and public relations plans. The primary goals will be to (1) raise the level of awareness and CTV among the cities, schools, and the public; (2) engage the cities, schools, and public in using CTV services including new services developed pursuant to Strategic Goal 4, and (3) increase the perceived value of CTV. Strategic Goal 2: Build Sustainability: Expand and Diversify Funding Sources. Expand and diversify funding sources and maintain vigilance regarding regulatory actions at the state and federal level that will negatively impact the sustainability of CTV. Complete the franchise renewal process with Comcast with a result that maintains or increases the level of support provided under the current expiring franchise. Maintain high quality management. Strategic Goal 3: Explore the Opportunities Presented by Making Changes to CTV Organizational Structure Explore and transform the organizational and board structure of CTV to more broadly represent the community in addition to the local governments. Involve community members on committees and create a more engaged Board of Directors. Strategic Goal 4: Evolve CTV Services and Trainings to Meet the Changing Needs of the Communities Evolve and expand the training and services offered by CTV. Expand training services to include social media trainings, marketing trainings, as well as other media training that will be of value to local government agencies and schools. Use the information gathered through the Needs Assessment process to guide the process. Strategic Goal 5: Be a Leader in Use of Media Technologies to Better Serve the Community Stay current with emerging electronic media trends and tools with the goal to provide the cities, schools, and public with the latest in state -of -the art equipment and software. Constantly improve the overall quality of the "cablecast" of content provided to the public on multiple platforms. SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT SUMMARY Resolves November 15, 2011, Notice of Violation concerning Comcast's failure to provide requested data, documents and certifications, and all franchise fee payment issues for calendar years 2009, 2010 and 2011, provided Comcast fully complies with the Settlement Agreement. The NSCC will withdraw the Notice of Violation, and associated resolutions, once the Settlement Agreement has been executed by all parties and the required payment is received. Does NOT resolve other financial issues, such as Comcast's pass-through of franchise fees paid on non -subscriber revenues to subscribers, any franchise fee payment issues in 2012 or the propriety of Comcast's late fee. ® The NSCC will receive a lump sum payment of $41,568.00, which will not be offset against franchise fees or any grants paid to the NSCC, within 15 days of the effective date of the Settlement Agreement. Comcast provides the NSCC and the member cities with assurances and documentation, including a certification from a Comcast financial officer, as to how advertising transactions are conducted and how advertising revenues, including commissions, rep fees, affiliate fees and rebates paid to affiliated entities, are booked and accounted for in gross revenues for franchise fee calculation purposes. The current definition of gross revenues in the member cities' current franchises is clarified: (i) to include all advertising revenues received by Comcast and its affiliates from the operation of the cable system in the member cities, including commissions, rep fees and affiliate fees paid to Comcast Spotlight and NCC, and rebates returned to Comcast by NCC; (ii) to exclude advertising revenues and commissions that are received by unaffiliated persons or entities; and (iii) to incorporate a pro rata methodology for allocating revenues between the services in bundled service packages containing cable services. This will ensure that Comcast does not unfairly assign discounts to cable services in bundles so as to reduce its franchise fee payments to the member cities. The definition of "gross revenues" to be included in any renewal franchises is finalized and agreed upon, and broadly incorporates revenues derived directly or indirectly by Comcast and its affiliates from the operation of the cable system to provide cable services in the member cities. As written, the definition ensures that the member cities receive franchise fees on "gross" advertising revenues and that revenues from bundled service packages are allocated to cable service using a specific pro rata methodology. If unresolved disputes over the classification of revenues arise, the parties will refer to GAAP, as promulgated, defined and interpreted by particular financial boards and agencies, not by Comcast. The NSCC reserves the right to challenge any use of GAAP by Comcast. This settlement provision removes an extremely important and very contentious issue from franchise renewal discussions. • Comcast is required to maintain certain data and records for 3 years from the effective date of the Settlement Agreement that the NSCC may review to determine whether Comcast is properly and accurately allocating bundled service package revenues to cable services. This addresses the "overwriting" issue discovered during the current franchise fee review. • Now and in any renewal franchises, Comcast is required to maintain and provide to the NSCC, upon request, all data, records and documents reasonably related to the calculation and payment of franchise fees. The renewal franchises include language requiring Comcast to make available data, documents and records maintained by affiliates and third parties, which addresses the problem of obtaining data from CSG, if necessary. • Comcast will pay the NSCC's franchise fee review costs, up to $25,000, if an underpayment of 5% or more is discovered. • Comcast will have no less than 20 days to respond to NSCC data requests, unless an extension of time is granted. • Prior to the expiration of the current franchises, Comcast will update and operate its billing system so as to avoid imposing cable service franchise fees on persons and entities that subscribe only to non -cable services. Comcast will provide the NSCC Executive Director with written confirmation of the solution implemented, and any refunds paid to subscribers. This solution will be adopted and will be enforceable in any renewal franchises. • Any violation of the Settlement Agreement shall be deemed a violation of the current franchises and any renewal franchises. Nothing in the Settlement Agreement should be construed to mean Comcast is in compliance with the current franchises, except for those specific issues resolved in the Settlement Agreement. • The parties generally reserve all of their rights, powers, remedies and defenses under the current franchises and applicable laws, and regulations. • Nothing in the Settlement Agreement can be interpreted to mean that Comcast is entitled to renewed cable franchises, and the member cities retain their discretion to grant or deny renewal franchises, and to specify the terms and conditions of any such franchises. 2 inc. N®• communications, Philadelphia Offrre: 73 Chesnut Road, Suite 301, Paoli, PA 19301 1'/(610)889-7470 F/(610)889-7475 A Pard Office: 15971iace Street, St. Paul, MN 55102 P/ (651) 340-5300 F/ (651) 340-5820 w%Nw cbecommunicadons.com EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Evaluation of Comcast's Subscriber System Evaluation of the Existing Institutional Network Evaluation of PEG Access Signal Transport and Distribution North Suburban Communications Commission (Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Moundsview, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, St. Anthony and Shoreview, Minnesota) January 2012 CBG Communications, Inc. Dick Nielsen Senior Engineer Thomas Robinson President NSCC Executive Summary I. Introduction CBG Communications, Inc. As part of the past performance review and needs assessment being conducted by the North Suburban Communications Commission (NSCC), CBG Communications, Inc. (CBG) has been retained to provide technical, consulting and engineering services to evaluate Comcast's residential network, the Institutional network and CTV's Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) Access signal origination, transport and signal distribution over the cable system and dedicated transmission links. CBG's overall goals were to evaluate Comcast's compliance with the member cities' franchise documents, and applicable laws and regulations, and to determine the condition of equipment and infrastructure and the operation of this infrastructure in three important areas. These are: • Comcast's residential (subscriber) network • The Institutional Network (as required by the member cities' franchise documents) • CTV's PEG Access signal origination, transport and distribution system CBG has conducted evaluation tasks, testing and processes to determine the existing condition of Comcast's residential network and its ability to deliver services to residents of the ten member cities effectively, reliably and in a safe manner, consistent with the requirements of the franchise and applicable laws and regulations. In addition, CBG has evaluated the Institutional Network (I -Net) to determine its ability to meet the needs of current users for both video origination and data transportation, both today and into the future. CBG has also worked with NSCC and North Suburbs Access Corporation (CTV) staff to review the current technical operations, equipment and facilities of CTV's Media Center and Master Control to determine the functionality and quality today of the PEG signal (audio, video and other information) transport and distribution system and what will be needed to meet future demands and technologies placed on the related facilities, equipment and systems. NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. The major findings and recommendations of CBC's review are outlined in this Executive Summary, with more detailed information, supporting data and recommendations that will be provided in a Final Report. II. Summary of Major Findings related to Comcast's Residential Network Comcast is operating a Hybrid Fiber Coaxial cable (HFC) network that is designed to provide video (Cable TV), Internet and data services and telephone services to most addresses within the 10 members cities comprising the NSCC service area. CBG reviewed many facets of the subscriber network, including bandwidth (or capacity), system architecture, system performance, system maintenance and monitoring, and system facilities. A high level summary of each of these areas is provided below. • System Design and Architecture Comcast's system uses fiber optic infrastructure to send and receive signals to/from nodes located in neighborhoods, throughout the NSCC area, where forward (or downstream) signals are transformed from light, on the fiber optic infrastructure, to Radio Frequencies (RF) for insertion onto the coaxial cable infrastructure for ultimate transmission and distribution to residents and businesses served by the particular node. Forward (or downstream) services include all analog, standard definition (SD) digital and high definition (HD) digital channels including Video -On -Demand (VOD). Additionally, Internet data, traveling from Comcast's headend or hub to subscribers, and telephone or voice service to subscribers is carried on the forward/downstream portion of the network. In addition, the nodes receive RF signals from subscribers via the coaxial infrastructure which feeds these signals into the node. The node converts these signals to light for transmission, via the fiber optic infrastructure, to Comcast's headend or hub. Some return signals include upstream data, ordering information for VOD and other video services as well as telephone traffic. NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inca • Spectrum or Bandwidth Although other system characteristics described in this Executive Summary are important to understand, perhaps the most important is that of system capacity or bandwidth. Comcast's system, as designed and operated today, has a total usable spectrum of 5 MHz to 750 MHz. Simply stated, the system is a 750 MHz system. Further defined, return (or upstream) signals are transmitted between 5 MHz and 42 MHz while forward signals are transmitted between 55 MHz and 750 MHz. This system was considered at or near state-of-the-art when it was last upgraded in the late 1990s. However, systems being upgraded today are using equipment capable of between 860 MHz and 1,000 MHz (1 GHz). Although this system is not the most advanced system constructed, it is consistent, in terms of bandwidth, with many systems throughout the country. It is difficult to describe the maximum number of channels, or services, that can be provided on the subscriber network, as the bandwidth utilized for specific channels and services can be determined at the system level. For instance, compression technologies allow for Standard Definition digital TV channels (SD) to commonly utilize one 6 MHz channel to transmit between 7-12 SD channels. Furthermore, 2-3 High Definition digital channels occupy a one 6 MHz channel. In addition, the system is configured and used to provide non -cable TV services, including telephone and Internet service which occupy a portion of the system's bandwidth. The system, as constructed, equipped and operated today, can provide the services desired by Comcast's customers. However, as more services become available (particularly high definition video programming services) and as subscribers' needs and desires increase, Comcast may need to upgrade its system, depending on the length of any franchise renewal term, to gain additional bandwidth in order to provide these new services. Such upgrades could include using new electronic equipment to increase the system capacity to 1,000 MHz (1 gigahertz or 1 GHz), deploying fiber to the premises or home (FTTP or FTTH) as well as utilizing technologies that conserve bandwidth such as NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. Switched Digital Video (SDV). The NSCC should, in a renewed Franchise with Comcast, require a mid-term review of the system to determine if it is still capable of meeting the community's cable -related needs and interests, and providing the needed bandwidth for new services that become available in the future. • System Facilities Comcast serves the NSCC area from its headend located on Fairview Avenue in Roseville, MN, and its hub located at 4640 Churchill Street in Shoreview, MN. Comcast personnel gave us a tour of these headend and hub facilities. The overall condition of these facilities was clean, well kept and with sufficient space for fixture expansion without having to compromise spacing needs for cooling and maintenance functions. The headend is among the better designed and maintained headends we have toured. Grounding of equipment in various locations throughout the headend and hub is more than adequate for protection of the equipment and personnel having to perform maintenance. Fire suppression systems are professionally installed throughout the two facilities and appeared to be sufficient to protect the building and its contents from fire. Both facilities have backup power provided by large permanent generators, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) and battery banks. This combination of backup power should allow for seamless transfer between commercial power and backup or standby power in the event of a power failure at the headend or hub. The generators are capable of operating for days or weeks in the event of a lengthy commercial power outage. • System Performance CBG began its analysis of Comcast's system performance by reviewing the most recent Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Proof -of -Performance (POP) test documents (Summer 2010 and Winter 2011). These documents are required to be stored in Comcast's Public File and are available for anyone to review. This documentation is only required to show testing of analog channels on the system. CBG determined that the results for all test locations within the NSCC service area, as documented in Comcast's Public File, are within FCC specifications. When a system is operating at or above the iv NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. minimum specifications required by the FCC, the picture and sound quality on analog channels should be acceptable to subscribers. In addition to reviewing the previous POP results, CBG accompanied Comcast personnel who performed objective testing of 10 locations within the NSCC service area - one location per member city. Test results were at least at or better than the Federal Communication Commission's FCC minimum requirements at 8 out of the 10 locations. In Arden Hills, the system's Carrier to Noise (CN or C/N) tests were below the FCC's threshold of > 43 dB. Carrier to Noise is a measurement of the ratio of noise on a given channel compared to the channel's video carrier strength. As this ratio decreases, the picture on analog channels will display more noise or have a snowy appearance. As would be expected, when FCC carrier to noise specifications are not met, the picture quality on the analog channels at these locations was significantly below acceptable levels. A lower than desired Carrier -to -Noise ratio can impact digital channels as well, but the results at this location were not severe enough to impact the digital channels. Comcast performed maintenance activities to balance the plant feeding the testpoint shortly after our testing. Subsequent testing found results well with FCC specifications and the picture quality improved on the analog channels. The New Brighton testpoint also showed test results outside the requirements of the FCC's minimum technical standards. We observed C/N results below the minimum required by the FCC. Comcast performed trouble shooting activities shortly after our testing was complete. It was determined that a section of coaxial cable was likely damaged during road construction which caused deterioration of the cable over time and ultimately led to the poor performance we measured and witnessed. Comcast replaced the suspect cable. We then retested and found performance had improved and was now within specification. CBG also accompanied Comcast in performing tests of representative digital channels on the system. This testing found that Comcast's system, at all 10 testpoint locations, is operating well within the specifications adopted as standards by the FCC. NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. • Analog Channel Reception / PEG Access Channels As part of our testing, CBG viewed the analog channels on a television set at the headend and at all 10 testpoint locations to determine through subjective testing what, if any, signal quality problems currently exist. The main focus of the test was on analog channels as they are the most prone to problems within the system. Digital signals are typically either on or off with few if any distortions added by the network outside of undesired attributes that can be introduced as a result of significant compression of channels to conserve bandwidth. However, when distortions and noise are significant enough, pixilation and picture freeze -ups can occur. Our observations found that, in general, the analog channels were of an acceptable viewing quality. However, it must be noted, the overall quality of the analog channels is not as crisp or void of noise as that found on the digital channels. This is to be expected. Comcast simulcasts all of the PEG channels on the system today. In other words, PEG channels, as well as other channels offered in an analog format, are transmitted on the system in both analog and standard definition digital formats. As a result, the PEG services provided as analog channels are not as clear as those provided over the digital platform. However, the analog PEG channels are consistent in quality with the analog commercial channels. Accordingly, subscribers utilizing a digital converter box will not notice the lower quality on the analog channels, since the converter always tunes to the digital format version of the PEG and other simulcast channels. The one exception to the above statements regarding analog channels is Channel 18, programmed by the Roseville Area School District. Our viewing of Channel 18 at all 10 locations showed that Channel 18 is affected, to varying degrees, significantly more than the other analog channels, and specifically PEG, channels. This is likely due to ingress or undesirable signals getting onto the system. Comcast needs to address this issue on a site by site basis as problems are reported or discovered, but should provide a strategy for minimizing this problem system -wide. For instance, Comcast could require its technicians and installers to visually check channel 18 at all service calls and installations. When issues with the picture quality are apparent, the technician or installer vi NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. should then perform the necessary troubleshooting to determine the cause of the problem and make the correct repairs. This may include replacement or tightening of connectors and the replacement of cables to name a few possible solutions. • Standby Power Standby power provides the system with the capability to remain operational when commercial power is lost for any period of time. Comcast employs several backup power methodologies, from the headend and hub to the power supplies located on the distribution system in the field. Comcast has large backup generators located at both the headend and hub. These are designed to provide enough power to keep the headend and hub operational in the event of a power outage at these locations. In addition, because there is a lagtime of several seconds between the loss of power and the generator coming fully on-line, Comcast also has large banks of batteries that are designed to provide power to all headend equipment that operate on -48VDC while continually being recharged as normal procedure. When power is lost, these battery banks will continue to provide power, without any outside power, for a minimum of 8.5 hours. For all critical equipment that operates on 120VAC power, Uninterruptable Power Supplies (UPS) are in place to run this equipment until the back-up generators are operational. Comcast has power supplies located on the distribution plant to provide power to the nodes and amplifiers used in the field. These power supplies are equipped with batteries that provide backup power in the event of a commercial power outage. Based on information provided by Comcast, these power supplies are capable of running, without commercial or other power sources, for a minimum of 6 hours. This run time will increase based on lower power needs at some power supply locations. Our review of Comcast's documentation does not indicate a large number of outages or an overall pattern of longer than acceptable repair times when outages occur. vii NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. • Status Monitoring Comcast has deployed numerous tools to monitor the operation of the network in real- time. These tools monitor all of the cable modems in the system showing areas of the system that are not responding and that, therefore, are experiencing an outage. Other monitoring tools provide data on the performance of the network. For instance, the signal to noise ratio or C/N and other distortions can be measured and monitored throughout the system via cable modems at subscribers' homes and businesses. Other monitoring tools can measure the health of power supplies in the system and alert Comcast when issues arise that need further troubleshooting and repair: These tools can provide Comcast with data showing where problems occur and often times staff can react to, and repair, problems before the network user knows of the problem. As stated above, Comcast employs several tools to perform ongoing monitoring of its residential network. These tools are at least comprable to monitoring systems in place in other cable systems throughout the country. • Compliance with the National Electrical Code (NEC) and National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) CBG performed an independent system drive -out to note any problems with the system plant and drops to residences and businesses pertaining to the condition of underground and aerial appurtenances, grounding and bonding, as well as clearance and attachment issues. If a system is not properly maintained, problems will arise with the aesthetics of the system, but more important, such issues result in potential safety problems. In addition to appearance and safety issues, the integrity of the cable plant is important for proper operation of the network and its ability to deliver high quality signals in a reliable manner. CBG performed an inspection of a representative sampling of areas throughout each of the 10 member cities. During this sampling, we identified approximately 300 issues that are either violations of NEC or NESC codes or are simply outside of good engineering practices. Examples of our findings include: viii NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. Cable TV drops not properly attached to poles. — This creates aesthetic problems as the drops are hanging away from the pole, in some cases several feet, but more importantly these drops can create a tripping or entanglement hazard to the general public as they come in contact with the cables. Furthermore, these cables often times are in what is referred to as the climbing area of the pole. This area is to remain clear in order to provide a safe area of the pole for cable TV and other technicians to climb up to equipment fastened to the pole. Down guys that are missing, loose or dangling from the pole. — Poles at the end of a run, or where the cables and wires angle off must have a guy wire or down guy to help support and carry the tension from the pole to the ground. Failure to install or properly maintain down guys places additional stress on the poles in question and leads to early failure of the pole(s). In addition, if additional stress is applied to the cable or wire run, such as a pole being hit by a vehicle or ice loading on the cables and wires, one or more poles that would otherwise handle the additional stress may fail without the additional support supplied by the missing or loose down guy. Down guys not properly attached to the pole or anchor can lead to safety problems if the poles become stressed more than usual because the tension placed on the poles is not carried to the ground. Failure of the poles also creates the potential for failure of the Cable TV system as well as the systems of other providers occupying the poles. Underground drop cables exposed above ground — When an underground drop is first put into service, often times it is not immediately buried. Prior to burying the drop, other utilities must locate their facilities and a crew must be engaged to perform the task of burying the drop. In addition, once the ground has frozen for the winter, drop burying ceases until the spring thaw. These delays in burying drops are understandable. However, there appears to be an unusually large number of drops that are not completely or even partially buried in the ten member cities. This is even more common in the case of multiple dwelling units or apartment building areas. ix NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. Having drops lying above ground creates a tripping hazard to people walking in the area. In addition, if the drop is caught on a person's leg or is tangled in a lawnmower or snow thrower, the customer fed by the drop will likely lose service until the drop is repaired. Power supply and service boxes not locked — All power supplies and the service boxes (fuse boxes) must be locked. Comcast has a significant number of power supplies with built in locks. These appear to be locked in most instances. However, there are also a significant number of power supplies and their corresponding service boxes that do not have permanent built in locks. Many of these are not locked as is required by code. The purpose of having power supplies enclosed in a cabinet is to keep water and debris out. In addition, these cabinets keep unauthorized people out of harm's way by blocking access to power that is harmful or fatal if a person comes in contact with it. Providing locks on the access doors further deters people from accessing the potentially dangerous contents of the power supply. There are other, less frequent violations of codes that will be listed and described in the Final Report. It is important for the NSCC to require regular system inspections by Comcast and timely repair of issues and code violations that are found. The NSCC should require Comcast to provide a detailed inspection and repair plan which addresses these and all issues and code violations in the NSCC service area. Documentation of these inspections and repairs needs to be provided to the NSCC on a regular basis, perhaps quarterly. Residential Network Conclusions and Recommendations Comcast's system as it is designed, built, equipped and maintained provides many services to its customers with some ability to add new services and react to subscribers' growing desire for additional services. However, there are areas for the NSCC to focus NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. on and address in the short term as well as into the future during the term of a renewed franchise. Some of the highlights include: • System Design and Bandwidth As subscribers' desires and needs increase over time, the system's bandwidth or capacity may need to increase. It is difficult to predict what bandwidth needs will be in just a few years, let alone over the course of a 10 year or longer franchise term. For instance, DOCSIS cable modem technology now allows the operator to expand available Internet access speeds and throughputs by utilizing additional channels or space on the system. Furthermore, new services will come along and the number of high definition services or channels will continue to increase as this becomes even more the preferred, if not demanded, means of TV watching. As previously mentioned, possible methods of minimizing the impact of additional bandwidth needs include upgrading the system to 1,000 MHz, upgrading the system to FTTP architecture and deployment of SDV. These and other options should be reviewed and considered as part of a Franchise mid-term technical review. • Analog Channel 18 The NSCC should work with Comcast to identify the cause of grainy or snowy pictures on the analog version of Channel 18. Based on those findings, Comcast should be required to implement a solution that will bring the quality of this PEG channel in line with the quality of all other analog channels on the system. • Regular Inspection of Infrastructure Comcast must be required to maintain its system infrastructure in a safe manner and ensure they protect the public as well as technicians and others that must enter the areas around cable TV infrastructure. The NSCC should require a maintenance program designed to regularly inspect all cable TV infrastructure with documentation provided to the NSCC detailing problems found, dates found and repaired and the ultimate resolution. xi NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. III. Summary of Major Findings Related to the Institutional Network CBG worked with the NSCC, CTV staff and I -Net users to gain an understanding of the current state of the I -Net, how it is performing, what changes need to be made and the perceived value of the network. 0 Background Information The I -Net serving CTV and the member cities of the NSCC is comprised of two, primarily separate yet related, networks. Comcast provides a fiber optic based network that offers connectivity to approximately 26 locations, including the ten member cities' city halls and municipal buildings, Ramsey County libraries, school district buildings, and the T.I.E.S. building. CTV, NSCC and the institutions provide all of the end user equipment required to light up or activate the fiber optic portion of the institutional network. In addition to the fiber optic based network, Comcast also provides a HFC based network that utilizes fiber optic infrastructure to send and receive signals to/from nodes located at each of the city halls in the NSCC fi•anchise area. At each of the nodes, forward (downstream) signals are transformed from light, on the fiber optic infrastructure, to Radio Frequencies (RF) for insertion onto the coaxial cable infrastructure for transmission and distribution to institutions served by the particular node. Forward (downstream) services include all analog video programming channels and data transmissions to institutions using the HFC system for data transport. In addition, the nodes receive return (upstream) RF signals from institutions via the coaxial infrastructure which feeds these signals into the node. The node converts these signals to light for transmission, via the fiber optic infrastructure, to the CTV Master Control. Some return signals include upstream data and video origination set -vices. • Fiber Optic I -Net The fiber optic based I -Net is used at approximately 26 locations today. Based on our discussions with NSCC and CTV staff, and staff representing the libraries, schools and cities, the fiber I -Net that is in place today is set ving a significant data transportation need A NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. for its users. It was made clear that the services and applications enabled by this fiber optic I -Net need to remain in place going forward with the ability to expand and enhance these services as needs dictate. NSCC will need to plan on upgrading the equipment utilized to activate the fiber I -Net over the course of a renewed franchise as bandwidth needs increase and as the existing equipment hits its end -of -life. • HFC I -Net The HFC I -Net offers (utilized full time or part time) services to approximately 18 institutions and 10 remote locations such as the Roseville bandshell and along parade routes in Roseville, Shoreview, Little Canada, New Brighton, etc. The HFC I -Net is used for data communications at approximately 8 of these locations and is utilized for video applications at the remaining locations. The HFC I -Net fills a significant need for sites generally having lower bandwidth needs than the sites connected via fiber on the fiber optic I -Net. Furthermore, the HFC I -Net allows for connections at virtually any location along the coaxial cable portion of the system. This provides significant flexibility for live productions to be transported back to the CTV Master Control facility for insertion on the subscriber network in one or more of the 10 member cities. I -Net Concerns and Recommendations The NSCC requested documentation from Comcast showing historical records of maintenance and testing of the I -Net over the period from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010. Comcast's response was that it has no report, records, data or documents responsive to this request. In addition Comcast indicated that no testing was performed during this period. Based on the lack of testing of the HFC I -Net and lack of documentation, it is not possible to determine whether the I -Net has performed in accordance with the agreed upon technical standards defined in the franchise. Comcast did provide outage data for the I -Net. The data provided shows numbers of outages and service degradation to be at a level that would be expected from an HFC based network. The current HFC I -Net was last upgraded over twelve years ago. However, the NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. amplifiers in use today date back to the 1980s. Some of these have been in operation for nearly 30 years. Therefore, we recommend that, if this HFC I -Net is to be utilized going forward, these amplifiers be replaced rather than hoping that over the course of a renewed franchise term of 10-15 years, they will continue to operate successfully. In addition, many of the power supplies in operation on the HFC I -Net, date back to around 2000. These power supplies will have reached their end -of -life prior to the end of a renewed franchise. Indeed, some may have already reached end -of -life. Another issue, if it is determined that upgrading the HFC I -Net infrastructure is an option to explore, is that the headend electronics, and in particular the cable modem system would need to be replaced. The current LanCity cable modem system was state -of -the art in the mid to late 1990s. It has not been manufactured or supported by the manufacturer for approximately 10 years. Furthermore, the maximum throughput or bandwidth of this equipment is, and will continue to be, less than what end users will require going forward. The NSCC should work with Comcast to ensure that the services, and flexibility, offered by the HFC I -Net remain in place over the course of a renewed Franchise term. This likely will not include having Comcast continue to operate and maintain the HFC I -Net as it is built today. Alternative options that allow for transport of data and specifically video over data need to be explored with Comcast. Some potential solutions for the continued network availability and functionality provided by the HFC I -Net going forward are described in the PEG Access Signal Transport and Distribution section of this Executive Summary. IV. Summary of Major Findings Related to PEG Access Signal Transport and Distribution CTV provides playback and master control functions from its Roseville offices for all of the public access channels, as well as for many of the government and educational access AV NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. channels, and aggregates the signals for the channels/entities that do their own playback. All of this access signal origination from CTV's Roseville facility is directly connected via fiber to the Comcast headend in Roseville through Comcast's Converged Regional Area Network (GRAN or C -RAN). The C -RAN is a regional interconnect used to transport all of Comcast's video, voice and Internet traffic around the Twin Cities to the various hub locations. This network is used, in the case of PEG programming, to transport services to the Roseville headend and the Shoreview hub for insertion onto the subscriber system serving the member cities. Beyond this, there are fiber I -Net connections from all of the local government members of the NSCC providing programming from their main City Hall locations, as well as fiber connections from the Roseville Schools, St. Anthony Schools and Moundsview Schools. Additionally, the HFC I -Net provides both frequent and occasional connectivity from a variety of locations throughout the NSCC area, including: Northwestern University, the Roseville Band Shell, Central Park and other locations. Both remote trucks also tie into the HFC I -Net to provide live signal origination from various locations throughout the NSCC area. Comcast provides access to an interconnect that utilizes infrastructure put in place as part of the C -RAN to provide the NSCC and other local franchise authorities to share video, voice and data services. This interconnect is commonly referred to as the PRISMA network. The equipment used to activate the network has a manufacture's name of PRISMA. Regarding the region -wide interconnect over the PRISMA system, CTV is a primary hub between various access entities throughout the Twin Cities area. This PRISMA interconnect system allows CTV to share programming (both send and receive) with these various entities. It also allows CTV to route around NASA programming, which is first downlinked at Comcast's Roseville headend and then provided through the dedicated CRAN fiber to CTV for further distribution across the interconnect. A review of these various signal transportation systems revealed the following concerning needs and interests for the future: xv NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. • Access Signal Origination via Fiber Optic Connections These connections from fixed locations throughout the NSCC area needed to continue in order to provide programming from the various local governments and school districts to CTV to be further distributed on the access channels. However, these connections are currently provided in a SD (Standard definition) format. In order to meet the needs assessed, they will need to be converted to an HD (high definition) format. This will require upgrading the equipment on both ends (both at the local government and school district signal origination site and at the CTV receive site) in order to enable HD transport. Similarly, the multiplexed, aggregated, feed from CTVS' offices to Comcast over the C - RAN, currently provides signals in an SD format. Here again, the equipment on both ends (at CTV and at Comcast's Roseville headend) needs to be upgraded in order to provide HD transport. In each case, this includes upgrading encoders and decoders (for a higher HD encoding rate) as well as optical transport equipment (HD requires a higher transfer rate, and potentially some different multiplexing gear so additional colors of light may be utilized) in order to enable HD signal transport. • Upgrade of the HFC I -Net or Replacement with an Alternative The HFC I -Net has experienced both some reliability and maintenance issues, as more specifically detailed earlier in this Executive Summary. Since remote video origination also needs to be able to facilitate HD transport, the HFC I -Net will need to be upgraded to provide highly reliable, higher capacity connections. This would enable remote origination in HD for productions provided through use of each of the remote production trucks, or the use of portable "mini -mobile" production equipment (the encoders currently in use by the trucks, as well as that recommended for the mini -mobile unit, would need to be upgraded to HD transport as part of each of these solutions). One possible method to meet the data transportation needs currently being fulfilled by the HFC I -Net is to implement a high capacity DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem system that would xvi NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. enable a minimum of 27 Mbps to be provided upstream on the HFC I -Net. Another possible method is to convert the HFC I -Net for all sites that are frequent remote origination sites (such as the Roseville Band Shell) to fully fiber optic connections. These would then be provided with the same transport equipment and system recommended for the upgrade of the existing fiber I -Net which would further satisfactorily enable HD transmissions. Another alternative for these and other sites on the current HFC I -Net is to provide "nomadic" DOCSIS 3.0 business class modems on the residential system. This could also enable HD transport from those current HFC I -Net origination sites. This would further provide a potential access origination feed from literally anywhere on the subscriber network. An issue here that would need to be addressed from the beginning of a renewed franchise, is the need to give these modems priority so that a high capacity video signal could be delivered without contention or interference from other business class cable modem users. One other possibility would be to establish a wireless system for signal transport between remote locations and CTV's offices. This could be established in a variety of ways. For example, digital microwave technology could be employed that provides enough capacity for HD transport. This would most likely require microwave send facilities to be added to both production trucks, receive antennas either at the Comcast headend or at CTV's main offices and potentially one or more repeater antennas to be established on tall buildings or towers throughout the NSCC franchise area. Another, relatively new way would be to establish a 4G cellular (WiMax or other) connection for the remote production trucks and the portable mini -mobile facility through the chosen cellular carrier's network CTV's offices. There is also a relatively new system that will chain 3G links together to provide the necessary bandwidth. Here again, priority "quality of service"(QOS) would need to be established so that other cellular users would not contend for the high capacity, real-time bandwidth needed. This xvii NSCC Executive Summary CBG Communications, Inc. approach would most likely incur a significant recurring charge with the cellular carrier or at least an occasional surcharge when the circuit is actually in use. Even if wireless methods are chosen because of their high degree of flexibility to be used anywhere within the NSCC franchise area, we recommend that there always be an alternate wireline solution. • Upgrade of the PRISMA Interconnect System The current capacity utilized on the PRISMA interconnect system between CTV and other access entities in the Twin Cities has functioned well for both video and data communications across the region. However, with the advent of HD transport between and among entities, it will be necessary to upgrade the PRISMA interconnect as well. Our understanding is that there is significant excess capacity available within the current PRISMA equipment chassis and across the fiber transport links from hub to hub. However, this capacity is gated so that CTV currently is able to only use 20 — 30 Mbps of transport capacity. We believe that at least 50 Mbps per entity, per segment, needs to be dedicated, up to a total limit of 250 Mbps, that can be utilized within the 1 Gbps connection. This should provide significant capacity for HD video as well as data communications. All of the above findings and recommendations will be explained in more detail in the Full Report. xviii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COMMUNITY NEEDS ASCERTAINMENT NORTH SUBURBAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, St. Anthony and Shoreview, Minnesota) January 30, 2012 Prepared by THE BUSKE GROUP 4808 T STREET SACRAMENTO, CA 95819 (916) 441-6277 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COMMUNITY NEEDS ASCERTAINMENT NORTH SUBURBAN COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 1. INTRODUCTION The Buske Group was retained by the North Suburban Communications Commission (NSCC) -- a 10 -city municipal joint powers consortium consisting of the Cities of Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, St. Anthony, and Shoreview, Minnesota -- to conduct an ascertainment of community cable -related needs and interests, for use during the franchise renewal process. The Buske Group was authorized to conduct research in order to identify current and future community cable -related needs and interests, and to make recommendations to the NSCC and its member cities. Comcast currently operates an integrated cable system in the NSCC franchise area under individual franchises that expire in 2013, and reportedly serves about 30,000 subscribers in this 10 -city franchise area. As a matter of federal law, the cable -related needs and interests of residents and the community in general are protected in part through the franchise renewal process. As part of the franchise renewal process, the NSCC, on behalf of its member cities, is responsible for identifying cable -related needs and interests, and translating those interests into franchise requirements. During renewal proceedings, the NSCC may, by way of example but not limitation, identify basic requirements for cable system capacity, functionality, and customer service, and require cable operators to provide -- among other things -- facilities and equipment and channels for Public, Educational, and Government (PEG) Access. As stated in the legislative history to the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, as amended: The ability of a local government entity to require particular cable facilities (and to enforce requirements in the Franchise to provide those facilities) is essential if cable systems are to be tailored to the needs of each community [and the legislation] explicitly grants this power to the franchising authority. It is wise to use a variety of informational -gathering tools when conducting a needs assessment in any subject area. However, it is critical to use a variety'of tools when dealing with an arena driven by rapidly changing technology, such as cable communications. The Buske Group gathered information using a number of established and widely accepted research methods, including: (1) five community focus group sessions, featuring a group brainstorming portion and the completion of standardized questionnaires by the participants; (2) an on-line survey; (3) a statistically valid telephone survey of Comcast cable subscribers in the 10 member cities; (4) a review of PEG Access activities; (5) meetings with PEG Access staff; (6) an on-site examination of the PEG Access facilities and equipment, including eight of the 10 member cities' council chambers production equipment packages; and (7) face-to-face interviews with I -Net and PEG access users during nine (9) on-site meetings. The major findings and primary recommendations that arose from the research and analysis activities conducted by The Buske Group are provided in the following sections of this Executive Summary. A more detailed presentation of the analysis and recommendations is contained in the full text of the Community Needs Ascertainment report. II. SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS The primary findings from the 155 responses to a questionnaire by focus group participants or on-line survey respondents are as follows. See Section III of this Executive Summary for recommendations resulting from these findings. • Over half of these respondents subscribe to the Comcast cable TV service, and of this group, 45% pay extra to receive HD channels, 41% subscribe to Comcast's internet and telephone service, and 32.1 % subscribe to Comcast's internet service (but not telephone service). • When Comcast subscribers were asked to indicate which one source they used most often to find information about programming on their cable TV channels, the most frequently indicated source was Comcast's on-screen program guide, which was indicated more than three times as often as the next most popular source. • A majority of the respondents to the questionnaire answered either "Very Good" or "Good" when asked to indicate their level of satisfaction with the quality of the picture and sound from Comcast and the reliability of the Comcast cable TV service. However, few of these Comcast subscribers answered positively when asked about the fairness of the rates for basic and premium cable TV services. • When the Comcast subscriber -respondents were asked to indicate their "overall" level of satisfaction with Comcast, over half of them indicated that they were "Very Satisfied" or "Somewhat Satisfied". • Survey respondents who do not subscribe to the Comcast cable TV service most frequently indicated that they didn't subscribe because "Cable TV service is too expensive", `7 receive enough programming on over -the -air broadcast stations" or "7'm not interested —1 don't watch TV enough to make it worthwhile". • Three-fourths of all Comcast subscriber -respondents indicated that they had watched a CTV North Suburbs ("CTV") channel. Of these respondents, very high percentages said they agreed or strongly agreed that CTV provides a valuable public service, provides programming that deals with local issues, and provides programming that publicizes local services. • About 80% of all survey respondents know that community organizations can have programs about the services and activities appear on a CTV channel and that they can learn how to make programs to show on a CTV channel. • Over half of the survey respondents who had watched a CTV channel indicated that the picture and sound quality was either a "little lower or "much lower quality" as compared to the other channels of the Comcast cable TV service. • Positive/neutral comments about CTV outnumbered negative comments by about five to one. • More than 85% of all survey respondents indicated that it was either "Very Important" or "Important" to have local cable TV channels that feature programs about local residents, organizations, schools, government, events and issues. • When all of the survey respondents were asked to indicate their level of interest in seeing certain types of programs, the leading responses were "local news and information",- "governmental/public entity meetings, etc.",- "live concerts and other performances", "programs about local history, arts and artists",- and "community festivals, neighborhood events". During the brainstorming portion of the focus group sessions, participants identified the following community needs, interests, and concerns: • Concerns in the following seven areas were most often mentioned when focus group participants were asked to identify the key issues facing them, their neighbors, community organizations, local government, and schools in the next five years: Economic Development / Jobs / Cost of Living / Poverty / Housing (e.g., availability of housing; budget cuts and resources; football stadium; impact of homes going into foreclosure; job training and adult education; lower income population; poverty; redevelopment and infill development; tax increases) Diversity/Demographics/Immigration/Age and Race -Related Concerns (e.g., aging population; changing demographics; diversity of language and culture; growing/diverse school enrollment; serving multi -culture residence immigrants) Technology, Telecommunications and Media (e.g., changing delivery of electronic media; declining use of print media; gap in access to technology; keeping current cable system and I -Net in place; lack of computers in homes) Arts and Education -Related Concerns (e.g., ability to share cultural richness; increased use of long distance learning; lack of cultural events; need for stronger education and adult education; schools cuts for arts) li • Communication Problems, Networking, Funding (e.g., lack of civic engagement; difficulty in getting community engaged in issues; lack of volunteerism; people with very busy schedules; polarization among community groups) • Infrastructure/Transportation (e.g., aging infrastructure; cost of roads and streets; lack of public and adaptive transportation) • Government -Related Concerns (e.g., the need for cooperation and consolidation between local governments; increasing dysfunction in state and local government) • When asked what makes it difficult for organizations, local government departments, or schools to effectively communicate information to their constituencies and residents of the NSCC member cities, the leading areas identified were: * Lack of time, resources, communication skills, collaboration * Audience issues, apathy, information overload, other interests, etc. * Inadequate communications media and methods * PEG Access -related issues * Language, cultural and other barriers • When asked how their organizations or agencies could use cable or PEG Access channels and a community media center to inform, entertain, and educate area residents, over 100 suggestions of program content and technology applications were identified. • When asked what would make it easier for their organization to use cable or PEG Access channels and a community media center to communicate, the primary categories of need included: * Cable Company's Infrastructure, Equipment and System Design, Policies, etc. (e.g., cable more accessible to low income population; easier remote origination; PEG channels with technical quality of broadcast channels [SAP, closed captioning, HD]; regional interconnection of PEG channels; VOD for PEG Access) * PEG Access Programming, Distribution, Bandwidth, Channels (e.g., bandwidth for future services [3D, HD]; NSCC franchise area government channel; CTV apps for mobile devices; live video streaming; sharing program content across the state) * PEG Access Staff, Assistance, Policies, Services, Collaboration (e.g., build partnerships between organizations to create programming; cost effective technical assistance; more staff to create content; studio and edit suite schedules online) v * PEG Access Promotion and Outreach (e.g., better promotion of CTV programming; CTV programs on Comcast's interactive program guide; more effective marketing of CTV channels and services) * PEG Access Facilities and Equipment (e.g., laptop editing systems for checkout; standardization of equipment; updated equipment / upgrade plan) * PEG Access Training (e.g., media literacy training; online training videos) * PEG Access Funding (e.g., budget for equipment maintenance and upgrade; more funds for budget) The primary findings of the telephone survey of Comcast subscribers are as follows. See Section III of this Executive Summary for recommendations resulting from these findings. • In general, the telephone survey respondents indicated that they are satisfied with the Comcast cable TV service. • Almost 90% of the telephone survey respondents rated the reliability of Comcast's cable TV service and the quality of the picture and sound as "good" or "very good." The item that received the lowest rating was "the fairness of the rates charged by Comcast for cable TV service", which was rated as "good" or "very good" by only 14.3% of the respondents. • Nearly half of Comcast subscribers are "triple play" subscribers which subscribe to both telephone and Internet service, in addition to cable TV service. • Nearly half of the telephone survey respondents said they most often use Comcast's on-screen guide to find programming information, far more than any other method. • About half of the telephone survey respondents said they have watched a CTV channel (most frequently watched are channels 14, 15 and 16). • A very large majority of all telephone survey respondents said it is either "important" or "very important" to have local cable TV channels that feature programs about area residents, organizations, schools, government, events and issues. • When all telephone survey respondents were asked how interested they would be in watching each of 10 different categories of programming, they indicated that they are most interested in local news & information programs, followed by live concert programs and programs about local history, arts and artists. vi The primary findings regarding PEG Access services, facilities, and equipment are as follows. See Section III of this Executive Summary for recommendations resulting from these findings. • CTV North Suburbs (CTV) is a nonprofit organization established to manage and develop PEG Access activities and programming on the Comcast cable system. CTV and its producers have received over 40 national awards for its programs. CTV has 15 full-time staff (plus four part-time staff, as -needed contractors, and several interns) that handle a variety of management, outreach, training, production, programming, and promotional activities. • About 90% of CTV's annual funding is provided by Comcast, in accordance with its franchise obligations. CTV's other reported revenue sources more than doubled between 2008 and 2010. • An average of 117 hours per month of first -run locally -produced programming has been presented on CTV channels 14 and 15 during the past three years. • During the past three years, CTV reports that a total of 638 multiple -camera remote field productions were created by their volunteers. • Usage levels of the CTV equipment packages during the past three years were very high. • Many items in the CTV equipment inventory are over 10 years old. • The equipment packages for the Council Chambers of the 10 member cities have a wide range of quality and sophistication. Many equipment items in these packages are also more than 10 years old. • CTV and the Cities will need to upgrade much of its field production, editing, studio, master control, and Council Chambers equipment. CTV's equipment should be able to record and transmit programs in both standard and high definition formats. vii The primary findings from meetings with representatives of interest groups, institutions, and organizations regarding I-Net/PEG Access resources are as follows. See Section III of this Executive Summary for recommendations resulting from these findings. • Demographics of the 10 city NSCC area are changing, becoming more ethnically diverse, and a growing lower income population • Cities and CTV need to evolve services to address new needs of area residents • Comcast needs to improve cable modem service and address a number of other concerns relating to modems • Comcast needs to improve the PEG Access signal quality. • Comcast should retain existing PEG channels, PEG funding, PEG Universal service tier, and I -Net. • Comcast should include program information for the PEG access channels on the Interactive Program Guide, and make PEG content available in high definition and video -on -demand. • CTV needs to evolve to an updated operational model. • Services not currently provided by CTV that are desired include better promotion of PEG channels, services, and content; expanded and more specialized training; social media training; expanded collaboration with and services to nonprofits and government departments; and public service announcements (PSA) production support. VM 111. PRIMARY RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING . CURRENT AND FUTURE COMMUNITY CABLE -RELATED NEEDS AND INTERESTS A. CABLE PLANT AND HEADEND 1. Any cable system serving the NSCC franchise area should include features typically found in state-of-the-art systems. The Franchise should include reasonable standards for upgrades during the Franchise term, as technological changes occur. 2. There is a need for and interest in ensuring that the signal quality and functionality of PEG Access channels is equivalent to the highest quality channel offered on the cable system, both now and throughout the Franchise term. 3. There is a need for and interest in having the ability to easily transmit "live" programming from locations throughout the NSCC franchise area. 4. In addition to maintaining a minimum of the current allocation of bandwidth for the PEG Access channels and programming in the NSCC franchise area, there is a need for and interest in ensuring that Comcast provides sufficient capacity and other accommodations to enable: (a) the transmission of closed captions for PEG Access programs that are delivered with such content, (b) the delivery of PEG Access channels to cable subscribers in the same formats that are used by the highest quality commercial channel carried on the system, including high definition; and (c) on -demand viewing of PEG Access programming [including selected PEG Access programs to be available in high definition to cable subscribers via the on -demand service]. 5. Comcast should continue to provide the physical plant, spectrum and any necessary equipment at the headend and node locations set aside as an Institutional Network (I -Net), as required by and described in the current franchise, to permit video, voice, and data to be originated and received at designated I -Net sites on a point-to-point and point - to -multi -point basis. Additionally, the I -Net should be expanded to include additional points throughout the NSCC franchise area, to facilitate the ability of CTV to originate live programming from the community. 6. There is a need for and interest in ensuring that Comcast includes full program listings for PEG Access programs on their electronic and print program guides. B. SUBSCRIBER SERVICES AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 1. There is a need for and interest in requiring Comcast to meet or exceed the FCC's customer service obligations. Comcast should be required to prove that it is in compliance, and should take immediate steps to bring itself into compliance if it is not. Special attention should be given to the ability to quickly contact a Comcast customer service representative, the ease of getting problems repaired or resolved by Comcast, and the ease of getting services installed or changed by Comcast. 2. Adequate PEG Access bandwidth should be made available on the subscriber network (with such channels grouped together on the lowest cost tier of services). Additional bandwidth/capacity should be available to enable on -demand and high definition capability for PEG Access programming, and for future PEG Access purposes. All PEG Access bandwidth/capacity should be provided free of charge. C. PEG ACCESS 1. Based upon input received during the needs assessment process and the experience with PEG Access in other communities, there is a need for and interest in continuing, enhancing and expanding PEG Access services in the NSCC franchise area. 2. Any new Franchise Agreement should include provisions to: a. maintain the current allocation of bandwidth to deliver all PEG Access channels that are now provided to Comcast cable subscribers in the NSCC franchise area; b. ensure that Comcast has sufficient bandwidth/capacity available for future PEG Access purposes, to be activated in accordance with a pre -determined programming -based formula, when programming amounts strain existing PEG Access bandwidth/capacity; c. ensure that all PEG access channels are located on the lowest cost tier of service and in a consecutive or near consecutive group of channels throughout the term of the new Franchise; d. ensure that each PEG Access programming service is given the same channel location on the system of any Franchisee serving the NSCC franchise area; e. ensure that the free PEG Access Universal tier continues to be available in the NSCC franchise area; X f. ensure that PEG Access channel locations may only be changed if Comcast must do so due to comply with FCC requirements or for technical reasons, with the approval of the NSCC, and with aU costs related to re -branding and marketing of channel relocations to be paid by Comcast; g. ensure that PEG Access channels have the same functionality and capacity as the highest quality over -the -air broadcast channels delivered by Comcast on its cable system (including the ability to transmit signals in any format, to transmit video and audio signals only, or to transmit other information — e.g., secondary audio, text, digital information, high definition signals, and other audio signals); h. ensure that Comcast provides sufficient storage space, encoding, and other accommodations to enable on demand viewing of selected CTV programs, and i. ensure that Comcast continues to provide all PEG Access bandwidth/ capacity free of charge to the NSCC, CTV, and PEG Access community producers, 3. Based upon the current condition and shortcomings of the CTV and cities' facilities and equipment, any new Franchise Agreement should include provisions to ensure that Comcast provides grant funding to replace and upgrade the existing CTV and cities' equipment packages, and provide periodic replacement capital equipment grants. 4. To help meet the expressed community cable -related needs and interests, and to help meet the expressed community cable -related needs and interests, any new Franchise Agreement adopted by the NSCC should include provisions to ensure that initial and ongoing PEG Access support grants are provided by Comcast., 5. To help promote the CTV channels, programming and services to area residents and cable subscribers more effectively, the Franchise Agreement adopted by the NSCC should include provisions to ensure that Comcast provides the following: a. courtesy promotion of the CTV channels -- including full program listings for PEG Access programs -- in all print and electronic program guides for their subscribers; b. free insertion of promotional spots for the CTV channels and programs on the cable satellite services that make times available for local advertising insertions. A LAUDERDALE COUNCIL ACTION FORM Action Requested Consent Public Hearing Discussion X Action Resolution Work Session Meeting Date June 12, 2012 ITEM NUMBER SR Tables and Chairs rt STAFF INITIAL , APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATOR DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: A couple of years ago the Council began allowing residents to rent the tables and chairs from the social room. The Council opted to collect a damage deposit from users but not a rental fee. Every year a chair or two breaks and the tables are showing signs of wear, espe- cially cracking on the sides. Some will need to be replaced in the near future. I recently mentioned to Councilor Mac Lean staff's idea to take a small fee from those that rent the equipment to have the money on hand to replace the tables and chairs. She said she felt this is something the Council should consider. Staff's initial thought was a dollar a table and twenty-five cents a chair. I checked Midway Party Rental and they charge $8.75 for a similar table and $1.40 for a folding chair. While the tables and chairs aren't rented often, each 6 table/40 chair rental would generate $10. It is a small amount but enough to replace a table or a couple of chairs each year. The Council set the damage deposit at $100 per table and $25 per chair (the approximate replacement cost). For the same 6 table/40 chair rental, the damage deposit is $1,600. That covers any potential loss from them not being returned (so long as the check clears). If the Council feels that damage deposit requirement should be changed, this would be a good time to do that as well. OPTIONS: Consider changing the rental fees for city property. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: COUNCIL ACTION: City of Lauderdale 1891 Walnut Street • Lauderdale • Minnesota 55113 Phone: 651.792.7650 Fax: 651.631.2066 APPLICATION FOR USE OF CITY PROPERTY APPLICANT INFORMATION: Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Telephone No.: Organization (if applicable): USE INFORMATION: Date Use: Hours Used: Items Requested: Number of tables: x $100.00 deposit = Number of metal folding chairs: x $20.00 deposit = By signing this application, the applicant agrees to the following conditions that apply to the reservation and use of Lauderdale equipment. 1. Reservations must be made at least 24 hours before the item(s) are needed and the deposit must be included with the reservation 2. Equipment must be used by Lauderdale residents and must be used within the City of Lauderdale. Under no circumstances shall any Lauderdale equipment be taken outside of Lauderdale city limits. 3. The resident reserving the equipment is responsible for picking up the item(s) from City Hall and returning the equipment to City Hall. The pick up and return of equipment must generally be done between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding official holidays. Residents can arrange with staff a more mutually acceptable time if residents are unable to make it during regular office hours. 4. Staff will document the condition of equipment before it leaves City Hall and again when it is returned. 5. The resident who reserves the equipment is responsible for the equipment from the time it leaves City Hall until it is returned and inventoried by staff. 6. Failure to return or excessive damage to equipment will result in forfeiture of the deposit and a prohibition on future use of equipment. Applicant's Signature Please Print Applicant's Name Date FOR OFFICE USE ONLY: Date Application Received: Approved By: Deposit Amount: Check number: Cash: Pickup Date: No. tables: No. chairs: Staff: Return Date: No. tables: No. chairs: Staff. Damage to City Property: Deposit Returned: Deposit Withheld: LAUDERDALE COUNCIL ACTION FORM Action Requested Consent Public Hearing Discussion X Action Resolution Work Session Meeting Date May 22, 2012 ITEM NUMBER Rental Housing Ordinance STAFF INITIAL DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: As we discussed at the last meeting, there are many changes needed to improve the rental housing ordinance. Many of them are "technical" and Katrina will draft the revisions so they comply with state law. Other issues are policy oriented and require Council direction. I wanted to get Council perspective on the following: • How many violations can occur before a license could be revoked? At the meeting, we discussed 3 in one year. • Does the City want to license rented units in Brandychase Condominiums? I have en- gaged them in the discussion but ultimately it is the decision of the Council. • Does a violation within a multi -unit building get held against the offending unit or the entire building? • Other issues you see or complaints you have received. As we get closer to having a draft prepared, we can invite the rental property owners to a city council meeting to discuss the changes. LAUDERDALE COUNCIL ACTION FORM Action Requested Consent Public Hearing Discussion X Action Resolution Work Session Meeting Date June 12, 2012 ITEM NUMBER _August 14 Council Meeting= STAFF INITIAL APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATOR DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: The City Council is scheduled to have a meeting the evening of August 14, which is the date of the state primary this year. The council meeting could start at 8:00 p.m. but that is always difficult as staff are stretched thin on election days. Ill w 1 [e7►f.`A Consider whether the Council would like to change the date of the August 14 council meet- ing. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: COUNCIL ACTION: LAUDERDALE COUNCIL ACTION FORM Action Requested Consent Public Hearing Discussion Action Resolution Work Session X Meeting Date June 12, 2012 ITEM NUMBER Alley Trimming STAFF INITIAL quff��mw APPROVED BY ADMINISTRATOR DESCRIPTION OF ISSUE AND PAST COUNCIL ACTION: Each year around this time we start receiving complaints that neighbors bushes are growing into the alleys and scratching cars. Public works then spends a couple of weeks trimming back the growth. It appears to be a service residents have come to expect of the City. The issue is that the City, like any property owner, is only legally allowed to trim what hangs over their property (the paved alley right-of-way). In practice this doesn't work well so staff have trimmed to the extent necessary. I expected at some point someone wouldn't like that the city staff was trimming their bushes. Last year the Council received the follow- ing letter. I told Yvonne that the City would not trim her bushes again. Before staff starts trimming again (and anyone else gets upset), I wanted to discuss the issue with the Council. There are a couple of "hot spots." I would say the issue is most prevalent where one side of the block accesses their property from the street and the neighbors across the alley use the alley. It may be that the neighbors don't realize their bushes have grown so big or they may enjoy the privacy they provide. Often the growth is on the other side of a fence and the property owner may think the plantings aren't theirs. There are probably a variety of rea- sons folks don't take are of their plantings. Attached are two photos from Fulham Street. I tried to center the picture over the property line. Basically, if you fold the picture in half, the growth on the right side of the page is what the city could legally trim. OPTIONS: There are a couple of options: • Have staff continue to trim as they have been. • Have staff trim (as best they can) only those section that are in the alley right-of-way. • Notify homeowners to trim their plantings when the city receives complaints. • Notify homeowners to trim their plantings with staff trimming those areas were the own- ers don't take care of the problem. • Treat like all other code violations (send notice and follow up if they don't comply). Heather Butkowski From: Yvonne Ward <yvnward@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 20117:27 AM To: *LAUCouncil Subject: Bushes along alley Yvonne Ward 1787 Carl St. Lauderdale, MN To all concerned, The bushes across the back of my property, next to the alley, have been severely, and improperly pruned -- rather, they have been chopped. These dogwood bushes were planted as part of a $3000.00 landscaping plan, designed to eliminate the erosion and flooding problems caused when the city of Lauderdale paved the alley between Carl Street and Eustis. We did not go to the city for compensation of the loss of our perennial plants nor for payment of the wall that needed to be built and planted to keep the alley from eroding into our backyard. We also added a rain garden to absorb all the extra water we now receive during storms, to keep it out of the basement. I have been keeping the branches out of the alley for years; now I find that during the last few days, the bushes have been chopped back, not to the alley edge, but into our yard. I am not sure that the bushes will recover from the damage inflicted. If my pruning was inadequate, a message from the city would have sent me back to the alley to prune properly. I will now try to recover my dogwoods. Please do not touch them in the future, if they even sun)ive. Here is my email address: yvnwardggmail.com I ask that you please help me to keep Lauderdale green and pleasant. Thank you, Yvonne Ward VIC 1 Af P, At 6 1 Jr