It’s something Lake Havasu City’s Communications & Intergovernmental Affairs Manager Charlie Cassens says he's been living for the past four years: a new audio and video broadcast system upgrade in the City Council chambers.

The February 2009 upgrade could completely change the way residents view council meetings.

“It is something that will be very beneficial for people in Lake Havasu City,” said Cassens.

Cassens called the system update the first phase in what could eventually change the way the city provides residents information.

Residents will be given a number of multi-media options for council meetings once the new system is in place. Council meetings would be broadcast in real-time via the Internet and a new city television station. Residents would also have access to previous council meetings, being able to select specific topics to view online without having to access the entire meeting.

The city is due to have its own television station provided by NPG Cable. Cassens said TV 45 would no longer broadcast the council meetings.

The city would have the ability to take the station outside of the council chambers and utilize it as an information tool for residents. In addition to regular council meeting broadcasts, the city could use the station to broadcast Planning & Zoning Commission meetings, updates on capital improvement projects and special events. The city may even consider a news broadcast that would provide 24-hour, up to the minute news and emergency warnings.

The city is looking to become paper-free with its council meetings. Instead of the council agendas being printed, using what Cassens said is in excess of 120-150 pounds of paper each meeting, meeting agendas would be electronic. Residents would have access to the entire agenda packet, including presentations and detailed descriptions of agenda items.

Part of the communications upgrade includes new equipment inside the council chambers. Each councilmember would be equipped with a new laptop, which Cassens says could allow for anonymous voting on agenda items. The council would still have an oral vote, but an electronic vote would allow councilmembers the privacy of a non-persuasive vote.

The upgrade includes new microphones, amplifiers and speakers in the council chambers. Cassens noted the city has long had problems with the audibility and acoustics at council meetings.

He pointed out the council chamber space was not meant for meetings. It was originally a police training facility meant to be used temporarily for council meetings.

Cassens also intends to mount a slide projector to the ceiling in the council chambers, allowing meeting attendees a better view of presentations.

San Francisco media company Granicus’ Inc. is handling the media archiving upgrade. Cassens said the company has more than 400 clients nationwide, including the Arizona State Legislature.

The city is paying for phase one of the upgrade with a $140,000 cash grant from NPG Cable. The company has a franchise license agreement with the city to be its primary cable provider that requires it provides a television channel for the exclusive use of city government. Cassens said he hopes the city will expand upon this in the future with another channel that could be used by Lake Havasu Unified School District.

Cassens noted under the license agreement the $140,000 grant could be used only for the city government channel. NPG would have the right to retain that money if the city elected not to utilize the television space.

For several years, NPG cable television subscribers paid franchise fees that go to the city’s general fund. NPG renewed its license agreement with the city in 2005.

In that new agreement, the city was awarded 5 percent of the franchise fees collected by NPG each month, which is the maximum amount allowed by law to be collected by city governments. The city is collecting $350,000 to $360,000 in franchise fees from the agreement yearly. Previously, those funds have gone into the general fund and been used accordingly. Cassens said the initial idea of the agreement was the city would eventually apply some of those funds toward an audio/visual upgrade, though it have yet to move forward with that plan.

“The expansion plan is to grow into it and hopefully produce our own work programs, but it will take more cameras and equipment,” Cassens said. “The franchise fees should be able to pay for it, and we will be discussing it in the future.”

The average NPG cable subscriber pays around $2 a month in franchise fees, Cassens said, so the amount is not drastic. Telephone and Internet subscribers with NPG do not pay franchise fees.

Cassens also stated NPG could not raise the amount of franchise fees it collects from customers without a renegotiated contract with the city.

Cassens said the purpose of the franchise fees involvement in the new upgrade is so the residents profit from the increase in the amounts collected, which before 2005 were around 3 percent.

“When the increase was approved by the City Council, it was for the community to get something for those fees,” said Cassens.

The 2 percent fee increase has resulted in $150,000 to $200,000 more in franchise fees for the city.

Cassens believes once residents see the benefit of the new upgrade they will understand why it is so badly needed. He pointed out Lake Havasu City is a bit behind the times with their council broadcasts, as most cities in Arizona already have systems like this in place.

“I am hoping once the council and community see the value of this, they are certainly going to want to expand,” he said.

You may contact this reporter at twaggoner@havasunews.com