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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—JUNE 9, 2014 6 Mr. Bradley stated as part of the needs ascertain, NSCC sought opinions as to the needs of the franchise, along with a PEG fee analysis and CDG Communications, the Buske Group and Front Range Consulting, Inc. (FRC) assisted with this analysis. Mayor Grant explained that no matter the action taken by the Council this evening, Comcast would continue to operate in this community. Craig Wilson, Arden Hills' representative to the Cable Commission, noted that he has been the City's representative on the Cable Commission for the past 10 years. He briefly discussed the three year negotiation process stating that it has been lengthy and drawn out. Councilmember Holmes requested Mr. Wilson's major concerns on the formal proposal. Mr. Wilson stated that based on the information gathered in the needs assessments, and what Comcast was willing to provide the franchise, he believed the parties were too far apart at this time to approve the proposal. Mayor Grant read through highlights of the executive summary of the needs assessment completed by CDG Communications and FRC. He commented that FRC found that the Comcast proposal did not meet the needs of the member cities. He reviewed the PEG fee assessment completed by the Buske Group. It was noted that each of these companies was hired by NSCC to interpret the needs of the cable franchise. Councilmember Werner noted that NSCC recommended denial of the formal franchise on a 9-1 basis. This vote carried a lot of weight with him. Mayor Grant thanked Craig Wilson for his service on the Cable Commission for the past 10 years. He asked how Mr. Wilson voted on the formal franchise. Mr. Wilson explained that he recommended that the member cities preliminarily deny the formal cable franchise. Councilmember McClung thanked staff for providing the cable franchise information to the Council. He explained that all of the information provided to the Council was available online to the public. He indicated that he would be supporting the preliminary denial of the cable franchise. Councilmember Holmes requested further information on the PEG fees and if the rate was $4.15 or$7.57. Mr. Bradley indicated that the PEG fees were currently closer to $4.15 per month. He explained that Comcast was including operational support in their numbers, which has not been requested from NSCC going forward. Councilmember Holmes asked how NSCC would fund their operational needs. Mr. Bradley stated that this would be done through franchise fees and fundraising efforts.