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County says Comcast franchise fees make up most license revenue; telecoms only source for cable franchise fees
Summary
Cowlitz County finance staff told commissioners that the licenses-and-permits revenue line is dominated by Comcast franchise fees and that, under current state law and local practice, franchise fees for cable are limited to telecommunications providers.
Kathy Fund Baxter, finance director, and department staff reviewed the county’s general‑fund nondepartmental revenues, telling the board that the licenses and permits line — budgeted at $203,000 — is primarily Comcast franchise fees paid quarterly.
“Is that the only thing that’s in that, or are there other franchise fees that we’re collecting also?” a commissioner asked. Kathy Fund Baxter replied that Comcast was the only current contributor to that line.
County engineer Susan Eugenis explained the legal and operational limits on franchise fee collections: annual cable franchise fees can be collected from telecommunications providers and must be directed to specified activities, such as meeting-televising costs; renewal-related fees and advertisement/attorney costs associated with franchise renewals are also recoverable. She noted a recent court case discussed by county counsel that affected how some other jurisdictions treated franchise fees, but said Cowlitz County’s current authority is limited.
Staff said other right-of-way uses (for example, payments from public-utility districts) are not treated as franchise fees under state law and are not currently a source of recurring county franchise revenue.
Ending: No policy change was adopted; staff offered to bring a broader franchise discussion to a future Wednesday workshop if the board wants to explore fees and contracts with other right‑of‑way users.
