Council affirms city manager control of JATV after heated debate over 2012 oversight

The Janesville Common Council on Feb. 24 voted to reaffirm the city’s sole ownership of Janesville Access Television (JATV) and to place day-to-day management authority with the city manager, after an extended debate over whether the 2012 council action that gave oversight to the library board was being circumvented.

City Manager Walt McLeener, who presented the administration’s position, said the change is intended to sustain and modernize JATV as cable franchise fees decline. “So the first one is that we are going to close JTV. That’s not the case,” McLeener said, adding the administration intends to use the city’s communications division to produce and distribute more content across additional digital platforms.

Supporters of the change argued the city must act now to preserve the station as an asset and to expand programming. Opponents said the process violated a prior formal council delegation of oversight to the library board and that the council should reclaim authority through proper procedural steps. “A 02/13/2012 resolution by the city council gave control to the library board,” Councilmember Miller said during debate, arguing the library board must first relinquish authority back to the council before the manager assumes control.

Library Board action on Feb. 18 to relinquish oversight was cited in the discussion; council members disagreed on whether that action was effective without council ratification. McLeener said the city considers the equipment and franchise as municipal assets and described the administration’s plan to preserve community access while expanding digital distribution and training opportunities.

A motion to table the item failed for lack of a second. The final motion to approve File Resolution 2025-2230 — “reaffirming the city of Janesville sole ownership and city manager’s management authority over Janesville Access Television, Media Services, Operations, and Equipment” — passed 5 yes, 1 no.

Council members asked for and heard a brief outline of planned programming and outreach. McLeener said staff are developing a full-year program plan and additional workshops to help residents produce content for the channel and online distribution.

The council did not specify any immediate funding cutbacks for JATV; McLeener said franchise-fee revenue is declining and that the city is working to reimagine operations to sustain the service.

The council vote does not change the city’s stated commitment to community programming standards; McLeener said residents who meet submission standards will continue to have programming aired.

The item drew sustained discussion spanning public questions about municipal authority, multiple councilmembers’ requests for procedural clarity, and a final contested vote. The administration will proceed under the city-manager model, and council members signaled they expect to review implementation and the rollout of new programming in future meetings.