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County hears from local TV/radio translators; commissioners pledge support without raising taxes
Summary
Representatives for local TV/radio translators asked Garfield County to continue sponsorship to keep translators and KTTA on-air as equipment ages; commissioners pledged to fund maintenance from reserves rather than raising taxes and asked staff to include requests in the November budget review.
Representatives for the county’s over‑the‑air TV and radio translator network updated the commission on recent outages, FCC discussions about ATSC 3.0 broadcasting standards, and a request that the county continue or adjust an annual sponsorship to help pay for equipment and programming.
Mike Parsons and a colleague described technical challenges from upstream power shutdowns by Rocky Mountain Power during wildfire risk and the age of much of the equipment. They asked the county to consider continued support of roughly $28,000–$30,000 annually or to set aside equipment funds within the county budget. "It's a lot more than just the games," a translator representative said, describing equipment, repairs and content costs.
Commissioners agreed not to raise taxes for the service; Speaker 1 said the county would seek to set aside funds and to review the translator sponsorship in the November budget cycle. Staff asked the translators to send a formal request and budget figures in October so the county can include the line item for budget approval.
What's next: Translators will provide budget figures in October; county administration will consider a reserve or budget allocation during the November budget process.
