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Commissioners hear proposal to reactivate local TV/transmitter and consider targeted assessment
Summary
A presenter asked the board to consider reactivating a local TV/transmitter service, describing equipment costs (receivers at roughly $14,000—$15,000) and recommending a modest per-household assessment to fund operations and maintenance.
A presenter described plans to reactivate a local television/transmitter service and asked commissioners to consider assessment options to fund reactivation and ongoing maintenance. He said new receivers are priced around $14,000 to $15,000 apiece and estimated a five-year build-out to get the system to full coverage, with operational power and internet costs included in the annual budget.
Commissioners discussed whether the county could reactivate a previous assessment rather than creating a new levy and asked staff to pull documents showing how the assessment was handled historically. One commissioner said, "If they can reactivate the player, it's gonna make it a lot simpler," and staff agreed to have the budget office and counsel review options ahead of the July budget hearings. The proposal includes outreach to households about antenna installation and whether residents could realistically opt out; staff noted questions about whether township residents can opt out of an assessment tied to service areas.
The board asked the presenter and staff to prepare a budget estimate, an assessment calculation per household, and supporting documentation for a future public meeting or budget hearing. The item will return with cost estimates and legal analysis.
