[Ord. No. 561, passed 1-26-1998]
There is hereby established in and for the City a commission to be known as the Coldwater Cable Television Commission, with all of the privileges, powers and authority granted hereunder.
As used in this chapter, the term "Commission" shall mean the Coldwater Cable Television Commission.
[Ord. No. 561, passed 1-26-1998]
(a) 
Number and appointment. The Cable Television Commission shall consist of nine members appointed by the City Manager with the consent of Council.
(b) 
Terms. A member of the Commission shall be appointed for a term of three years. To provide staggered terms, the terms of the initial appointments to the Commission shall be for shorter terms as provided in subsection (d) hereof.
(c) 
Qualifications. Each member of the Commission shall be a resident of the City in order to be qualified for appointment to the Commission and to remain qualified as a member of the Commission. Should any member cease to be a resident of the City after his or her appointment, then that member shall be disqualified from further service and a vacancy on the Commission shall exist.
No person shall be appointed to the Commission who is currently a candidate for, or has been elected and is currently serving in the position of, Mayor or Councilperson for the City, or serving on the City of Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, and such person shall be disqualified from membership on the Commission.
In making appointments to the Commission, the City Manager shall maintain representation from a variety of backgrounds, groups and institutions. The Commission may include one K-12 school student, one retired person and a resident from each ward of the City. The remaining members may be representatives of business, industry and civic organizations.
(d) 
Initial appointments. The City Manager, with the consent of Council, shall establish the term of each of the initial appointments to the Commission for the purpose of creating staggered terms as required herein. The terms of three members shall expire at the end of one year, the terms of three members shall expire at the end of two years and the terms of the remaining three members shall expire at the end of three years. However, each appointment thereafter shall extend for the full term as established herein.
(e) 
Vacancy in office. Vacancies occurring in the Commission shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as for appointment to the Commission.
(f) 
Removal from office. The Commission shall have authority to remove any of its members by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the remaining members of the Commission.
Among other reasons, the Commission may remove a member for failure to attend meetings, failure to remain qualified as a member, failure to discharge the duties of office in a professional manner, conflicts of interest, breach of confidentiality, acts of misconduct which directly affect the work of the Commission or the operation of the Municipal cable television system or other acts which cause embarrassment or bring disrepute to the Commission and/or the City.
(g) 
Notice of vacancy. Upon the expiration of any term, or upon the resignation, retirement or removal of any member, the Chairperson of the Commission shall notify the City Manager that a vacancy exists.
[Ord. No. 561, passed 1-26-1998]
(a) 
In general. Except as may be otherwise provided herein, the powers and duties of the Cable Television Commission are generally advisory in nature, and the Commission shall not have any powers or duties which conflict with or supersede the powers and duties of the other City commissions or boards, except as herein provided, or which conflict with the authority of Council. Advice, recommendations and decisions made by the Commission regarding rates and financial matters involving the Municipal cable television system shall be subject to the final approval of the Board of Public Utilities and Council.
(b) 
Programming. The Commission shall make all decisions concerning the programming to be provided by the Municipal cable television system. Such decisions shall not be reviewable by, nor subject to the approval of, Council, the Board of Public Utilities, any other City officer, the City Manager or any staff person in the employment of the City. Such decision shall be final when rendered by the Commission.
(c) 
Other responsibilities. The Commission shall discharge such additional functions and carry out such other responsibilities as may be assigned to the Commission from time to time by Council, including, among other things, the following:
(1) 
To confer with and advise Council and the Board of Public Utilities on all matters concerning the ownership, management and operation of the Municipal cable television system;
(2) 
To confer with and advise the City and the Board of Public Utilities staff on the management and operation of the Municipal cable television system;
(3) 
To confer with and advise Council and the Board of Public Utilities on matters regarding the provision of cable services in the City, including the terms and conditions of franchising ordinances and any franchises issued thereunder, issuance of additional or multiple cable television service franchises and other similar matters relating to the provision of cable television service in the City, either by a municipal system or by any private system; and
(4) 
To confer with and consider requests from citizens and community groups concerning services to be provided by any cable television system.
[Ord. No. 561, passed 1-26-1998]
(a) 
Meetings. The City Clerk shall schedule an initial organizational meeting of the Cable Television Commission upon the initial appointment of the Commission. At such initial organizational meeting, the City Clerk shall act as temporary Chairperson, and the Commission shall organize itself and elect from its members a Chairperson and a Secretary who shall serve for a one-year term or until successors in office are appointed. The Commission shall have authority to elect such other officers as it may deem necessary.
The Commission shall hold regular meetings for the transaction of its business at such place and at such times as the Commission deems appropriate, and special meetings may be held at any time when the Chairperson or any two members of the Commission shall deem it appropriate.
All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public. Proper notice for each meeting shall be given and the Commission shall comply with all applicable requirements of Act 267 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended.
(b) 
Duties of Chairperson and Secretary. It shall be the duty of the Chairperson to preside over all meetings of the Commission. In the Chairperson's absence, a temporary Chairperson may be appointed to preside.
It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a record of all proceedings of the Commission, transmit its recommendations to the Board of Public Utilities and Council and perform such other duties as are commonly performed by the Secretary of a deliberative body. The Commission may appoint a person employed by the City to assist the Secretary in carrying out the Secretary's duties.
(c) 
Staff person as liaison between Commission and City. The City Manager shall have authority to appoint a staff person in the employment of the City as a liaison between the Commission and the City. The staff person so assigned shall provide administrative and technical assistance to the Commission in its work and carry out such other duties as may be assigned by the Commission.
(d) 
Rules and procedures. The Commission shall have authority to adopt rules and procedures governing its own meetings and other proceedings not inconsistent herewith.
(e) 
Minutes and records. The Commission shall keep a full record of its proceedings and minutes of its meetings showing the business transacted at each meeting and shall submit copies thereof to the City Clerk and the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities. All records of the Commission shall be subject to Act 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, as amended.