Purpose

Staff is requesting City Council direction regarding televising the Charter Review Committee meetings. 

Background

At the February 14, 2006 City Council meeting, Council Member Gordon requested that staff bring back for Council consideration information on televising the Charter Review Committee meetings, including cost estimates, as the first step in the one step-two step agenda process. 

The Council called for the formation of a Charter Review Committee on March 22, 2005.  Comprised of 15 community members appointed by the Council, the Committee is charged with the task of reviewing the City of Burbank charter and making recommendations to the Council for amendments.  Once the Council has reviewed and approved or modified the Committee�s recommendations, the Council will submit the proposed charter amendments to the Burbank voters for approval at the April 2007 election.  In order to place the proposed charter amendments on the April 2007 ballot, the Committee must finalize its recommended amendments by fall 2006 to provide sufficient time for staff to draft appropriate ballot language and for the Council to review and approve the amendments prior to the City Clerk�s December 2006 deadline for placing language on the April 2007 ballot. 

The Council recognized that reviewing the charter is a significant undertaking and decided to provide funding to cover the cost of various resources that would enable the Committee to successfully complete its task.  As part of the FY 2005-2006 budget process, Council approved the inclusion of $40,000 in 001.CM01A.62085.1002 (Charter Review Committee) for this purpose.  This is one time funding that is intended to cover the entire charter review process from July 2005 through its projected completion in December 2006.  Items covered by this funding include a Charter Review consultant, clerical support to attend the meetings and prepare minutes, and materials (reference material, copying, paper, notebooks, misc. supplies, costs for a public hearing held by the Committee, refreshments, and mailing costs).

The Committee meetings are typically held two Monday evenings per month at the Fire Training Center from 6:30 to 9:00 pm.  The Committee began meeting in November 2005 and has held seven meetings to date.  A Committee calendar is attached.  All of the Committee meetings are open to the public and subject to Brown Act requirements, including the posting of agendas no fewer than 72 hours in advance and the inclusion of a public comment period on each agenda. 

The following is a summary of staff�s efforts to encourage public participation at the Committee meetings:

• Agendas are posted at City Hall, the Police/Fire Building, and the Central Library.

• Copies of the agendas are also made available for review at the Buena Vista Library, the Northwest Library, and the Joslyn Adult Center.

• The City Clerk�s Office sends copies to Transportation Services so they can be placed in several transit buses.  

• Information on the meetings is running on the Channel 6 scroll/bulletin board.

• The Charter Review website is up and running and contains the calendar, the minutes and the agendas.  Each of the agendas online also contains links to the information provided by staff to the Committee. 

• The Committee will hold a formal public hearing, currently scheduled for June 5, 2006, which will be video recorded and replayed several times on Channel 6.  Staff will conduct a significant outreach effort to encourage public participation at the Committee�s hearing.  The City Council will also hold a formal public hearing in fall 2006 when it considers the recommended amendments submitted by the Committee. 

ANALYSIS

Public Information Office (PIO) staff solicited cost estimates for televising the Charter Review Committee meetings from Studio Spectrum, a video production, fabrication, and sales company located in Burbank that currently provides video services for the Airport Authority Commission meetings.  Studio Spectrum also provided video services for the City�s PERC meetings.

Studio Spectrum submitted cost estimates for three video production packages based on the needs and limitations of the Charter Review Committee and the video production equipment currently available at the Fire Training Center.  It is important to note that the equipment available at the Center is not sufficient to produce Committee meetings ready for replay on Channel 6.  The Center is currently equipped with three fixed position robotic cameras, monitors for the three cameras, and additional monitors required for various production functions.  Significant additional equipment, including a graphics/character generator, a broadcast video switcher, a digital video tape recorder, and an audio mixing board, are needed to complete the video production set up at the Center. 

All of the options provided by Studio Spectrum include the use of the company�s crew because the Charter Review Committee meetings typically conflict with other PIO video production staff commitments.  Below is a summary of the options and costs. 

Option 1

Studio Spectrum provides:

• Three cameras, which can be placed anywhere in the room, allowing optimal coverage of all 15 members of the committee, three staff members, and one consultant

• Full screen title and lower-third speaker identification graphics

• Full agenda and speaking item graphics

• Three person crew

• Audio mixing of 16 microphones

• Equipment rental (microphones, stands, etc.)

• Equipment set-up/striking

Option 2

Studio Spectrum uses the equipment at the Fire Training Center, including the three fixed position robotic cameras, and provides:

• Full screen title and lower-third speaker identification graphics

• Full agenda and speaking item graphics

• Two person crew

• Audio mixing of 16 committee microphones

• Equipment rental (microphones, stands, etc.)

• Equipment set-up/striking

Option 3

The City purchases the necessary equipment to fully outfit the Fire Training Center and Studio Spectrum provides:

• Full screen title and lower-third speaker identification graphics

• Full agenda and speaking item graphics

• Two person crew

• Audio mixing of 16 committee microphones

The capital outlay costs associated with this option are estimated by Studio Spectrum to be:

Total costs for Option 3:

One of the most significant factors in designing a video production package is the large size of the Committee (15 Committee members, three staff members and one consultant who all routinely interact with the Committee).  The fixed position robotic cameras currently installed in the Center are designed to shoot one long side of the room.  The Committee currently seats itself in a square formation with all members facing into the square to facilitate the inclusion of all members in the dialog.  Using the fixed position robotic cameras as suggested in Options 2 and 3 will severely limit the configuration of the Committee and the ability of the members to interact with each other during discussion. 

It is also important to note that Option 3 will require a significant amount of time for the purchasing process for the additional equipment.  Because the dollar amount is over $30,000, the Purchasing Manager must solicit three competitive bids, which can take several weeks, and ordering, receiving, and installing the equipment will take additional time. 

This report has focused on the logistical and fiscal impacts of televising the Charter Review Committee meetings.  While staff has not contacted Committee members to discern their individual opinions on televising the meetings, staff did contact the City�s charter review consultant, Dr. Raphe Sonenshein, to solicit his professional opinion.  Based on his experience with numerous charter review committees in other cities, including Los Angeles, Pasadena, Glendale, and Culver City, he believes televising the meetings would have a negative impact on the committee�s deliberative process and recommends the meetings not be televised. 

Fiscal Impact

The fiscal impact of televising the Charter Review Committee meetings ranges from $54,000 to $67,500 depending on the option.  Should the Council decide to move forward with televising the meetings, a General Fund appropriation would be required as the cost of televising the meetings, with the exception of the Committee�s public hearing, is not included in the $40,000 budget previously approved by the City Council. 

Recommendation

Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction regarding televising the Charter Review Committee meetings.  Should the City Council wish to pursue televising the Charter Review Committee meetings, staff recommends that the Council direct staff to return with an appropriation request.

Attachments

Charter Review Committee Calendar

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