January 26 subcommittee meeting sets time, date, place and format of February 24, 2009, forum

A TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD FORUM ON GOVERNANCE OF GOVERNMENT CHANNEL was set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 24, 2009, in the council chamber of city hall. The rerun of the Monday, February 23, 2009, planning commission meeting will be delayed until 8:30 p.m., when the Telecom meeting is expected to end. If everything is working, the meeting will also be streamed live on granicus, the official Fayetteville live-video provider at http://accessfayetteville.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2.

1. To be televised live with room audience invited to speak and viewers invited to participate with live telephone call-in at 479-575-8299 and live e-mail at Governmentchannel@yahoo.com
2. The Forum Planning Committee has requested that the program be streamed live on the Internet.
3. The purpose of this forum is to answer a complaint lodged by Jim Bemis.
4. Proposed Forum moderators possibilities from the Mayor’s Transition Team include:
• Walt Eilers
• Michelle Halsell
• Ernestine Gibson
5. Forum participants to be invited and seated at the Council benches include:
• Angie Graves, Telecom Board member
• Fred Cusanelli, Telecom Board member
• Andy Mayes, Telecom Board member
• Marvin Hilton, Telecom Board member
• Aubrey Shepherd, Chairman of the Telecom Board, who is to call the meeting to order and is to close the special meeting.
• Jim Bemis, Complainant
• Mayor’s staff member to be appointed by the Mayor.
• Member of the Mayor’s Transition Team to be appointed by the Mayor.
6. The City attorney is to be requested to be present during the forum.
7. Questions to be discussed by the Forum:
a. Who will have the administrative responsibility for implementing the Government Channel Policy and Procedures?
b. What is the relationship between the City Council, Telecommunications Board and the City Staff?
c. What is the definition of “policy” and what is the definition of “procedure.” And who “owns” it?
d. What are the reasons for having issue forums on the Government Channel that are requested by citizens?