Council holds line on taxes, OKs ‘Watch TV Everywhere’ initiative

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Jeff Mills, city electrical engineer, discusses the Watch TV Everywhere program and how it allows cable subscribers to view programming content on their mobile devices.

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, 11 a.m. — Bardstown Cable TV subscribers will soon be able to take their favorite shows and networks with them on the go after the Bardstown City Council authorized Mayor Bill Sheckles to enter an agreement with Watch TV Everywhere (WTVE).

Before cable subscribers can participate, cable subscriber info will need to be made available for authentication purposes. Once everything is in place, users will log in via the Watch TV Everywhere website.

There’s considerable demand for this sort of mobile content, Jeff Mills, city electrical engineer told the council. Cable networks are promoting watching their content on viewers’ laptops, tablets, phones and other mobile devices.

Several members of the city council questioned Mills about the cost of the service and its impact on cable rates. The service costs 8 cents per cable subscriber who participates, Mills explained.

“It’s a value-added service we can offer,” he said. “At 8 cents per subscriber, we can afford to absorb the costs.”

TAX RATE SET. The council gave preliminary approval of the new 2014 tax rate, but not without some significant disagreements.

Mayor Sheckles presented the council with two tax rate options: The first tax rate created a 4 percent increase in revenue, while the second option created the same tax revenue as last year.

Councilman Bobby Simpson reviews documents during Tuesday’s Bardstown City Council meeting.

Last year’s tax rate for real estate and personal property was 18.3 cents per $100 of value. The compensating tax rates lowers the real estate tax to 18.2 cents per $100 and raises the personal property tax rate to 19.62 cents per $100 value. The council has taken the compensating rate for several years in a row, Sheckles noted.

Councilman Tommy Reed said he supported taking the 4 percent revenue increase. “Unlike other people at this table, my neck isn’t on the line,” Reed said. “I think it we need to take the 4 percent increase to help fund the general fund.”

Joe Buckman, was in favor of higher occupation tax. “It’s pretty obvious that we’re going to need a few more dollars in the budget next year,” he said.

Francis Lydian said he wouldn’t support a tax increase. “That 4 percent may not seem like much, but here in Bardstown we have many families who are struggling,” he said. “That 4 percent means a lot to them.”

Councilmen John Royalty, Bobby Simpson and Roland Williams said they couldn’t support raising taxes.

Sheckles warned the council that when the next budget comes up, they may wish they had additional general fund revenue. “Its something to keep in mind, once you lose that revenue its gone.”

The council voted 4-2 to keep accept the compensating rate, with Buckman and Reed voting against.

In other business, the council:

— awarded bids for needed electrical transformers that will be purchased to replace depleted stock;

— approved first reading of a rezoning request for a 1.332 acre lot on the west side of North Third Street adjacent to the Bardstown Church of Christ from A-1 Agricultural to B-3 Business;

— reappointed Jessica Filiatreau to the Removal of Architectural Barriers committee.

NEXT UP. The Bardstown City Council will meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014.

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