Cohasset Negotiates 5-Year Cable TV Renewal with Verizon

Select Board Prepares for Special Town Meeting, Discusses Zoning Changes

COHASSET, MA - October 1 - Cohasset officials are in negotiations with Verizon for a 5-year renewal of the town's cable television license, with provisions for public, educational and government (PEG) access funding and an option for the provider to exit after three years.

Attorney William Solomon, representing the town in the negotiations, presented details of the proposed agreement to the Select Board on Oct. 1.

"Verizon has done short-term licenses because it tells Wall Street it would like to move to more of a streaming type program," Solomon explained. "But from our perspective, what's important is not the technology, but whether it's cable television service as defined by the Cable Act."

The proposed agreement includes a provision allowing Verizon to terminate the contract after three years with 270 days' notice. In exchange, the company would pay $58,500 in PEG capital funding within the first two years of the agreement.

"That's in addition to the 5% of gross revenues, which would be significantly more than that," Solomon noted.

The agreement maintains three standard definition PEG channels and one high-definition channel. It also preserves language requiring Verizon to provide electronic program guides and video-on-demand for PEG content if offered elsewhere in Massachusetts.

Solomon emphasized the importance of the gross revenue definition in the agreement, which he called "very strong" and "incredibly important going forward."

The current license expires Nov. 30, 2024. The Select Board continued the public hearing on the renewal to Oct. 15, when they expect to have the final document ready for a vote.

In other business, Town Manager Christopher Senior presented the first quarter financial recap for fiscal year 2024, highlighting positive trends in local revenues.

"We actually were a little bit ahead of revenue and we're below on expense. That's the perfect marriage, right?" Senior said.

The meals tax revenue saw a significant increase, up 30% from the previous year to over $350,000. Senior attributed this to a thriving local restaurant industry.

"I walk the dog regularly and I was down there last Friday, and there were people waiting, and they were waiting for smaller restaurants. It's really great to see that kind of energy," he said.

Investment earnings were up 50%, netting an additional $100,000 for the town. Motor vehicle excise tax collections also remained strong, increasing 8% year-over-year.

Senior noted that the town recently maintained its triple-A credit rating, crediting the finance team's hard work.

"I have to give all the credit to the folks who come every day, they work really hard, and it's a real honor to work alongside them," he said.

The water and sewer enterprise funds also showed positive results. The sewer fund saw an 8% increase in revenue over budget, while the water fund reported slightly higher revenue and lower expenses than projected.

Senior highlighted increased connection fees for both utilities, citing new residential and commercial developments coming online.

"More customers, more flow," he summarized.

Town Manager Chris Senior also presented a draft warrant containing 16 articles for the Special Town Meeting. Seven of these articles relate to zoning amendments, which have been a topic of ongoing discussion in recent months.

"The vast majority of this warrant is investment-driven smart zoning," Senior explained.

However, previously proposed zoning amendments have been dropped from consideration. Planning Board Chair Tom Callahan informed the Select Board that articles dealing with the conversion to floor area ratio (FAR) in residential districts, frontage requirements, and amendments to the residential cluster bylaw will be tabled.

"At our planning board meeting on the 25th last Wednesday, there was less than majority support to go forward with them," Callahan said.

The decision to table these articles comes after concerns were raised about the need for further study and analysis. Callahan indicated that the Planning Board is seeking resources to hire outside experts to examine the potential impacts of these changes.

"I understand that there may be money, the money that's been allocated for finishing up this project that isn't being spent on town counsel, there may be some money in that budget that we can hire somebody," Callahan suggested.

One zoning amendment that will move forward is the implementation of a new development impact mitigation bylaw. This bylaw would give the Planning Board and Zoning Board a tool to request mitigation measures from developers in appropriate circumstances.

"We thought it'd be better if the planning board and the zoning board for their respective permits would have a tool, an actual statutory tool where they can request mitigation in the appropriate circumstance," Callahan explained.

The proposed bylaw would apply to projects requiring special permits, site plan reviews, subdivisions of three or more lots, and developments subject to large home review.

In addition to the zoning articles, the warrant includes items related to unpaid bills, contributions to stabilization funds, and capital improvement projects. Senior also mentioned the potential inclusion of funding for an Open Space Recreation Study and additional money for a FAR study.

A citizens petition to amend the Town Manager Act was also submitted just before the deadline. The petition seeks to add more positions under the Town Manager Act, which currently includes three positions: Police Chief, Fire Chief, and Finance Director.

Select Board member Jack Creighton commented on the petition, saying, "There's a sense of frustration. They think there should have been more added to the checks and balances."

The Select Board will discuss the petition publicly and make a recommendation after hearing from the petitioners.

Senior emphasized the importance of community engagement and encouraged residents to utilize available resources to stay informed about town matters. He highlighted the town website, Facebook page, and email notification system as key tools for accessing information about meetings and agendas.

"Since we don't have our beloved Cohasset Mariner, which would come out on every Friday and share all of the news of the town, we're relying on multimedia approaches electronically, and anything anybody wants to know is on the town website." Select Board Chair Ellen Maher said.

The Select Board is expected to meet multiple times in October to finalize the warrant articles before the Special Town Meeting in December. The last date for finalizing the warrant is anticipated to be November 6.