Bullhead City Franchise Licensing Commission Regular Meeting - April 23, 2024

The Franchise Licensing Commission held its regular meeting on April 23, 2024, with all commissioners present. The meeting covered quarterly reports from utility franchise holders, public comments, approval of minutes, and updates on the Optimum Communications video license.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the January 23, 2024 meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Scotty, a Bullhead City resident, thanked the commission for their attendance and expressed appreciation.
• Scotty also raised a complaint about Southwest Gas: his yard was dug up without prior notice, leaving mud after rain; he requested the company replace the gravel and noted difficulty contacting them.
• Scotty asked about the future of Optimum's local origination channel and questioned whether the company would be required to maintain it; the city attorney responded that funding would continue.

Discussion Items

• Quarterly Report from Unisource (Penny Lyons): Residential customer count increased by 2 to 1,203, commercial steady at 55, no outages. The Arizona Corporation Commission approved a rate increase on January 17, 2024, effective February 1, 2024 – the first increase in seven and a half years. Typical residential bill increase $13.68 per month; low-income CARES program increased to $16/month discount. Small general service increased 5.8% ($11.63/month), medium general service also 5.8% ($234/month), large general service increased 7% ($3,500/month). Safety reminders included calling 811 before digging and keeping trees 15 feet from power lines.
• Quarterly Report from Southwest Gas (via letter from Charles Cook): No representative present. Reported 54 new customers in Bullhead City (total 23,159), no paving issues. A pipeline replacement project is underway near Hancock and Lakeside. The commission received a written report.
• Public Follow-up on Southwest Gas: A resident (Scotty) expressed frustration about property damage from recent excavation by Southwest Gas and urged better communication.
• Quarterly Report from Bermuda Water (Steven Tyler Taylor): Total customers 9,963, with 2,010 within city limits. Repaired eight service line leaks and two main line breaks. No planned road closures or rate increases.
• Quarterly Report from Republic Services: No representative present, no report submitted.
• Optimum Communications License Update (City Attorney): The current right-of-way license expires June 18, 2024. Optimum has opted into the state’s uniform video license, which requires a 5% gross revenue fee and semi-annual reporting. No requirement for customer service standards or meeting attendance. The local origination channel funding will continue, but Optimum will take back the facility formerly occupied by the city.
• Future Agenda Items: The commission agreed to place Optimum Communications as a future agenda item for the next meeting on July 23, 2024.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimously approved the minutes of January 23, 2024.
• Set next regular meeting for July 23, 2024.
• Commission noted the need to obtain Optimum's contact number for customer complaints.
• Republic Services' absence was noted; no action taken.
• The following upcoming events were announced: Back to Blue and Fire on May 18 at Gary Keith Park; Memorial Day ceremony on May 27 at Veterans Memorial Park at noon, followed by a gathering at the American Legion at 2 p.m.; National Prayer Day on May 2 at Mojave High School at 6 p.m.; Olive Oatman reenactment on May 22 at the Mojave Museum at 6:30 p.m.