Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission Meeting - June 9, 2026: Budget Adoption and Future Planning

The Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission (SMCTC) held a meeting on June 9, 2026, at 4:05 PM. The primary focus was the adoption of the preliminary Fiscal Year 2025-26 general fund and PEG fund budgets, along with discussions on future financial sustainability and governance. The commission approved a motion to adopt the budgets as drafted and established two new advisory committees to review the financial model and long-term strategic direction over the next 90 and 270 days, respectively.

Consent Calendar

• Item 2: The commission adopted a resolution approving the 16th amendment to the license and operations agreements for the use of community programming channels. The motion passed with all members present voting yes, except for member Read, who abstained.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 4 (Personnel Policies Manual): Two speakers (Ella Tomlin and Renee Balcom) initially signed up but were redirected to the budget item because their comments pertained to Access Sacramento’s budget.
• Item 5 (Preliminary Budgets): Sixteen members of the public provided comments, all in support of fully funding the budgets for Access Sacramento, Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium (SECC), SAC Life TV, and KVIE. Key points included:
  • Thomas Spencer spoke as a constituent and filmmaker, emphasizing Access Sacramento’s role in providing affordable training and opportunities for underserved communities.
  • Hester Wagner, chair of the Access Sacramento board, requested greater transparency in budget presentations, particularly regarding revenue projections.
  • Joe Barr, executive director of Access Sacramento, thanked commissioners for civil discussions and asked for continued funding to pursue sustainability and workforce development.
  • David Lowe, President of KVIE, argued that PEG funding should not be eliminated for public and educational access while government access is preserved, and urged a balanced approach.
  • Pete Coletto, finance director for the City of Sacramento, expressed concerns about budget assumptions, including revenue projections, OPEB payments, and salary/benefit line items, and offered to work with commission staff on alternatives.
  • Aaron Heinrich (SECC) noted 600 pages of emails in the agenda packet representing community support.
  • Christopher Just (Access Sacramento) shared a personal story of how public access helped him rebuild his life and urged continued funding.
  • Ella Tomlin spoke on behalf of her son Will, a heart transplant recipient, who used Access Sacramento to pursue filmmaking and was accepted to Sacramento State.
  • Renee Balcom (business owner) highlighted SAC Life TV’s role in promoting small businesses.
  • Kevin Dredge, a volunteer producer, stressed the need for transparent public discussion before further budget cuts.
  • Sue Buske (newly appointed board member of Access Sacramento) proposed greater collaboration among PEG entities and member agencies, and supported the city’s call for a working group.
  • Naressa Hall (SECC) framed the budget decision as a leadership and stewardship choice for the future of PEG services.
  • Several other community members, film students, and representatives of Afghan community media also voiced support for the budgets.

Discussion Items

• Item 5: Preliminary FY 2025-26 General Fund and PEG Fee Fund Budgets
  • Executive Director Sean Ayala presented the proposed budgets. General fund carryover was $6.6 million, with recommended expenditures of $5.27 million, leaving a projected carryover of $1.33 million into FY 2026-27. He projected cable revenue of ~$6.4 million next year, a decline of about 13% year-over-year. For the PEG fund, carryover was $2.4 million, with requests totaling $4.22 million (including encumbered JPA member projects), resulting in a projected deficit that would be covered by future PEG revenue.
  • Director Munoz asked whether the commission reviews specific PEG requests; Mr. Ayala clarified that the Metro team and counsel review them for compliance with infrastructure requirements.
  • Director Hackett Little asked about revenue projections; Mr. Ayala confirmed the presented budget does not include future revenue but his projection of $6.4 million is included in a summary column.
  • After public comments, Chair Speace presented a four-step plan to adopt the budget while initiating a structured review:
    1. Adopt the FY budget as drafted to ensure continuity.
    2. Establish a finance working group of SMCTC staff and member agency finance staff to analyze budget assumptions (operating surplus, franchise fee revenue, salary/benefit increases, OPEB/PERS) and report to the budget ad-hoc committee.
    3. Reconstitute a budget ad-hoc committee (under Brown Act) to review the working group’s findings and present recommended budget amendments to the full commission by September 3, 2026.
    4. Create a strategic ad-hoc committee to evaluate the long-term operating model, including revenue sharing, governance, sustainability, and direction, with recommendations due by March 4, 2027.
  • Chair Speace emphasized that all parts of the budget are subject to review, and stakeholders should not make financial commitments based solely on the initially adopted budget until the review is complete.
  • Directors expressed support: Riley (supported, volunteered for both committees), Sloan (supported, volunteered, stressed need for collaboration), Hackett Little (supported, asked about committee size), Gull (supported, noted potential for member agency distributions in September), Hedges (supported, volunteered for budget committee), Munoz (thankful, offered to serve), McCarthy Omstead (supported, volunteered for strategic), Masias Reid (first meeting, supported, volunteered for strategic), Sandu (supported, stressed transparency), Middleton (supported, offered city of Citrus Heights finance expertise for strategic), Leary (asked about message to jurisdictions, acknowledged need for caution in budget planning).
  • The motion to adopt the budget as drafted along with the chair’s plan was made by Riley, seconded by Sloan, and passed unanimously (all members present voting yes).

Key Outcomes

• Vote: The commission unanimously approved the FY 2025-26 general fund and PEG fee fund preliminary budgets as presented, along with the four-step review process proposed by Chair Speace.
• Finance Working Group: To be convened voluntarily; staff from interested member agencies will analyze budget assumptions and provide findings to the budget ad-hoc committee.
• Budget Ad-Hoc Committee: Members appointed: Directors Speace, Riley, Sloan, Hackett Little, Hedges, and Munoz. This committee will review the working group’s findings and recommend budget amendments to the full commission by September 3, 2026.
• Strategic Ad-Hoc Committee: Members appointed: Directors Speace, Riley, Sloan, Gull, McCarthy Omstead, and Masias Reed. This committee will evaluate long-term operating model and provide recommendations by March 4, 2027.
• Cautionary Note: The chair advised all stakeholders to avoid making significant financial commitments or operational assumptions based on the adopted budget until the review process is complete.
• Next Meeting: The commission will receive the budget ad-hoc committee’s report on September 3, 2026.

Other Items

• Item 6 (Reports of Channel Licensees): Representatives from Access Sacramento, KVIE, SECC, and SAC Life TV reported on recent activities, thanked the commission for the budget vote, and highlighted ongoing efforts toward sustainability.
• Item 7 (Reports of State Franchisees): No reports were given.
• Item 8 (Executive Director Report): Mr. Ayala thanked his staff and expressed readiness to implement the commission’s plan.
• Item 9 (Board Comments): Director Gull invited members to the City of Sacramento’s “Pops in the Park” concert series starting June 13. No other comments.