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CURTIS OSTRANDER	DUAINE HARDING
ELEANOR TODD	ELMER "BUD" HAHN
GERVASE KILEY	MARGARET ZIEMAN
MARIAN SUTTON	ORLO KIRKUM
SLAVA KOKOTOVICH
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WT supervisor wants to
see pact for WBRW soon

by KIMBERLY SCHERER
Observer Special Writer

      Washington Township Supervisor Dan O'Leary said last week that 15 months has been more than enough time for three communities to come up with an agreement for WBRW.
       He's only two-thirds of the way there, however, and he's becoming impatient. Bruce Township has agreed in principle to the agreement but the Village of Romeo has not been "showing up at the table" to discuss it, he said.
       "When I recently challenged them (Romeo) on it, they said `what's the hurry,'" he said at last Wednesday night's Washington meeting.
       O'Leary said he wants an agreement put in place that governs the way WBRW runs so each of the three municipalites that fund the TV station are not responsible should a liability issue arise.
       Currently, there is only a two-page resolution in place. That resolution doesn't address issues such as ownership of equipment and how issues such as dispute resolution are handled, among others.
       He emphasized all three entities are also all at a legal risk without the contract.
       "We have not asked for anything except give us a contract to reasonably outline our rights and our obligation," said O'Leary.
       To help move the three in the direction of a legal-binding contract, O'Leary asked that the township's attorney, Robert Seibert, draft a three-community agreement within two weeks for them to go over and discuss.
       If at the end of March O'Leary doesn't see that they are making any headway, then he will suggest a change of course.
       "Quite frankly that different course of action, in my mind, is going to be a bi-community relationship, not a tri-community relationship," he said.
       O'Leary stressed that a bi-community agreement would be a last chance scenario and prefers that Romeo be part of the agreement.
       Trustee Art Grimes agreed with the need.
       "I'm behind Dan 100 percent. We're out in the open for any liability," Grimes said.
       "It's not to go to war," he said, adding that he just wants to see Romeo on board.
       Washington Township isn't alone with the desire for a contract. WBRW and the Tri Community Cable Commission are also in favor of the contract.
       Michael Fiscus, cable commissioner for Washington Township and also liaison for Romeo Film Production Office and WBRW, said the contract is for WBRW's protection, as well as protection for the three communities.
       "We are unprotected," he said.
       While the three communities were supposed to be working toward a contract, with an Oct. 1, 2009 deadline for a rough draft, the commission and WBRW were also asked to submit a strategy, which they did.
       "We feel we have been doing our job and our due diligence," said Fiscus.
       Fiscus said the commission voted unanimously to not move forward with any changes until a contract is in place.
       In the end, O'Leary made a two-part motion to authorize Seibert to draft a three-way contract using funds from cable franchise fees to fund WBRW. The draft is expected to be completed by March 17 and distributed to the communities for their review.
       The second part of the motion was to delay any approval of a full-year budget until a contract is reached. Until then, funding would be done on an emergency, 60-day basis, to continue with public access television.
       Trustee Abby Jacobson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
       O'Leary said during the first board meeting in April he will present the board with a recommendation for its consideration based on how contract discussions go.
       "I believe strongly that the tri-community relationship is important, especially now when we're all broke. Money is tight for all towns, collaboration is important and I saw the WBRW relationship frankly as something that could be used as a model," O'Leary said.