FORWARD TWP — The township is set to receive an additional chunk of revenue over at least the next five years which it had previously been missing out on.

At its monthly meeting on Thursday night, March 12, the Forward Township Board of Supervisors voted to enter into a franchise agreement with Armstrong Cable, in which the company would pay the township on a quarterly basis for the right to operate a cable television system in the municipality.

According to township Supervisor Susan Oliver-Stough, Armstrong is expected to pay back 5% of what it collects on cable television services in Forward Township, which is estimated to bring in between $35,000 and $40,000 per year.

“That's a pretty good chunk of change for us,” Oliver-Stough said.

Although Armstrong has already been operating a cable television system in Forward Township for decades, the township government decided it would be in its best interest to strike a franchise agreement with the company after seeing other nearby municipalities make similar deals.

“Last month we talked about Armstrong and how they have these franchise agreements with townships and townships get a little stipend,” Oliver-Stough said. “So we want to enter into a franchise agreement with them so that we get some money from them.”

The agreement will tentatively be made official through an ordinance which the supervisors voted to advertise at Thursday night’s meeting. The board is expected to approve the ordinance at next month’s meeting on Thursday, April 9.

According to township solicitor Rebecca Black, the franchise is nonexclusive and does not prevent another company from operating cable television in the township. The township can also opt out of the agreement if it gives Armstrong six months’ notice before the five-year term is up. If the township doesn’t opt out, the agreement will automatically renew after five years.

“It effectively says, ‘We’re (Armstrong) in this township. We’re running these lines and we want the ability to keep doing it,’” Black said.