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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 86-38 RSSDLUTION N0. $6-38 City of Columbia Heights, Minnesota RESOLUTION APPROVING THE CHANGE IN CONTROL OF OWNERSHIP OF GROUP W CABLE, INC. WHEREAS, Group W Cable, Inc., a New York corporation (hereinafter "Group W Cable"), through Group W Cable of Columbia Heights/Hilltop, Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary (hereinafter "Subsidiary"), owns, operates and maintains a cable television system (hereinafter "System") in the City pursuant to a franchise, as amended, issued by the City; WHEREAS, Group W Cable's parent corporation, Westinghouse Broadcasting and Cable, Inc., an Indiana corporation (hereinafter "Westinghouse"), desires to sell and otherwise transfer all of the issued and outstanding shares of the capital stock of Group W Cable to the following (and to certain affiliates, subsidiaries or partnerships of the following), referred to individually as a "Buyer" and collectively as the "Buyers", said request is attached hereto as Exhibit t, and thereby transfer control of Group W Cable to the Buyers: Century Southwest Cable Television, Inc., a Delaware Corporation; TCI Holdings, Inc., a Colorado Corporation; American Television and Communications Corporation, a Delaware Corporation; Comcast Corporation, a Pennsylvania Corporation; Daniels & Associates, Inc., a Del~aware Corporation. WHEREAS, Buyers presently intend to cause Group W Cable to transfer control of the Subsidiary and/or assign the System to North Central Cable Communications, L.P., a Minnesota limited partnership (hereinafter "North Central") as soon as practicable in a subsequent transaction or transactions; WHEREAS, the City has been requested by Group W Cable to con- sider consent to the change of control and ownership of Group W Cable separate and apart from any subsequent transactions and such request dated April 17, 1986, is attached hereto as Exhibit II; WHEREAS, North Central has joined in Group W Cable's request that the City's approval of the transactions be considered in separate steps and such request was made in that letter dated May 7, 1986, attached hereto as Exhibit III; -1- WHEREAS, Group W Cable and North Central have acknowledged and represented that the City's separate consideration and any ultimate consent~of the first transaction shall in no way be construed, interpreted or viewed as consideration or consent to any subsequent transactions; WHEREAS, the Buyers have joined in the aforementioned request and Buyers have acknowledged and agreed that the City's consideration and approval of this transaction will not be construed, interpreted or viewed as consideration or consent to any subsequent transac- tion nor will consideration of this transaction bind the City in any manner with respect to any subsequent transaction and such representation is attached hereto as Exhibit IV; WHEREAS, Group W Cable, Inc., has agreed in a letter dated May t, 1986, attached hereto as Exhibit V, to indemnify, pay for the defense and hold harmless the City and actively oppose any claim by North Central or any parent, subsidiary, related cor- poration, partner or joint venture of North Central or any of its principals, owners or agents that the City's consideration or consent to the first transaction.in any way obviates the necessity for separate and independent consideration of subsequent transac- tions; WHEREAS, the Buyers have acknowledged and agreed that their acquisition of control of Group W Cable, Inc., shall in no way abrogate or otherwise diminish that Guaranty given December 11, 1981, by Group W Cable, Inc. (formerly Teleprompter Corporation), and attached hereto as Exhibit VI; WHEREAS, the Buyers have represented to the City that until distribution by Group W of the System to the ultimate transferee, the System will be managed by, and be under the operating control of, North Central pursuant to a management agreement in generally the form attached hereto as Exhibit VII; WHEREAS, the City has conducted a public hearing that afforded reasonable notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard; and WHEREAS, the City has considered the legal, technical and financial qualifications of the Buyers and found such qualifica- tions to be adequate to own and operate Group W Cable, Inc. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City as follows: 1. The City hereby consents to and approves the change in control of ownership of Group W Cable, Inc., from Westinghouse to Buyers subject to the closing of the purchase of Group W stock by the Buyers on or before July 15, 1986, and on the following terms and conditions. -2- 2. The City's approval of the change in control of the ownership of Group W Cable shall not be construed, interpreted or viewed as consideration or consent, either express or implied, as to any subsequent transactions. 3. The approval contained herein shall be null and void and of no effect upon the City making an affirmative finding of any one or more of the following: A. The failure of Westinghouse and Buyers to close on the purchase of Group W stock on or before July 15, 1986; B. The failure of Group W Cable to reimburse the City in full for all expenses reasonably incurred by the City during and as a direct consequence of this transac- tion and any subsequent transactions involving a change in control or ownership of the System; C. The assertion by Group W Cable, any Buyer or the Buyers that the City's approval of this transaction is to be construed, interpreted or viewed as consideration or consent to any subsequent transaction; D. The failure of Group W Cable to indemnify, pay for the defense and hold ~harmless the City and actively oppose in any proceeding any claim by North Central as set forth in Exhibit V; E. The assertion by any Buyer, the Buyers or Group W Cable tha~ the acquisition of control of Group W Cable, Inc., by the Buyers in any way abrogates or otherwise diminishes that Guaranty attached hereto as Exhibit VI; and F. The failure of Group W Cable to maintain on file with the City that management agreement between Group W Cable and North Central whereby the System will be managed by, and be under the operating control of, North Central until distribution by Group W Cable of the System. Passed and adopted this 27th day of · 1986. ATTEST: By William J. Elrite By Its Financ~ Dir~mrr~r/Tr~IIr~r -3- Offered b'l: Carl son Seconded b': Peterson Roll cajl // All ayes Bruce G. Flawro,~"K~ ///// ts 11' "1, ' Resolution No. 86-38 page 4 CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the aforegoing resolution is a true and correct copy of the resolution presented to and adopted by the City Council of the City of Columbia Heights, at a duty authorized meeting thereof held on the 27th day of May, 1986, as shown by the minutes of said meeting in my possession. William J. ~TFi~e, ~ity Clerk