The community's Freedom of Choice Committee is stepping up its fight to make participation in the Rancho Murieta Association's cable system voluntary. At the same time, a straw vote of the RMA board showed it's split on the issue.

At Tuesday night's RMA meeting, neighbor Blake Carmichael read a statement from the Freedom of Choice group, outlining plans for a member-sponsored special meeting to amend the bylaws to force the RMA to act on the issue.

The bylaws change would be much like the RMA's current effort to lower the quorum necessary to elect directors.

Carmichael, a former RMA director, said he once believed in the RMA's ability to run the system, but no more.

"If you were to ask me five years ago what my opinion was, it was much different back then, when I was on the board..." he said. "My position back then was one of hope, and one that firmly believed that we could make it work. But as time has gone on, I have been kind of disappointed with the lack of progress and the short steps that we've taken in such a long period of time."

Blake Carmichael reads the statement that outlines the new approach to ending forced subscription to RMA cable.

Referring to the bylaws change, he read from a statement, "Starting January 2009, this amendment will prohibit the Rancho Murieta Association from including any cable television costs as part of our dues."

Cable costs represent about $30 of a member's monthly RMA bill.

The Freedom of Choice Committee, working with the RMA, solicited member votes on the issue over the winter. The vote was 806-224 for a voluntary system.

Opponents of the RMA system have grown impatient waiting for the board to act on the community's vote and watched as the RMA continued spending to relaunch the system.

"I think it's great that this committee got together and is going to do this and force this board to do something," Director Dick Cox said after Carmichael's remarks.

Cox said there aren't enough votes on the board to make the cable system optional.

"This board is not going to do anything about making this cable optional, in my opinion, so I'm glad to see you guys are taking the action you're taking. It's too bad you have to.

"I think the membership has spoken on this issue, and even though we may have -- we do have -- legal opinions that say it's part of the common (property) I think this board can do what they want to do in regards to the television system in Rancho Murieta."

Later in the meeting, Director Mel Standart, head of the Communications Committee, called for the board to vote its feelings on making cable optional.

"I believe the community has a right to know which directors favor voluntary TV and which do not," he said, asking for a yes-no roll-call vote on the issue.

Director Mike Martel asked for five minutes to explain his views. In the end, he said he feels the association is obliged to provide the service, but the revenue is another reason to keep the system in place.

He said given the economy, and housing market and gasoline prices and the association's revenue picture for at least the next several years, "I'm not quite sure ... that I would get rid of income or change the dollar flow into this organization at a time when I think our association is not as stable as I would like to see it."

Martel said he wishes the RMA had gotten out of cable several years ago, but now, "I think we're pregnant, and I'm not sure it's the right time."

Board President Jack Cooper read from a legal opinion that said the board can't back away from the cable responsibility.

"So when you ask me do I say yes or no, I have to say no," he said in summary. "I can't fly in the face of the legal opinion."

Director Chris Pedersen said, "We should not have a voluntary system and try to compete with all the companies that are out there offering God-knows-what to get everyone's business. That's my opinion." He said the system should either be kept and run as an asset to members or sold. (Later, during a break, he told two reporters he wanted to see the system sold intact, which requires that it be kept up until it can be sold.)

Director Paul Gumbinger said he objected to Standart's request for a roll-call vote on the issue, and he blamed the system's troubles on the previous general manager, who wouldn't put money into maintenance.

"Until there's an alternative -- two basic alternatives here, Dish and DirecTV -- but those aren't satisfactory to our broadband customers," Gumbinger said.

Said Cox, "RMA has proven over the years we do not have the mentality or the ability to run this TV system." He added, "We've probably poured over a million dollars into the system in the last three or four years. A million dollars that could have built a community center or a community pool or some other asset for the community."

Director Bonita Jones was not present.

Standart reported from this month's Communications Committee meeting, adjusting the committee's proposal to launch a 60-day free trial of the system in mid-March, pushing the launch back to the end of March. Standart said the RMA doesn't have enough set-top cable boxes to let the whole community sample the system at the same time.

He also reported on the committee's work on "Plan B" -- the effort to sell or lease the system instead of operating it. He referred vaguely to a conversation with Cooper about putting together information to find a broker to help market the system.

Earlier, neighbor John T. Weatherford, the most public face of the cable opposition, said he wanted to make sure that if the RMA manages to sell the system that members aren't "sold into slavery" as involuntary members of the new system.

Standart said conversations with possible buyers have made it clear that subscribers would not be handed over in a sale.