Standard Times Paywall Gone: Temporary or Permanent?

This evening I noticed no markers indicating exclusive content on The Standard Times website.  I went to the Opinion page and clicked on an editorial.  My right to leave a comment had returned.  It remains to be seen if this is temporary or permanent.

The Standard Times implemented the paywall with little notice and less than robust communication to loyal readers, paying and otherwise.  How will the paper communicate removal of the paywall, if at all?  Will commentors return after nearly a four month hiatus?

Here's the paper's take on comments shortly after the paywall went up (from ConchoInfo):

Out of over 395,000 people monthly, less than 400 ever took the time to write a single comment.

In one readership study, it was found that almost 90% of all readers of news sites NEVER read the comments. Out of nearly 3 million page views, only a thousand or two could be traced to comment activity. Almost 85% of comments were written by a handful of very vocal and prolific commenters. It is of those people I heard the loudest complaints, yet only a small subset of the commenting crowd saw any value to keep up their commenting habits.

We shall see how long the paywall stays down and who returns.

Update 8-22-13:  The paywall breach was temporary.  

Council Reverses Mayor New-MedHab Loophole

By a 7 to 0 margin San Angelo's City Council reinstated ethics standards for elected/appointed officials and companies in which they have a significant investment interest.  Council returned to standards in place before January 3, 2012.  The former City Council relaxed economic development standards by a 4-2 vote just before approving $3.6 million in subsidies for MedHab, with investor, board member and San Angelo Mayor Alvin New.

Council returned to a policy allowing firms to receive public money which cannot come until conflicted officials have been away from public service for six months.

Update 8-21-13:  The Standard Times bought Councilwoman Farmer's line that the relaxation of standards was to put the city in line with State law. City Council minutes from 1-3-12 clearly state the MedHab connection.  "Councilmembers Alexander, Hirschfeld, and Adams spoke in favor of the amendment and proposed MedHab incentive (item immediately following this item)."

Update 5-9-14:  The Development Corporation has not yet added this language into their bylaws.  

Undoing the Alvin New - MedHab Exemption

San Angelo City Council will take up the following agenda item on Tuesday, August 20th:

8.  Consideration and possible action regarding a revision to the City of San Angelo Development Corporation Guidelines for Job Creation Assistance regarding Eligibility of Applicants 

(Requested by Mayor Morrison and presentation by Interim Economic Development Director Bob Schneeman) 

It will be interesting to see how this City Council responds.   The former Council changed the rule just prior to approving a $3.6 million economic development package for MedHab. 

San Angelo Mayor Alvin New filed two affidavits declaring his substantial conflict of interest in MedHab.  New also served on MedHab's Board of Directors at the time.  None of these facts were shared with Council by City staff.

Mayor Morrison wants to revert the loosening of standards that enabled Mayor New to keep his MedHab investment and remain Mayor.  I applaud his effort. 

MedHab Ready to RPM2

MedHab finally has a date for introducing its first product, RPM2, pronounced "RPM-Squared."

SlowTwitch.com gave a preliminary review of MedHab's retail product:

The basic idea of the product is this: Put four force measuring sensors and an accelerometer inside of a shoe insole and start gathering data. Transmit that data wirelessly to an iPhone or Android smartphone. Use this tool to learn information about the athlete’s range of motion, cadence, stride distance, and other metrics.

RPM2 says that you may use the device every day if you wish, but its real intent is for periodic testing and evaluation. How often should you use it? The baseline recommendation for most people is once per week. With that amount of regular use, they quote that the system will last for two years, depending on the weight of the user and duration of each session.

There are two models of RPM2, which determine the amount of features you get. The standard model costs $599 and is meant for running and other land-based sports, such as golf, tennis, and basketball. The ‘Triathlete’ model sells for $649, and includes everything that the standard model does – plus additional cycling features.

RPM2 also sells a ‘dummy’ version of the insole sans electronics for $30, for those that want to use the same insole for all of their activities. 

What the heck do I do with the data it provides? They were clear with me – RPM2 is like a power meter; it can only provide data. What you do with it is up to you and your coach, doctor, physical therapist, or other qualified expert. 

The official release date for RPM2 is September 1st, 2013. Note that the initial version is only for Android phones, as the iPhone software is still in the approval process with Apple. RPM2 quoted me an expected iPhone release date of October 1st, but that they’re hoping for sooner.

Note that there is a fee for use of the App, called a Monthly Monitoring Fee. The retail price for this is $20 per month for a month-to-month basis. RPM2 is offering reduced pricing for the initial product introduction, seen here:

RPM2 - $599

RPM2 Triathlete - $649

Monthly Monitoring Fee (purchased Sept 1 – Nov 30): $10/month for the first 12 months

Monthly Monitoring Fee (purchased Dec 1 – Feb 28): $15/month for the first 12 months

Monthly Monitoring Fee: $20/month or $180 for 12 months at any time

Company officials said RPMSquared will last two years under once a week use.  For innovators and early adopters that's 104 uses for $839, or $8 per use. 

The City of San Angelo beat out Abilene for MedHab production, only RPM-Squared will be manufactured in Athens, Texas and "finished in Rhode Island."  Units will be tested and distributed from San Angelo, which will house RPM-Squared's call center.

As for the San Angelo economic development agreement, it's front and center in MedHab's promotions:

MedHab needed to build alpha units in order to prove its concept and secure funding. TMAC’s Fernandez was charged with writing a gait algorithm that sensor manufacturers said couldn’t be done. However he succeeded and the alpha unit’s success helped the company secure $3.1M in private equity investment and $3.2M with the City of San Angelo. The success of the alpha units also contributes to the Federal Food and Drug agency approval process.

The project truly defines a collaborative effort. The company’s Operations VP in San Angelo is working with the TMAC office in WestTexas to write grant requests to the Texas Workforce Commission.  Besides TMAC’s technical projects, Angelo State College and Howard Community College will also be tapped to provide additional workforce development.

As for the Workforce grant request, it's no surprise that MedHab is tapping local, state and federal subsidies.  That's one way private equity firms lever returns.  I imagine Angelo State University and Howard College, MedHab collaborators, expected their current names to be used.

While MedHab's website is under construction, RPM-Squared's is up and running, complete with a White Paper recommending the product's use.  Customers can earn reward points and affiliates can help sell RPM-Squared and receive "a residual of $2.50 per person per month from the monthly monitoring fee, as long as the individual account is active and in good standing."  Everybody wins in this extrinsically motivated world, athletes/discount earners and coaches/therapists/affiliates.

Also, MedHab is "transitioning to an “S” corporation and is in the process of carefully selecting its Board of Directors."  Things are looking MedHabulous!

Update 7-3-15:  Slowtwitch has a MedHab-RPM user page. 

City Health Insurance Numbers Fail to Add Up

How does the City of San Angelo end FY 2012 with a $1.57 million health fund balance and begin FY 2013 with only $915,000 in the same account?  What happened to $655,000 at the stroke of midnight?

It's hard to tell given the finance department's recent history with health insurance.

FY 2012 saw city leaders maintaining budget fiction to the bitter end. 

Despite Council's approval of the Community exclusive provider arrangement which saved nearly $500,000, the budget was never updated for the public in the 2011-2012 FY.  The City stuck to its $7.9 health insurance million budget, only showing a $6.4 million when the final 2012-2013 budget was released.  Oddly, the Health Insurance Fund Balance is based on the prior 2012-2013 budget of roughly $8 million. The City Budget document shows $6.4 million for health insurance on page 122 and $8 million on page 91.  This is transparently bad financial management because it doesn't paint a consistent, much less clear picture.

Did city leaders siphon off $655,000 in health fund balance for other needs?  They diverted $250,000 to an investment account the year before.  I've yet to see that transferred back. 

At the end of 2012 the City seemed flush with cash, the $1.57 million plus the $343,000 in unused ERRP funding.  This $1.9 million somehow got whittled down to a projected $572,000 for the fiscal year about to end.

It's incongruous that the City had a bad year experience wise, given health insurance projections are $500,000 lower for the coming year.  The numbers don't add up.  

Update 8-19-13:  The City changed its budget projections. restoring the $655,000 in missing fund balance in its latest budget update..  It did keep the nonsensical $500,000 projected savings though.    

City Expects Nearly $500,000 in Health Insurance Savings for 2013-14

The City of San Angelo's draft budget calls for a 7.25% cut in direct employee-retiree health insurance costs for the coming year.  The draft budget shows $6.6 million for the current year falling to $6.1 million for 2013-2014.  This would be the third out of the last five years where the city would spend less on health insurance than the prior year.

The potential problem with this trend is a federal requirement that came with Early Retiree Reinsurance Program money.  The City qualified for ERRP funding in August 2010.  Three years later, it's not clear how much of the $343,000 in ERRP reimbursement the city has been able to utilize.

City employees know deep inside if the the city fulfilled their ERRP promise to make health insurance "a better benefit or their premiums can be lowered."   How many employees and early retirees recall the draconian dependent premium increases foisted on them in Fall 2010?  Paid city leaders were well aware of the certainty of federal ERRP reimbursement, yet refused to inform City Council or recommend mobilizing a single ERRP penny to break crushing premium increases.  Nearly 200 people fell from the rolls of City sponsored health insurance that dark January 2011. 

The one stipulation for employers accepting ERRP funding is they maintain their level of contribution to employee health coverage.  

The city's move to repeatedly cut health insurance funding since August 2010 imperils federal money intended to help early retirees keep coverage.  Federal money cannot supplant local funds in this regard.

How might the misuse of ERRP funds make health insurance more expensive for employees and early retirees in the future?  I didn't think that question was possible in November 2010.  Yet, it's the reality today as painted by the City's draft budget. 

Update:  HR's Lisa Marley told council her group would have new numbers next week, i.e. the week of August 20, 2013

Foot Dragging City Staff Find Feral Cats Jokeworthy

City Animal Control leadership has done nothing for two years other than talk about San Angelo's feral cat problem.  Their public position changed in June when Animal Control Officers began a heavy handed, enforcement action against the Mejor Que Nada feral cat colony and its longtime citizen volunteer.  Local animal service organizations and volunteer citizens wondered what changed.

A public information request produced a handful of e-mails with content on the city's "Trap and Kill" policy toward community cats.  One was particularly insightful:

PIO Anthony Wilson's words speak for themselves.

Health Services Director Sandra Villareal, with her Smiley Face reaction, appointed the very person who would agree with Anthony "Killer" Wilson to an ordinance subcommittee dealing with community cats.   Cat Hater Linda long proved her ignorance of existing ordinances in Animal Service Board minutes and that was on display in the first subcommittee meeting.  It's clear that Linda is part of the city's obstructionist plans regarding feral cats.

The city says it wants something done to address the feral cat problem.  They could consider a leap back in time.  From 2003 to 2007 the City Animal Shelter collaborated with the forerunner to Concho Valley PAWS and its 25 feral cat colonies.

Today's Standard Times article, "Colony of Feral Cat Colonies Far Smaller," had Health Services Director Sandra Villareal stating:

"You also really need to get them spayed and neutered, so there are a lot of responsibilities that will come with colony caregivers.  If they're willing to do it and the city will allow it...(and) as long as there are no complaints, they can continue caring for the cats and things will be more specifically to feral cats."

 
For some reason paid city staff can't speak what these citizen volunteers have done.  One group ran free spay-neuter feral cat clinics, sterilizing nearly 500 community cats in the last year. Another started Angelo State University's feral cat colony, which prevented over 800 new cats since its establishment.  ASU President Brian May is a strong supporter of this employee led group, which has some student volunteers.   As some colony caregivers have done this for the last decade, their willingness is not in question. However, the city's desire to make safe, legal space for community cat managers to operate is in question.

The City of San Angelo once partnered with community groups on feral cats.  However, personnel changed and the City shifted to an adversarial, enforcement posture.  It's clear Animal Control leadership will use every tool in its arsenal to slow or derail progress. 

The draft of an ordinance will need approval from the Animal Shelter Services Board and the City's legal department before being presented to City Council. "It's a lengthy process, so it's not going to be in the next month or so," Villareal said.

The City's legal department already played a restrictive role in fulfilling the public information request.  The City Attorney filed a request with the Texas Attorney General to withhold the Mejor Que Nada complaints.  Health Services Director Sandra Villareal held up a folder in a meeting with local animal service organizations on the Mejor situation.  She said, "Here are the complaints from my Animal Control Officers.  Just kidding!"  The jokes keep coming.  I believe the Attorney General should deny the City's legal request to withhold documents filed by city workers in the conduct of their job. 

The City's "lengthy process" means San Angelo will likely miss out on a $100,000 grant opportunity.  No grant funder would approve funds to spay-neuter community cats in our current legal no man's land.  It's time for City Manager Daniel Valenzuela to ask his crew to cut the funny stuff.