LEBANON — Anyone wishing to make a political statement can buy time for it on city-owned cable beginning Monday morning.

        Former Councilman John McComb and the Hamilton County anti-tax group COAST settled their lawsuit against the city Friday by signing an agreement that City Council approved Monday.

        “We have now opened the airwaves for the people of Lebanon,” said David Langdon, attorney for the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxation. “The First Amendment has been vindicated once again.”

        Council had rejected allowing political ads in a 4-2 vote in April, citing concerns about negative, inaccurate or inappropriate content.

        Terms of the settlement:

        • The city agrees to stop rejecting political ads for commercial channels such as ESPN and CNN. It also will pay $28,000 in Mr. McComb's and COAST's legal fees and damages.

        • The plaintiffs drop their request to advertise on Lebanon's public access channel and lose their reservations for air time.

        Anyone who wants to air political ads must go to the city telecommunications department, 125 S. Sycamore St., after 9 a.m. Monday to buy time, City Attorney Mark Yurick said. Ads will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

        Rates are the same as for other ads. A single, 30-second spot runs $4 to $8, for instance, and monthly packages run from $225 a week for 90 spots to $375 a week 150 spots, according to the city's rate sheet.

        For more information, call the telecommunications department at 933-7201.

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