Council adopts SandyNet master plan, adds rural expansion criteria

The Sandy City Council voted to adopt the SandyNet master plan and an accompanying rural‑expansion ranking matrix that staff and the SandyNet advisory board developed to prioritize future build‑out outside the city core. City staff said the master plan was presented in draft to council last December, and the new rural‑expansion criteria were developed in response to council direction to make expansion decisions more transparent and measurable. Staff and the consultant framed the rural‑expansion ranking as seven criteria: exclusivity (demand concentration), proximity to existing infrastructure, subscriber cost to the end user and to SandyNet, revenue opportunity, community factors, fit with existing network architecture, and capital investment required. “Those 7 criteria are exclusivity, ... Location or proximity to existing infrastructure, the subscriber cost... the revenue opportunity... any political or community factors, the fit with the existing system and its architecture, as well as the total ... considerations for capital investment required,” the SandyNet presenter said during the meeting. Several councilors asked staff to remove the word “political” and use “community factors” instead; staff agreed to that change. Councilors pressed staff about how high build‑out costs would be allocated for very rural connections. Staff identified an industry metric of roughly 12 subscribers per mile as a planning threshold and said cost per connection in analyzed areas ranged from a few thousand dollars to roughly $10,000; staff noted that costs fall as take‑rates increase. One councilor said a hypothetical $20,000 per house would take decades to pay back and asked that council see high‑cost proposals before the city assumes them. Staff said significant capital investments would be reviewed by the SandyNet advisory board and would come to council for approval if they were not a “no‑brainer” business decision. Motion and outcome: A councilor moved to adopt the SandyNet master plan with addenda and exhibits; the motion passed by voice vote. What it means: The adopted plan formalizes a set of criteria to rank and document rural expansion candidates, prioritizes areas close to existing infrastructure and sets expectations that staff will evaluate cost‑per‑passing, take‑rate and potential use of staff labor versus contracting. Staff said most early expansion work will use in‑house crews unless contracting is required, and that the program will be budgeted and evaluated on a biannual basis. Staff follow‑up: Staff will use the ranking template when evaluating candidate areas, will provide council any proposal that requires significant capital, and will continue outreach and local marketing to increase take rates to reduce per‑house costs.