Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Telecommunications Franchise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mound City Council approves franchise ordinance allowing Midco to build fiber network
Summary
The council approved Ordinance 3-2025 on May 13, clearing a legislative step for Midco Communications to build a telecommunications network in Mound; the company must still submit plans, obtain permits and satisfy posting and acceptance requirements before construction begins.
Mound City Council on May 13 approved Ordinance No. 3-2025, granting Midco Communications a franchise to operate a telecommunications system in the city and allowing the company to begin the permitting process required for construction.
City staff said the council’s action follows a public hearing held April 22 and is the legislative step that allows Midco to submit detailed plans and permits. "This is the second part of the process of, the franchise award for Midco Communications," a city staff member said during the meeting. The staff member also told the council the agreement will need to be posted in a newspaper and accepted on Midco’s end within 30 days of posting before it goes into effect.
Why it matters: the franchise opens the door for another provider to install telecommunications infrastructure in Mound, including fiber services. City staff said Midco described the build in phased stages and that the company must still provide plans and specifications the city must sign off on before any excavation or other work in the public right-of-way.
Council members were told the ordinance and a companion resolution to publish a summary were the remaining steps in the approval process. City staff noted the ordinance follows the format used in other local franchise agreements and includes franchise-fee provisions and financial remedies for failures to comply. "If there are issues where they're not following what they're supposed to under the franchise ordinance... there is financial penalties that would be attached to them," the staff member told the council.
At the meeting staff described the construction schedule as phased across multiple years. Staff said Midco had discussed three phases spanning 2025–2027 with some overlap between later phases; the company will also perform directional boring and other methods rather than full open trenches. Staff said Midco is conducting pre-sales and that the company will submit build maps, permit applications and specifications for city review before any work begins.
The council approved the ordinance by voice vote; the meeting record shows the motion carried and a separate motion approving the resolution to publish a summary also carried.
Next steps: city staff will post the required summary in the newspaper, Midco must accept the ordinance and submit the required plans and permits, and the company may begin right-of-way work only after city review and permitting requirements are satisfied.
