At the June 4 Columbia County work session, consultants and a guest operator briefed commissioners on two municipal fiber case studies: SandyNet (City of Sandy, Oregon) and MyNet (the Monmouth–Independence system).

PJ Armstrong, identified in the meeting as general manager for MyNet, told the board that Monmouth–Independence began building because incumbent providers would not upgrade infrastructure and that the network “turned up subscriber number 1 in 02/2006.” Armstrong described management and financing challenges the system later overcame and credited local, responsive customer support and a focus on fiber-to-the-home service for the turnaround: “we are just cash flow positive,” he said, adding that MyNet was grossing “something like 5 and a half, 6,000,000 a year” and netting “something like 2 and a half million.” Armstrong said MyNet has about 25 employees and roughly 8,500 subscribers and that public‑private partnerships — for example, operating networks in other cities where outside investors own infrastructure — helped stabilize debt service obligations.

Consultants briefed commissioners on SandyNet’s history as a municipality-led build that issued a $7.5 million revenue bond for a citywide fiber network and reached high subscription rates (presentation cited a 2015 subscription rate of roughly 60% and more recent figures approaching the mid‑70s). Presenters emphasized that Sandy had begun in a largely underserved “greenfield” environment, while MyNet’s context included incumbent providers and required different market and management approaches.

Both case studies were presented as operational examples for Columbia County to consider when assessing take-rate assumptions, marketing strategies and governance structures for either an open-access or municipally operated system. Armstrong and the consultants repeatedly cited local customer support, focused network operations and clear governance as factors that influenced long-term sustainability.

Presenters and the board used the case studies to illustrate that municipal builds can be successful but carry governance and oversight risks if boards are insufficiently engaged; Armstrong said that earlier management decisions and additional loans had strained the Monmouth–Independence system until operational changes and partnerships corrected course.

The board did not take any formal action regarding the case studies; presenters remained available for follow-up questions and staff said they would return with more localized cost details and outreach plans.