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Sullivan County committee approves budget modification, advances funds for broadband project
Summary
The Management and Budget Committee voted 3-0 to pass a June budget modification and to authorize an advance from the general fund toward a county broadband fiber project; ITS staff said construction will begin next month in phase 1 covering roughly half the county.
Sullivan County's Management and Budget Committee voted 3-0 to approve a June budget modification and to authorize advancement of funds from the general fund toward the county's broadband fiber project, committee members said.
The measure clears a financial step that OMB staff said will support the county's first phase of fiber construction. An ITS staff member told the committee fiber will begin to go into the ground early next month for project area 1 and that the vendor expects some service nodes to be "lit up" by the end of the year.
OMB reported that modifications have been made from a contingent amount described in the meeting as $1,000,004.63; OMB staff said the changes amount to roughly 36% of that contingent budget. OMB also presented related budget figures during the meeting; committee discussion and a public commenter focused on clarity and oversight of recurring budget modifications.
The ITS staff member described the project as divided into five smaller construction areas across the county. The first area covers the northern section between Roscoe and Fremont and includes work linking towers and main lines toward Kingston, the presenter said. The presenter added that the county's long-range aim is 100% coverage through additional phases if state and other funding become available.
Motion and vote records in the meeting showed the two resolutions were moved together. A committee member recorded as Matt moved the block; Nick Salomonie seconded. The committee voted "aye" and the clerk recorded a 3-0 vote in favor.
Following the vote, meeting leaders announced the committee would go into an executive session to discuss collective bargaining.
The committee's action allows county staff to proceed with internal funding steps tied to the broadband deployment; details on the amount advanced from the general fund were not specified on the record. ITS and OMB staff said further scheduling and maps for individual addresses will be discussed offline with members and residents interested in coverage.
Committee members and staff described the broadband effort as a multi-year undertaking that will require interdepartmental coordination and additional funding rounds to reach full countywide coverage.
