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Council reviews first-year staffing plan for fiber-to-the-home rollout
Summary
City and Velocity Broadband staff presented a phased staffing proposal prioritizing a broadband technician and an engineer to support a city residential fiber build; staff said outsourcing design could cost "upwards of a million dollars for a 4-year project," making in-house hires more cost-effective. Multiple consent-agenda items related to procurement were previewed for March 18.
City staff and Velocity Broadband representatives presented a first-year staffing plan for the city's residential fiber-to-the-home project at the March 11 Hudson City Council workshop, recommending immediate recruitment of a broadband technician and an engineer to support design, permitting and contractor coordination.
Presenters said they have been working with engineering, public-works and GIS staff and have consulted peers in nearby communities. The presentation said two positions are pressing now: a broadband technician to help prepare existing infrastructure and an engineer to handle design workload that would otherwise be an external cost. One presenter summarized outside estimates, saying outsourcing design services could be "upwards of a million dollars for a 4 year project," and argued bringing an engineer in-house would be more cost effective.
Staff described a lean operating model for Velocity Broadband and said proposed positions were factored into the pro-forma financial model used by the ad-hoc committee; alternatives remain if demand or costs shift. Council members requested continued transparency about hires and costs and were told the fiber-to-the-home program will return to council annually with reports.
Staff also previewed related consent-agenda items scheduled for March 18: a resolution authorizing the city manager to contract with Kallax Inc. to upgrade Velocity fiber distribution equipment (emergency); resolutions to advertise for bids and enter contract for customer fiber installation services and for the 2025 Velocity fiber pilot project; and a procurement resolution for fiber construction materials. These procurements were presented for council's upcoming consideration; no votes were taken at the March 11 workshop.
Council expressed support for the staffing approach while seeking assurances the hires and budget will remain cost neutral as modeled. Staff said they will return with reports and that phasing will limit immediate hiring to only necessary positions.
