Commission discusses sharing fiber installation costs to stabilize TV service in Dutch John area

Daggett County officials discussed whether the county should pay part of the cost to have fiber run into a shared television/radio distribution box at Grizzly Ridge to improve service to Dutch John and nearby areas.

Speaker 3 said other jurisdictions have proposed putting fiber into the Grizzly Ridge equipment cabinet to reduce outages and improve reliability. He said the verbal estimate for the installation was between $6,000 and $7,500 and that the monthly service runs about $350, roughly $4,200 per year. Speaker 3 told the commission that the other party initially wanted the county to pay the monthly bill; he proposed cost‑sharing alternatives: the county could pay up to half of the installation cost (or the full installation) and, after the county’s annual contribution equaled the annual service cost, the parties would split ongoing monthly expenses.

Speakers 2 and 3 expressed support for finding the county’s fair share and noted the county had not budgeted for the ongoing $4,200 in the current budget year. Speaker 3 also noted billing complications: invoices were being routed through neighboring entities and the recreation district operates the television budget. Commissioners asked for follow‑up with Kent and Craig Smith (both named in the discussion) to clarify invoices, formalize an agreement and decide whether to include the expense in the next budget cycle.

No formal motion or vote was recorded on the proposal; commissioners agreed to pursue discussions and, if appropriate, formalize terms and budget changes later.