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Private fiber contractor offers to assume utility-locate liability for proposed deployment
Summary
A contractor representing a private fiber project said it would assume liability for locating city utilities, perform locates and restore sites at no cost to the city and offered to present formal agreements to the city attorney; council asked for written materials and legal review before any action.
Councilors heard a brief presentation from a contractor proposing to install fiber in the city and offering to assume responsibility for locating existing city utilities during the work.
The presenter, identified in the transcript as Marshall, told the committee his contractor would "assume all liability for your existing utility," perform the locates using certified staff and, where necessary, use ground-penetrating radar to identify infrastructure not already locatable. He also said the company has a track record of restoration and claimed extensive footage completed elsewhere with a low incidence of utility hits.
Marshall said the arrangement would impose no budget cost to the city and would include a full harmless agreement that the company would provide for legal review. Council members requested written materials and asked staff and the city attorney to review the proposed indemnification and scope of work before any approvals.
The committee did not take any vote or authorize work tonight; it requested a packet of documents to be provided to the city attorney and included in the next agenda packet for formal consideration.
Councilors highlighted the importance of written contracts and legal review before the company begins any field work and indicated staff will return with the documents for further review.
