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Chickasaw supervisors discuss dark‑fiber plan for county offices; approve FX2020 IT service contract for 300 hours
Summary
Supervisors heard an extended presentation on installing dark fiber to county buildings to create redundant internet and distributed servers; the board directed staff to gather firm costs and approved a 2026 IT service agreement with 20/20 FX Inc. for 300 service hours.
Chickasaw County supervisors and staff spent substantial time on May 10 reviewing a proposed dark‑fiber project to connect county buildings, create redundancy for internet service and replicate servers across three locations.
An IT presenter explained the plan’s goals: “Dark fiber is connected to all of the offices so we can have it all in 1 network and back up all devices,” and said redundancy — including a Starlink backup — would make county services more resilient to outages. The consultant described options for underground vs. aerial runs, estimated installation costs (dark fiber is the main cost driver) and noted some buildings already have fiber at the curb but not to the building interior.
Supervisors asked about procurement and whether a formal bidding process would be required; staff replied they will gather firm cost estimates from current local providers and clarify whether a competitive bid is needed. Questions also focused on who would pay ongoing internet service and how the county would structure primary and backup providers. Several supervisors requested price comparisons and building‑by‑building lists before authorizing further work; the board tabled final approval pending additional pricing details and with two supervisors expected absent for the next meeting.
On the same agenda, the board approved a county IT service agreement with 20/20 FX Inc. for 300 service hours in 2026. The motion to approve the contract for 300 hours passed in the May 10 meeting.
Why it matters: Centralizing dark fiber and creating redundant servers address recommendations from Iowa’s county IT assessments and aim to reduce downtime for critical county services. The approach requires capital investment and decisions about procurement and recurring service costs.
Next steps: Staff will return cost estimates, a building‑by‑building plan and procurement recommendations for board review. The IT service contract work with FX2020 will proceed under the 300‑hour allocation approved by the board.
