Chehalis council holds first reading of franchise for NFC Northwest LLC

The Chehalis City Council on May 11 conducted a first reading of Ordinance 1124‑b, which would grant NFC Northwest LLC, an affiliate of Ziply, a non‑exclusive franchise to use city rights‑of‑way for telecommunications infrastructure.

Jody, representing the city on the item, told the council the proposed franchise largely mirrors the Ziply agreement the council approved in June 2023 and that the city attorney and a Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA) risk manager reviewed the document. "The provided agreement has been reviewed by the city attorney and a WCIA insurance risk manager," Jody said, noting the indemnity language is updated to WCIA ADM 0.21.

Council member moved to pass the ordinance on first reading and to schedule a second and final reading for the May 26 regular meeting; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. The ordinance text, described by the presenter, grants a state‑of‑Washington corporation a telecommunications franchise under standard city terms. The council did not engage in extended debate during the first reading.

If adopted on second reading, the franchise would permit NFC Northwest LLC to place and maintain telecommunications facilities in public rights‑of‑way under the terms in the ordinance. The council recorded the procedural step of scheduling the final vote for May 26, 2026.

Action and next step: the council scheduled the ordinance for a second and final reading on May 26, 2026.