Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Broadband Procurement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council reviews internet service RFP recommending fiber and a multi‑provider approach
Summary
IT staff briefed the council on a 36‑month internet service plan that would move city facilities from wireless to fiber and include four providers. Staff estimated roughly $32,000 in the first year, a 3‑year service cost near $100,000, and additional installation and infrastructure costs; council agreed to move the item forward to the next meeting.
City IT staff presented results from an RFP to provide internet services across city facilities and recommended a mixed approach using fiber where available and managed wireless/point‑to‑point links for remote sites.
Staff explained a 36‑month contract structure and estimated an adjusted first‑year service cost near $32,000, rising to roughly $32,000–$35,000 annually as additional facilities come online. "The total cost of this thing, just for the Internet services over the 3 years is about a $100,000," the IT presenter said, and separately noted about $12,500 in installation fees and roughly $5,000 for firewall licensing as one‑time infrastructure needs.
The plan calls for a mix of four providers to serve different facilities; Whisper (the company that bought MCM Systems) would serve parks and rec and the water treatment plant, staff said. The recommended configuration includes point‑to‑point antennas to connect remote sites such as the animal shelter and cemetery maintenance building to the network backbone.
Why it matters: Reliable connectivity is needed for VoIP telephone plans and for consistent city services; staff said moving to fiber and dedicated point‑to‑point links will address recurring connectivity problems and support future technology upgrades.
Council had no objection to advancing the matter to the next meeting and asked staff to prepare contract documents and cost breakdowns for formal consideration.
