County to hold public hearing after state cut leaves DSP grant covering 22 homes

County staff and the county administrator updated the commission on Comcast’s broadband build‑out progress and funding on Aug. 26 and asked the board to authorize a public hearing to de‑obligate a reduced state grant share.

Ashley Staples Reed, special projects program manager, said phases 1–3 plus the DSP work have brought service to about 735 addresses, with roughly 92 addresses remaining in later phases. Reed said the state Office of Broadband (OSB) changed eligibility parameters while administering ARPA‑derived funds, and that change left only 22 addresses eligible under the original DSP award. "So it's unfortunate that this $1,100,000 grant has now resulted in a resulted in a $47,000 grant, but that is where we're at right now," Reed told commissioners.

Reed urged the board to de‑obligate the state's portion of the DSP grant but to leave the county match in the CIP so the project can be completed. She said Comcast has assured staff that the remaining county funds would be sufficient to finish the work in many cases and that, if the county maintains its CIP allocation, the project could be completed and any surplus could revert to the general fund after completion. The board authorized staff to schedule a public hearing and to execute the corresponding grant amendment.

What the board authorized: staff will conduct a public hearing (expected in September) to de‑obligate the state's portion of the DSP grant and present an updated grant agreement for execution; commissioners directed staff to return with details on the de‑obligation and remaining CIP funding implications.