Board votes to terminate long-dormant fiber optic joint powers board; Midco purchased assets

The Pine County board approved terminating a joint powers board created decades ago to manage fiber optic connections among Pine City government entities and educational institutions after staff said the project had fulfilled its mission and Midco purchased the assets.

A commissioner summarized the history: the city, Pine Technical College, the school district and the county had buried conduit and placed fiber to share communications; that effort was vital in the early Internet era but the joint powers board has not met for years. Officials said the city recovered conduit investment through a lease to Midco, which later bought the assets. "It did its job, and the job that it did is now over," a commissioner said. There was no county cash investment to recover; the termination motion passed by voice vote and the board authorized the chair and county administrator to sign the termination agreement.

Commissioners asked whether there were lingering financial obligations; staff said no cash remained for the county and the county continues to use network connectivity through the city's agreement with Midco for existing operations.