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Council authorizes letter to Connext to begin franchise renegotiation ahead of term expiration
Summary
Willard's city attorney recommended renegotiating Connext's fiber franchise before its five-year term ends; the council authorized sending a renegotiation letter, noting notice is typically required about 90 days prior to expiration (around Dec. 8, 2026).
City Attorney Amy Hugie told the council that the current franchise agreement with Connext — a non-exclusive fiber provider — is approaching the end of its initial five-year term and that notice to renegotiate should be given roughly 90 days before the term end (around Dec. 8, 2026). Hugie noted the original selection of Connext included a tradeoff: the company agreed to install fiber without a city-guaranteed subscriber minimum. With the system now installed and subscriber adoption increased throughout Willard, the city can now seek standard franchise fee terms, which could include a percentage of gross revenues. The drafted letter requesting renegotiation was included in the council packet.
Council Member Rod Mund moved to authorize sending the letter to Connext requesting renegotiation of the franchise agreement; the motion was seconded by Council Member Rex Christensen and carried unanimously. Hugie reminded the council Connext's non-exclusive status means other providers could seek to serve Willard and would be subject to any standard franchise fee the city adopts.
