HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.22.2023 telecommunications minutesTELECOMMUNICATIONS UTILITY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Harold E. Getty Council Chambers
City Hall
February 22, 2023
4:00 p.m.
Members present: Batemon, Kurtenbach, Young and Van Fleet joined the meeting via Zoom.
Moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach that the Agenda, as proposed, be approved. Voice -
vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Moved by Kurtenbach seconded by Young that the minutes of January 3, 2023, as proposed, be
approved. Voice -vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Discussion of 28E Agreement with City of Waterloo.
Steve Nadel, Attorney for the Board, provided an overview of the 28E Agreement project bid
letting process. He explained that the agreement is essentially identifying the separate
responsibilities of each entity and setting the expectation of what is happening.
A discussion followed to clarify board member questions regarding processes for projects beyond
the Backbone.
Moved by Kurtenbach, seconded by Young to approve Ahlers and Cooney representation
concerning the 28E agreement with City of Waterloo for bidding and construction of FTTP and
the City Backbone Project. Voice -vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Joint Public Improvement Agreement with the Municipal Telecommunications Utility of the City
of Waterloo, for the purpose of defining the respective rights and obligations for joint public
improvement projects.
Moved by Young, seconded by Kurtenbach to approve a Joint Public Improvement Agreement
with the Municipal Telecommunications Utility of the City of Waterloo, for the purpose of
defining the respective rights and obligations for joint public improvement projects, and
authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute said document. Voice -vote Ayes: Four. Motion
carried.
Broadband Marketing Proposal with Magellan Advisors, in the amount of $60,500.
Courtney Violette, Magellan Advisors, provided a high-level overview of the proposal and
explained that a third party marketing team will be working on the execution of this scope of work.
They will be developing a marketing plan, timelines, budgets, public relations, etc. He explained
that this does not include any direct costs that the utility board would contract for.
Mr. Van Fleet questioned if a timeline for expectations could be provided.
Courtney Violette commented that a Gantt chart could be provided.
Kelley Felchle, City Clerk, questioned the source of funding.
Maggie Burger, Speer Financial, explained there she has been in conversation with Courtney,
Bridgett Wood and the underwriter on this subject. They believe there will need to be some
working capital funds issued yet this spring. Those funds would be both for marketing purposes,
but the hiring of individuals to run the communication utility.
Mr. Kurtenbach questioned if these funds would cover identifying yard signs.
Courtney Violette explained that the RFP does include a requirement that multiple forms of project
identifiers be used as part of the communications plan, such as magnets and stickers for vehicles,
equipment and hard hats, door hangers, etc., and that yard signs would come into play later as the
phase of connecting customers gets closer.
Page 2
Moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach to approve a Broadband Marketing Proposal with
Magellan Advisors, in the amount of $60,500. Voice -vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
Steve Nadel mentioned that the bid letting process is beginning very soon and when it does it'll be
moving quickly so be aware that there will be a need for special meetings requiring a number of
decisions.
Courtney Violette commented that he now has the job description for a Director of Broadband.
The board continued to discuss a number of items regarding financing, rate -setting, operations,
marketing and hiring decisions, as the utility moves from the theoretical concept to the
implementation of a fully operating communications utility.
With no further business before the board, it was moved by Young seconded by Kurtenbach that
the meeting be adjourned at 4:40 p.m. Voice -vote Ayes: Four. Motion carried.
7(eCCey Fe&ch1
Kelley Felchle
City Clerk