Payson votes to stay with UTOPIA

PAYSON — UTOPIA and Payson are back together again.

It appeared the relationship was over last week after City Councilman Bertis Bills voted against continuing with the Utah Telecommunication Open Infrastructure Agency fiber-optic network.

After Bills later received new information on the program, an emergency City Council meeting was held on Wednesday. At the meeting, Payson and the public telecommunications agency kissed and made up.

Bills conceded to UTOPIA officials last week, after he played the key role in Payson's 3-2 vote against participation, that he didn't understand all of the financial negotiations. He had been concerned about Payson's $5.3 million tab over 20 years.

"I had a whole bunch of questions," Bills said.

He had city staff members research his questions and direct they come back with answers prior to Wednesday's hastily called meeting. Two council members, Colleen Jacobson and Larry Skinner, were out of town so they participated by telephone, Mayor Bernell Evans said.

The vote to stay with UTOPIA was 3-1 with Councilman Brent Burdick abstaining, asserting he didn't get enough notice. Burdick questioned the meeting's legality.

"Is it an emergency to consider UTOPIA?" he said.

The local weekly newspaper serving the Payson area was the only media that received advance notice of the meeting. The Deseret Morning News, which receives notice of regularly scheduled council meetings, was not notified. The meeting was originally set for Monday night, but because city offices are closed on Fridays, the meeting was moved to Wednesday at 10 a.m. to give residents an opportunity to see the public notice posted at City Hall.

The notice was posted 24 hours before the meeting, Evans said.

"There absolutely isn't anything that anyone tried to do underhandedly," Bills said.

The council will need to hold a public meeting before it ratifies the decision. If the meeting is held, Burdick said he will boycott it.

UTOPIA officials had set a Thursday deadline for the city to consider changing its decision. Bills said the city had no role in setting that deadline.

Councilman Larry Skinner cast the lone nay vote over the telephone.

Bills said he switched his vote for these reasons: