PAYSON — City officials are balking at the latest effort to raise more money for UTOPIA.
Five cities that are part of the 11-city consortium attempting to bring fiber-optic cable to homes and business have formed a new entity, the Utah Infrastructure Agency, with plans to borrow up to $65 million for the project in yet another round of funding.
However, the Payson City Council balked Wednesday at the proposed interlocal agreement that would let the new agency's board set the assessment without council approval. The City Council also wants its vote to count equally with other, larger cities.
The five cities already in the new agency are West Valley City, Lindon, Orem, Layton and Midvale. The Payson City Council tabled the request to join until its Aug. 4 meeting.
City officials fear that if they don't join the Utah Infrastructure Agency, services Payson now receives would not be expanded. Only 30 percent of the city is served by UTOPIA.
The city is committed to paying $259,000 annually for the next 17 years to the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency, with member cities running north to south along the Wasatch Front. The total portion the Utah Infrastructure Agency is seeking from Payson is an additional $30,000 over a period of years.
— Rodger L. Hardy
DeseretNews.com encourages a civil dialogue among its readers. We welcome your thoughtful comments.
— About comments
- Provo couple killed in RV accident near St....
- Police were watching, listening to Josh and...
- 'More questions than answers' as charges...
- Native American tribe buries remains, 150...
- Susan Powell's father wants help searching...
- Parents of Sandy Hook victim, Emilie Parker,...
- Man charged with killing Ogden officer found...
- Davis County honor student arrested in deaths...
Subscribe
Mobile
RSS
- Chaffetz not willing to take...
71 - Man charged with killing Ogden officer... 45
- Couples registry gets preliminary nod... 29
- Utah's Count My Vote caucus initiative... 18
- Gov. Gary Herbert tells Washington... 17
- $2.6B needed for Utah to reach... 17
- Letters to family show Steven Powell... 17
- One third of millenials regret going to... 13
What no one ever tells them is this fact. In America, the only future you have is the right to be born, (if not aborted that is), and, the right to leave this world as you came into it (with nothing, but knowledge), when you were born, that's all. More..
Color me unsurprised. This is the same level of cowardice they showed two years ago. Real leaders try and solve challenges. Payson just tucks tail and runs.
Pretty good deal for $259k yearly...