Broadband, business and utility assistance considered

MEDICAL LAKE – Mayor Shirley Maike requested council help categorize funding from the American Rescue Plan Act during a meeting Tuesday, Nov. 2.

She also advocated utility and small business assistance when Councilwoman Heather Starr asked for the cost of broadband implementation.

City Administrator Doug Ross said the most recent estimate to integrate broadband citywide is $8-10 million.

He also said the city could go section-by-section and cover about 25% of the city for about $2 million.

Testing broadband services would be difficult, as well, he said noting the city doesn’t have its own power department like Cheney.

Ross said another hurdle could be a population less than 5,000 residents, as an independent company will want to incorporate themselves into a profitable population.

Ross said the $1.4 million in funding should be adequate to cover a lot of concerns and proposed that council set aside $1 million to help fund broadband and the rest would be divided into other projects.

“The need is now for utility assistance,” Maike said.

In other business, Ross said utility bills are still mounting for some people.

He wants to avoid a mass shut off in January.

“With $400,000 you can do a lot of good,” he said.

Breaking his plan down further, Ross said he would like to potentially fund 20 small businesses and see $10,000 set aside for each business affected by COVID-19 mandates.

That would leave $200,000 to divvy up between other ideas such as purchasing and installing one more lake aerator , which will cost around $80,000.

The remaining funds would then be used to possibly install some new storm drains, expand the food bank and further fund outreach for utility help, he said.

Ross also said a city notice will be going out to request people remove motorhomes and other large vehicles from roadways before snow falls.

Spokane County District No. 3 Fire Chief Cody Rohrbach spoke for public safety and said call numbers have increased, and “patient care calls” have been impacted because some responders can no longer provide medical care, due to the governor’s get shot or be fired mandate on health care professionals.

The council also moved forward with the second readings of Ordinance 1090, a 0% property tax increase, and Ordinance No. 1091, which puts the emergency services levy at 0% also.

A public hearing was set regarding the 2022 budget for the Nov. 16 council meeting.

Reporter Matthew O. Stephens can be reached at [email protected]