While the agenda was short on action items, there was plenty to discuss for the Pella City Council at their meeting Tuesday evening.

A presentation about the business plan for the Municipal Telecommunications Utility was given during the regular session. As part of the presentation, key conclusions were shown by FARR Technologies, the city’s consultant on the project, including:

-Citizens strongly support the project
-Citizens are likely to switch to a provider offering superior service at a competitive price
-Sustainable telecommunications utility desired

As for a recommendation, a representative from FARR said the city should own and operate the utility itself, to control quality, pricing, and services offered. The next steps include:

-Forming a contract with municipal legal and financing companies to set up the utility and financing
-Forming a contract with engineering and construction companies to set the newtowrk
-Hiring telecommunications director and staff
-Communicating with 5G wireless companies

During policy and planning following the meeting, council reviewed a draft ordinance relating to commercial event venue land uses and further discussed the compensation given to the mayor and council. No formal action will be taken on those items until future meetings.