UTOPIA has almost become a dreaded word for council members of Brigham City as they try to deal with the very complex issues that have risen with trying to bring wonderfully fast fiber optic internet service to the residents of Brigham City. At first the appeal seemed too hard to pass up, fast cheap internet, everywhere? Why the possibilities were endless, tourists would flock to the small cities, businessmen would come in droves, why city coffers would be overflowing with abundance thanks to it.
Well, UTOPIA wasn't quite the dream that the city expected - with residents facing higher utility bills worries began to creep in about those who might not be able to afford such an increase, senior citizens were especially going to impacted if they lived on a fixed income. It turned out liens were put on UTOPIA homes when they went to sale. Brigham city Mayor Tyler Vincent spoke with me after the May 1st meeting and expressed that he has spent many sleepless nights worrying about how to make it fair for everyone. Mayor Vincent says even as a council member he brought up the issue of an "opt out" option at every meeting. Now the city is going to move forward and look at several options including selling to the Macquarie group. However, Council member Ruth Jensen spoke about the worry that Macquarie is a foreign company that touts their aggressiveness; what happens if the city doesn't meet financial expectations? We will probably see exactly how aggressive they can be.
Only one thing is certain and that is that the council reportedly is looking at every option to try and save the city money without burdening the taxpayers further. At the May 1st meeting the council decided perhaps it is time to present all of the options to the citizens and have an open house where people can get information and ask questions, find out what each option will do to the city. Sentinel News will continue to report on this and post when and where the meeting will be. Brigham City council said they would love to see a big turnout and get opinions and feedback from the residents who UTOPIA will effect. So watch for more in the coming weeks on this hot Brigham City topic.
