08-08-2022 City Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM 1G STAFF ORIGINATOR: Sarah Cotton, City Administrator MEETING DATE: August 8, 2022 TOPIC: Consider Resolution No. 22-84, Offering Support to Anoka County to Expand Broadband Services in the City of Lino Lakes VOTE REQUIRED: 3/5 INTRODUCTION The City Council is being asked to consider Resolution No. 22-84, Offering Support to Anoka County to Expand Broadband Services in the City of Lino Lakes. BACKGROUND Broadband connectivity coverage within communities across the State of Minnesota continues to be a hot topic. To address this challenge, the State of Minnesota has expanded funding sources available in its' Border -to -Border Broadband Development Grant Program. This program was originally created to provide financial resources that help make the business case for new and existing providers to invest in building broadband infrastructure into "unserved" and "underserved" areas of the state. The Border -to -Border Broadband Grant Program has historically been funded with limited state general fund revenues. In the 2022 legislative session, $25 million in general fund revenues were allocated to the Border -to -Border grant program for FY23. This presented an opportunity for Anoka County to pursue an opportunity to holistically address connectivity challenges that impact Anoka County cities and residents. The County worked with an outside vendor to identify areas through the County that would be considered as qualified for this funding and has submitted a grant application to the State for consideration. At this time, Anoka County is asking cities who face connectivity issues to show support for the initiative through the attached resolution. RECOMMENDATION Staff is recommending approval of Resolution No. 22-84. ATTACHMENTS Resolution No. 22-84, Offering Support to Anoka County to Expand Broadband Services in the City of Lino Lakes