Staff Report - Updated1
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: March 21, 2024, City Council Meeting
To: IAC Chairman and Committee Members
From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator
Re: March Staff Report
______________________________________________________________________________
MidCo Project Updates
Jason Sachs, General Manager of Field Operations, and Elly Burroughs, Government Relations
Manager, will attend our meeting to discuss Midco’s 2024 projects and beyond. At the request of
Committee Chair Wilmers, Elly has provided the following bios/intros for herself and Jason.
Elly Burroughs - Government Relations Manager, Minnesota
Elly Burroughs has recently stepped in as Midco's Government Relations Manager, a
position previously held by Melissa Wolf. Prior to her start at Midco, she held positions at
the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., and the Fargo Chamber of
Commerce in Fargo, North Dakota.
Jason Sachs - GM of Field Operations, MN Region
Jason Sachs has been with Midco for 17 years and is GM of Field Operations, MN Region.
He oversees the Field Operations team, which includes 70 Field Technicians, 7 Field
Service Managers, and 3 Field Operations Managers who work out of 5 different offices in
central MN, southern MN, and western WI.
Frontier – Recent Communication
Included in your packet is our most recent communication with Frontier's Todd Kruse. They
asked if the City wanted to partner on a BEAD grant. I reiterated the City’s position that it would
not sign an NDA, which has been required to work with Frontier in the past. Todd has not replied
to my response.
CIP Committee Funding Request
Committee Chairman Wilmers attended the September 6, 2023, City Council Work Session to
advocate for the restoration of the IAC initial funding request for 2024 and 2025 of $250,000 per
2
year. The council was receptive to his comments, understanding the money is a placeholder for
future matching funds towards a large project using the newly released BEAD funds. Council is
looking for a revised funding request once the BEAD grant program requirements are known.
The 2024 budget was approved with the complete IAC funding request.
Project Financing Spreadsheet Review
Councilmember Kronmiller has provided the Committee with an updated spreadsheet.
IAC Charter Discussion
At the July IAC meeting, the Committee proposed changes to the IAC Charter, specifically to the
Purpose and Goals sections. The new language is updated and included in the attached Updated
Charter. This item was tabled in November due to the length of the meeting.
Items For Future Discussion