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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />MARCH 21, 2023 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 3 of 8 <br /> <br />FINANCE DIRECTOR REPORT <br /> <br />14. CHANGE PHONESERVICE PROVIDER <br /> <br />Finance Director Olson said about a month ago City Hall’s phones were down for about two days. We <br />started talking to providers and they were recommending SIP technology which uses their phone lines <br />over our fiber connection rather than the old copper because phone companies are getting rid of copper <br />connections. The City staff solicited several quotes from providers including the City’s current provider <br />and selected Nova Systems based on price and customer service. The City will cut its phone bill for <br />primary phones in about half, will eventually be able to save another $1,000 per month and will have a <br />state-of-the-market system for communications. It will take two weeks before the new system is in place. <br />Olson said his report was informational as the action is far below the level that would require Council <br />approval. <br /> <br />Seals said she had two unrelated but related questions, related because they involved tech. She said she <br />has had a couple of phone calls in the last week complaining about Mediacom and these complaints have <br />been consistent. Seals asked is that something that down the road we can look at again? <br /> <br />City Administrator Edwards said there's no prohibition from other competitors coming into our market. <br />Mediacom doesn't have a monopoly but happens to have been the first to come out here, and the first to <br />build out. There is opportunity for other competitors to come out. I assume the market forces have to be <br />such that they think they can make some money doing so. We don't have a direct input into those small <br />telecoms that come through, but there are opportunities. We haven't done anything where we've tried to <br />partner with a provider to give them some kind of financial incentives or something like that. <br /> <br />Walsh said the City has made attempts to talk to other providers. <br /> <br />Seals said her second question concerns progress on updating the video system for City Hall. <br /> <br />Edwards said that is something that will be coming to the Council, hopefully in the near future. The City <br />has been looking at other systems with hardware and software needs and getting quotes. <br /> <br />COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT REPORT <br /> <br />Community Development Director Oakden had nothing to report. <br /> <br />CITY ATTORNEY REPORT <br /> <br />Standing in for City Attorney Mattick, Jack Brooksbank said he wanted to briefly touch on <br />Councilmember Benson’s concerns about the City commission and committee appointment process. <br />There are one or two specific positions where the statute does mention a first meeting of the year. He said <br />it looks like the appointments were moved a few years ago, probably just for convenience so that all the <br />appointments were done at one time. A note has been made to move those appointments for the next year. <br />Whether to make the appointments as two rounds or to move everything, is going to be a policy decision <br />for the Council. He added the timing does not affect the validity of those appointments.