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Home My WebLink About2022-09-01 1:30PM WORKSHOP SESSIONct� P r'<• 9rj L��2 a e e ry P BRAZOS COUNTY BRYANJEXAS NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA WORKSHOP SESSION BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WILL MEET IN WORKSHOP SESSION AS FOLLOWS: MEETING DATE: September 1, 2022 MEETING TIME: 1:30 PM MEETING PLACE: Brazos County Administration Building, 200 S. Texas Avenue, Suite 106, Bryan, TX 77803 1. Call to Order 2. Presentation and discussion of Brazos Valley COGNET by Bo Moncivais, Information Technology Manager and/or Michael Parks, Executive Director. 3. Discussion of Additional Broadband Funding Opportunities by Traylor and Associates. Executive Sessions 4. Convene into Executive Session pursuant to Texas Government Code §551.0725 to deliberate business and financial issues related to a contact being negotiated. 5. Consider and possible action on Executive Session. 6. Adjourn The Brazos County Administration Building, 200 S. Texas Avenue, Suite 106, Bryan, TX77803 is wheelchair accessible. Handicap parking spaces are available. Any request for sign interpretive services must be made tvm working days before the meeting. To make arrangements, please call (979) 361-4102. Ew a, . 10 C MINUTES -SEPTEMBER.:1, 2022 BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT WORKSHOP SESSION. r. .1. Call to -Order A workshop session of the. Commissioners' Court of Brazos County, Texas was held in the Brazos County: Commissioners Courtroom in the Administration Building, :200 South Texas Avenue,, in. Bryan, Brazos County,Texas beginning at-1:30 p-.m. on Tuesday, - September 1; 2022 with the following members of the Court present: Duane Peters, County -Judge, Presiding Steve Aldrich, Commissioner of Precinct 1; Russ Ford; Commissioner of Precinct 2; Nancy Berry, Commissioner of Precinct 3; Absent; Irma Cauley,.Commissioner of. Precinct 4; Karen McQueen, County Clerk; Absent.. . The attached sheets contain the names of the citizens and officials that were in attendance.: 2. Presentation and discussion of Brazos Valley COGNET by Bo Moncivais I nformation Technology Manager and/or Michael Parks, Executive Director. The Commissioners Court listened to 'a presentation given by Michael Parks; Executive Director of Brazos ValleyCouncil of Governments and Brazos Valley COGNET., Brazos Valley Council of Governments consists of seven counties: Brazos, Burleson,. Grimes, Leon, Robertson and Washington. Mr. Parks stated -the vision for. COGNET is to provide reliable intemet service to the rural areas in the Brazos Valley for health care, education and economicdevelopment. A copy of the presentation by Mr. Parks is attached.. 3. Discussion of Additional Broadband Funding Opportunities by. Traylor and Associates. Vol. 3 �` - Pg. Mark Taylor and Wesley Traylor with Traylor and Associates provided the Court with a list of various funding opportunities for Broadband projects. A copy of the presentation is attached. Executive Sessions 4. Convene into Executive Session pursuant to Texas Government Code §551.0725 to deliberate business and financial issues related to a contact being negotiated. At this point, the County Judge announced the Court would convene into Executive Session to deliberate business and financial issues. related to a contract being negotiated. Civil Counsel Ed Bull submitted a written determination that deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the Court in negotiations with a third party. A motion was offered by Commissioner Cauley to meet in closed Executive Session as per Mr. Bull's recommendation. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Ford and the motion passed unanimously. At 2:43 p.m. the County Judge announced the meeting closed to the public, so the Court could convene into Executive Session as stated above. The following individuals were asked to stay for the sessions: Cheryl Coffman, Executive Assistant Ed Bull, Chief of Staff/Civil Counsel Katie Conner, Auditor Trevor Lansdown, Project Manager Kimberly Roach, I ntergovernmental Liaison 5. Consider and possible action on Executive Session. At 3:32 p..m. the County Judge announced the meeting open to the public and announced that no action would be taken on the Closed Executive Session. 6. Adjourn Vol. 3 7 Pg. _ 3 The foregoing minutes of the Commissioners Court Workshop Session held September 1, 2022 have been examined and are approved in open Court this the 11th day of October 2022, in Bryan, Brazos County, Texas. Duane Peters Steve Aldrich County Judge Commissioner, Precinct 1 Russ Ford Nancy Ber Commissioner, Precinct 2 Commissioner, Precinct 3 Irma Cauley Commissioner, Precinct 4 Attest: Kdren McQueen County Clerk VOL 3 g. 7 Pg I of 2, BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT I DAY OF S�_XY1%Q,Y' , 20 as 1 � 3 O AM119 LOU'k��- Name (PLEASE PRINT) �pY M14 ��C�Ub2 L11/(1sD��N once ►li ► � � ��1� ,ail Organization (PLEASE PRINT) �o�nnnni SS � o��S 6 CP&I Vol. 3 74— PgV- of Name (PLEASE PRINT) BRAZOS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT DAY OF 20-a,;� - L Organization (PLEASE PRINT) p Vol g. • Profile of the Brazos Valley Council of Governments and COGNET Vision... • Regional Demographics • Need for Affordable High -Capacity Broadband Services in the Rural Brazos County • Provide maps of service areas • Services that CogNet can p rovide BRAZOS VALLEY f � * Or CS` a �n, F tea. _;4 �;?' Governments of ,�.. v -ii `�N` } • The Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG) is a multi -purpose organization of local governments originally designated in 1966. The BVCOG consists of seven counties: Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, Washington BVCOG currently manages 70 Federal and 'State grants to deliver services throughout the region such as Regional 911, Housing Choice Voucher Program, Economic Development, Workforce Development, Homeland Security, Area Agency on Aging. Recipient of Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for 21 consecutive years since 2001 BVCOG's Vision began 12 years.ago in 2008 to build a high-speed fiber optic network to benefit the Health Care Providers and surrounding communities. c� y FlBER OPIIE NEE�YOBA -�► ice! � ,,o,a a Vislon of Cognet • Bridge the digital divide in rural Brazos Valley. • Deliver reliable internet service that can provide the speed, security and resiliency necessary to support communities long into the future Provide high speed internet services to Health Care Providers, Education, Business, Tourism and Residential areas in rural Brazos Valley • Bring value to the community by having access to fiber and highspeed internet service. C� I flBER OP71C NEiN'ORK Z 0) CL no- IT"�. • Total Population 377,969 • Total Households 811514 • Square Miles 586.14 • Population Density 332.8/s.q.mi. C® I FIBER OPTIC NETWORK e State Population Growth The BVCOG region lies within the Texas Triangle, a globs I ly competitive mega'-..--,* ega- g _ By 2050 about 35 million ,_ . people, or 70% of the Texas::. ..... . population will live in�.lthe.: :'� metropolitan areas that,,, compose the Texas Tria-nd,b q which Brazos Valley is the center of Source: RVP, US CENSUS .. CO net FIBER BPIIE NEiWBRK 0 �CL m 0 0 Need for affordable high spee, Lack of competitive pricing. Shortage of high -capacity services Online education -:Remote learning Job searches Tele-Health Competitive Entrepreneurship co;ee FIOER OPTIC NETWORK With the COGNET fiber Brazos County With the COGNET fiber network Brazos County Fiber Paths Scale 1:300,000 1 Inch = 4.74 US Survey Miles to 0. 5 '10 US Survey Mlles A I I �B7RAZOS VALLEY Fiber Path !MADISON COU NTV• . BRAZOS. \ . • . RORERTSON - 'COUNTY ' COUNTY GRIMES ... _ COUNTY Loll.xI"1 COUNTY... /J r WASHINGTON - COUNTY _ \ Janua 2022 -som �m� 111 l Q Fiber'bui.1d''Id s r Build to county facilities i:n the rural areas and connect, businesses or individuals along the way. • Exam.ple: Build to Citizen Collection. Sites a.n.d a l.ow Internet Service -Providers access tolhe fiber:to provide service; or CogNet could provide service directly. Lease grow nd space to a provider at. the site to allow Point of Presence (PoP) to.distibute'service from. @64f flOFR.OPtlL NEMORK � C® 1 i Al' i ,� �i •� � � M�•^» � Wit- Xa -; ,��°+,.k, �� Primayy Cyan: • • . Orange, r r a gas K t •' # fir, c..`..-' K "'$ o �" PCT`2A Citizen Collection • • • SSi 3 •'" 'sk.4 m-'' a?a?gltr # • 'yi ,°' `"* ,� a ar, _ +a xa J ,T l• t 4 to ;s+' c +_. .• 'r9 PCT 4A C 2do,CCollecUon e. '' . � ti• M"'!r <+'=die.-�� ' � :r � ti. 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' r y. • b �t syx.� L 4.4 .i •,¢Y+ t 1�x. ,� < ,r :,�' .. v: y, x�. .r� d�'.�• r<' ,� h �, ,z, r ''�' � y, }G �'� ��n^Z C�000 I Elam ,. f l Image -Land t/ Copernicus h . iJ5 r*' �y w� »fix} 4 hr • -Dark Fiber leases '� Direct Internet Access (DIA) • Transport Service (Point to Point — P2P, Point to Multi -Point P2MP) • Interconnects with major carriers at Fibertown Data Center located'in'Downtown.:Bryan • Partner with local. or regional Internet providers. to provide options for Internet services to the�, community. 3�)) counent Rural Customers in the -Brazos'Valley Region • Hospitals • Health Care Clinics • ,Emergency: Medical Service: (EMS) • Sheriff's offices, Jails and Government facilities • Public Answering Points (PSAPs) & Public Safety radio traffic (BVWACS) • Independent School Districts (ISIDS) • Small — Medium size Internet providers (ISPs) • Multiple, Small' Medium Size businesses. Current Services CogNet is providing � v Brazos County � al • Provide dark fiber leases for -county facilities. I m • As the technical operators of BVCNET, we will be providing connectivity for Brazos County over BVCNET, where we are able to. • -Does Brazos County have'a desire to connect all their facilities. via fiber? . >. o.-ioii CIHC :::.:. N . I CO'ntac Michael .Parks Executive Director Michael, parks@bvco .orq 0-979-595-2800 •Broadband Funding Opportunities • As of September 1, 2022 M IL The state Legislature appropriated all the funding from the CPF for broadband purposes. • Funded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 • Competitive grants: $500.4 million allocated to Texas • Funds will be for last mile service. • Application Guidelines available in mid September Applications will be accepted starting in October 2022 n Li W rav-if Viv -fl,lv DP,vp''l wl'l UP lit Oyirp Broadband Eauitv. Access and Dealovment Program (BEAD Provides funding to expand high-speed internet access. • Funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) • Administered under National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA) • Total Texas allocation projected to be $2-$3 billion. • Available in 2024 Digital Equity Act Provides $2.75 billion to support programs that ensure all citizens have the information technology capacity needed • Funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) • Total Texas allocation not yet known • Available in 2024 • Currently mapping existing Broadband Service throughout the state Mapping will be available by January 1, 2023 • Additional funding programs anticipated bring high speed fixed broadband service rural homes and small businesses • $20.4 billion available over ten years • Awarded by block group using reverse auctions • Awards in Brazos County have currently been made to five providers • Most locations are expected to receive speeds of at least (100/20 Mbps) • Once the FCC issues a public notice announcing authorization of support for the winning bidder, they start issuing monthly payments • Carriers must complete deployment by the end of the eighth year to.all locations in areas eligible for support • 40% deployment by end of year 3 • 60% deployment by end of year 4 • $14 billion program created by Congress. • Funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) • Replaces Emergency Broadband Benefit Program • Up to $30 a month discount on internet services • A one-time discount for up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer • Program is currently available deployment in rural area-s without sufficient access to broadband. • Funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) • $2 billion in funding • Loans up to $50 million • Grants up to $35 million • Private and Governmental entities eligible Funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) • $1 billion for high-speed internet access • Construction, improvements, or acquisition • Awards in 2023 • 5-year implementation • Governments, industry, non -profits, partnerships • Currently open for applications • Households or businesses lacking wireline connections capable of 25/3 • Prioritize last mile connections Avoid duplication — location with existing service, an agreement to build service by December funding commitments, 311 2024, or having federal or state • New service should provide 100/20 • Provider must participate in the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program or equivalent 1 • if i `7 r g , . , P ` . , ' `a' . - ,� .. �� ""• � peg;. . Broad:ba.�d.Fun.dirrg .: 0PP ortunities ' r Questions? § COUNTY OF BRAZOS §_ STATE OF TEXAS COMMISSIONERS COURTS: DELIBERATION OF BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL ISSUES_ REGARD[NG A CONTRACT BEING NEGOTIATED, CLOSED MEETING. The Commissioners Court ("Court") has proposed; to deliberate the negotiation of a contract in a closed session: The Court wishes to deliberate the business and financial issues_ of the proposed contracts. . Texas Government Code §5510725.provides than the Court may deliberate the business and financial issues of this contract in closed session if, before -conducting the:closed meeting: (1) The Court -votes unanimously that deliberation in an open meeting.Would have a detrimental effect -on the position of the Court in negotiations with a third person; and (2) The attorney advisingthe Commissioners Couft issues a written determination that deliberation in an open meeting would: have a detrimental effect on the position of the Commissioners Court in negotiations with a third person. . (3) Notwithstanding Section 551.103(a), Government Code; the Commissioners Court must make a -tape recording of the proceedings of :a closed meeting to deliberate the Information. It is my determination.that deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect -on the position of the Court in negotiations- with -a third person. ward C. Bu Chief of ff/Legal Officer Date: Vol. �3 7"