Needles council approves phased increase to joint‑pole attachment fee amid concern for small providers

The City of Needles on a 7–2 vote adopted Resolution 2025‑41 to raise the municipal joint‑pole attachment fee to $15.10 per attachment on Dec. 1, 2025 and $22.41 per attachment on Dec. 1, 2026, with staff recommending the increase be phased 50% in each year to reduce near‑term impact.

Utility Manager Rainey Torrance presented the council with a consultant cost‑of‑service analysis that calculated a carrying charge of 30.5%, an 85% bare‑pole factor and a standard space factor based on a 45‑foot pole. Torrance said the last documented rate review dated to 1994 and that the proposed $22.41 represents the jurisdictional maximum calculated to recover the city’s proportionate pole costs. Torrance told the council the study counts about 1,460 distribution poles and that the current per‑attachment fee is $7.78.

The analysis projected that the three current joint‑use providers generate about $11,359 under the existing fee; at $22.41 per attachment the same set of attachments would produce roughly $32,719, a figure staff said is intended only to recover the city’s costs for owning and maintaining poles, not to create profit. Staff recommended splitting the increase across two years so providers and customers face less immediate shock.

Small local providers pushed back during public comment. Tim Terrell of Route 66 Broadband said his company currently pays about $11,359 and that an immediate doubling would be “severe,” urging the council to stretch the phase‑in to four years so businesses have time to absorb higher costs without passing sudden increases to ratepayers. Torrance and council members acknowledged the concern and emphasized the recommended two‑year split was intended as mitigation.

Council debate focused on fairness and who ultimately bears the cost. Some members noted that, absent action, city ratepayers effectively subsidize pole replacements; others stressed local affordability given a high local poverty rate. The council approved the resolution 7–2; the motion and roll call were recorded by the clerk.

Next steps: staff will issue formal notice to communication providers, request that providers update or replace out‑of‑date contracts, and complete an updated physical attachment count in 2026 to confirm billings and the universe of attachments.