I wrote about costs in March, but there’s been a lot of confusion since. Let’s try to simplify.

If Holland City Fiber happens, residents have 1 required cost (millage) and 1 optional cost. That’s it.

Required Cost: Millage

The millage, or property tax, is what the vote is asking you to approve. Up to 1.5 mills (BPW is advising that it will likely be closer to 1.2 on average)

If your home is worth $200,000 today (roughly the city average) you’d pay at most $150 a year more in taxes. If you’ve owned your home for a while, your taxable value is probably even lower!

This covers the up-front cost of building fiber past every home. It is the community investment. Similar to what you already pay for the Library which is also 1.5 mills and the Aquatic Center at 1.25 mills.

Optional Cost: Monthly Service

If you want BPW’s internet service, you’d pay $42/month.

There is no install fee. This is the biggest misconception I see. It costs BPW about $820 to hook up your house from the nearest pole, but that cost is built into the $42. You don’t pay it up-front. Even better, after 10 years, it is paid off and $7 drops off your bill!

That’s it!

That’s all there is to it. No hidden costs, or extra assessments. Our average home would pay $150/year (or $12.50) and if they want to sign up for service, an additional $42. A total of $52.50 for internet service. Most residents are paying more than that today for home internet.

Subsidies

There’s a $30 federal subsidy for low income residents. That drops the monthly service bill to $12! The city has additional options to help low income residents too, but only if the vote passes.

Learn More

If you know your taxable value (half your home value at most), you can plug it into our calculator and see how the numbers work for you.