McKenzie City Council to vote on installing public Wi-Fi, upgrading city lights

McKENZIE, Tenn. — The McKenzie City Council will vote on a major referendum on Friday. The two main items are upgrading the city lighting system to LEDs and installing public Wi-Fi in the downtown area.

McKenzie Vice Mayor Randall Callahan clarified where the public Wi-Fi would reach.

“Downtown, people will be able to access Wi-Fi in the park, in restaurants, and in some of the areas that we haven’t had Wi-Fi available,” Callahan said.

City officials did want to clarify that even if the measure does pass on Friday, there are still a lot of logistical issues that will need to be addressed with the installation.

Even with the potential delay, citizens around McKenzie were excited about the prospect of public Wi-Fi downtown.

“I think it’d be a very useful resource,” Bethel University student Kevin Nolan said. “People want to get away from the campus to utilize some Wi-Fi and to study.”

“I think in public places, it’s probably a good idea,” added fellow Bethel student and McKenzie resident Garrett Morrison.

Still, some wondered about the cost of the installation and upkeep.

“Who is going to pay for it?” Morrison said. “Obviously the taxpayers are, but I don’t know if that’s going to be a service that’s available to all residents.”

Vice Mayor Callahan says the savings from the project will mean no out-of-pocket costs for residents.

“The savings that we’re going to realize from the project by using smart technology will actually pay for the entire project,” Callahan said.

Callahan added that as cities continue to upgrade their technology, McKenzie can be on the forefront of the trend.

“So for us to be able to offer it to our citizens now is huge,” Callahan said.

Callahan added that the city has been reviewing these plans for over six months prior to Friday’s vote.