Port okays budget; fed cable funds hike total

Commissioners of the Port of Whitman County unanimously approved the agency’s $11.4 million 2012 budget at their regular meeting last Thursday, Nov. 17.

The agency’s 2012 budget proposal shows income of $1,177,000 from its industrial parks and fiber optic network, while the 37 cent property tax levy is projected to bring in $1,081,000.

The port’s $14 million federally-funded fiber optic network expansion skews the 2012 spending plan upward. The port is expected to spend $7,691,000 to complete the 170-mile broadband project next year.

Grant funds will account for $6.5 million of that total, wit...