Developers hoping to build multifamily housing in certain areas of Fort Dodge will have another year to take advantage of a tax incentive.

The City Council on Monday voted to extend that tax incentive until Dec. 31, 2022. Councilmen Andy Fritz and Jeff Halter were absent from the otherwise unanimous vote.

Mayor Matt Bemrich said the council was renewing a tax abatement, which he said is a good thing.

The abatement was put in place in 2013 and was amended in 2016. With it in place, developers can gradually assume the new, higher property tax burden on the site over the course of 10 years.

The incentive is only in place within the city’s urban revitalization areas.

It was scheduled to phase out in 2017, but has been extended twice.

The council also voted to buy fiber and other components for the new municipal broadband utility from Walker and Associates Inc., of Welcome, North Carolina, which offered the low bid of $2,789,618.35.

Construction of the new utility, which will make high speed broadband service via fiber optic cable possible for every premise in Fort Dodge, is expected to start next year.

Other bidders were Power &Tel, Piperton, Tennessee ($2,966,762.96) and Graybar, of St. Louis, Missouri, ($3,048,939.86).

Also on Monday, the council hired Doyle Construction, of Fort Dodge, to demolish buildings at 130 N. Eighth St., 136 N. Eighth St., 140 N. Eighth St., and 308 N. Eighth St. The company will be paid $55,800.

The City Council previously bought those properties with the intent of demolishing them to make room for potential redevelopment.

Other bidders for the job were Castor Construction, $64,400; Russ’s Construction, $71,372.89; Riley-Armstrong Plumbing, $80,908; and Clark Construction, $96,490.

All of those companies are from Fort Dodge.