The Aberdeen City Council approved a plan on Wednesday for financing improvements to Internet and phone systems as well as upgrading some damaged or missing ceiling tiles and outdated lighting at City Hall.

These upgrades will be paid for using a $750,000 loan the city is seeking. The council gave its OK for staff to pursue the loan. The detailed plan is part of the application process.

Whether the request is granted won’t be known until late February.

Some city council members asked to see this work included in the city’s 2017 budget during a workshop last month. Council member Tawni Andrews, for example, described the city’s current systems as “antiquated.”

A resulting adjustment to next year’s spending plan was about $157,000 to service the loan. A $25 annual business license fee is slated to begin in 2018 that would help offset costs, according to the time line developed for these related projects.

The time line also describes hiring an employee who would focus on desktop support at the beginning of 2018. The upgrades sought include a data center, hardware, a phone system that operates over the Internet and a new Internet service provider for all city government departments.