Reflections on recent city council meetings

A special meeting was held on April 15 to bring the public up to date on what’s going on with our water plant. Snyder and Associates Engineers and Planners representatives Doug Schulte and Andy Macias gave a presentation on a new water plant project currently under consideration by the Council. The new plant under consideration would utilize the latest technology to provide for converting water from most any source, in the event the City wanted to move or drill new wells, into quality drinking water. It would also be "palletized" to provide for any expansion needed to provide more quality water for additional outlets.

A "worst case" estimate of $3,500,000 was determined by getting prices for equipment, structures, labor, etc. These prices will vary depending on the supplier selected, the contractor winning the bid, etc. The estimate includes major repairs to two wells, one has already been done. It does not include any grant money that might be received, nor monies received from the Rural Water District to offset the cost of the new plant. Therefore, the amount of a loan to cover the project may be significantly lower than the estimate given above.

Two reports on the water plant are available from City Hall for a small cost to offset printing expense.

Dave Williams with DNR presented an update on the condition and status of our current facility. He stated he was familiar with others who observed the condition of the plant. He stated everyone was pretty much in agreement the plant had outlived its effectiveness and was being used to clean the water of impurities it was not designed to handle. All recommended considering replacement. The cost to repair and up-grade the current facility to acceptable standards to meet current needs is more expensive than building a new plant. Doing nothing is not an option because there are maintenance and repair issues that are required now. However, Mr. Williams stated he could postpone this requirement for a short while if the process of procuring a new plant was initiated in the near future.

He also presented an overview of near future changes for the quality of the water produced by water plants. Our current facility would not be able to meet these requirements. Long range plans include "Regional Transmission Lines" where certain water plants would provide water for a region, not just the local community. With a plant in place like the one proposed, we would be part of the system as a regional "provider" instead of a "user" and that would be an additional source of income.

The design of a plant like that proposed by Snyder & Associates was completed and forwarded to DNR for approval. DNR has to insure the design would provide the amount and quality of water that is required for distribution to the public. A response from DNR is expected shortly.

Lance Rains from Green Hills discussed the various ways to finance the new plant should it be decided to go that route and the time required for some of the sources. His recommendation was to continue to pursue available grant money, but also consider possible private financing.

The Council subsequently authorized Lance Rains to pursue obtaining grant monies and locating viable loan sources. Also, the Council authorized Layne Western to provide for testing of the water source to determine the amount of water available for our use. This will be a test similar to the one performed in 2006. Don Cailouet, Layne Western, will be at the May 10 City Council meeting to discuss testing our well field.

We suggest those interested in this large undertaking to attend future meetings and keep up to date on its progress.

City Council Meeting on May 11

The main item at this week’s meeting was Layne Western’s proposal to test our well field. It was apparent to everyone this needed to be done regardless of any future plans for the water plant. The bid Layne Western submitted would provide the same service as we had done in 2006 with a modest increase of $5 an hour for their service. This time we would test all three wells instead to two. The Council voted to accept their bid and advise Layne Western to start as soon as practical. We need to know the affects we are having on the aquifer before continuing with the water plant upgrades.

The 2009 Street Project was discussed and the Council decided to limit the cost to the revenue from the Transportation Tax that is actually on hand (projected to be $50,000). This requires us to postpone resurfacing one block of E Van Buren and one block of E Jackson until next year. We will then have a small cushion to cover unforeseen expenses and we will not have to leave a block unfinished as we did last year.

The Council also considered a resolution to offer Council members the same insurance package as City employees except that Council members would be responsible for all costs including the monthly premium. This resolution was tabled until next meeting when actual monthly premiums could be presented.

Several other items were discussed for future action including: A program to test in-home appliances, etc., to compare actual electricity used, and the possibility of restructuring utility rates for businesses.

Just as a reminder, if you have an issue that requires the City’s attention, please call City Hall (663-2011), explain the issue and ask that a work order be initiated. This way the City has documentation that a problem exists and follow-up action can be taken if it is not resolved.