Bids double for proposed Stottle sewer district; commissioners asked whether to press on

Amanda Webb, planning director for Riley County, told commissioners that updated contractor bids for the proposed Stottle Sewer Benefit District have come in substantially higher than the estimates used when property owners first signed petitions.

The increase has put the county and the City of Riley at a crossroads over whether to proceed with parts A and B of the district, which were originally designed to allow a property owner to split a tract and to address at least one known failing private wastewater system in the area.

“The bids have gone up considerably — roughly double in a lot of situations,” Webb said, adding that Part C of the district is separate and can proceed independently but that the immediate conversation centered on A and B. “We need direction from you: do you want to keep moving forward given increased costs, the easement issue and the need to recirculate petitions?”

Brandy DeWitt, interim director of utilities for the city, said the city obtained actual construction bids this…