Council sets public hearing on major sewer-rate increase, approves operator contract as treatment plant nears start-up

The Preston City Council voted March 10 to schedule a public hearing April 14 on proposed sewer-rate increases and to hire outside operator services for start-up of the new wastewater treatment plant.

Keller Associates engineer Colter Hollingshead told the council the construction project is roughly "70% complete, 75%, somewhere right in there," and that the city remains on target for substantial completion of much of the plant this fall and final completion in the January–February 2026 time frame. "They're still on target, to be, reaching substantial completion for majority of the treatment plant this fall," Hollingshead said.

Why it matters: The new plant and related debt service are the principal drivers of the recommended rate increases. To secure safe and compliant plant startup and operations the city accepted a contract structure presented by Mountain West/West Waterworks for consulting and then…