Council hears status of drainage studies and discussion of funding sources for large projects

Public works staff updated the Mitchell City Council on drainage priorities and funding options for flood-prone neighborhoods. Council asked about a planned drainage project for the Williams and Anderson area; staff said they are looking at properties that could host detention ponds that would alleviate flooding there but warned that if the city cannot acquire suitable property, fixing that area could be a roughly $20,000,000 project. "If we're not able to acquire that property, we're probably looking at a $20,000,000 project to fix that area," staff said.

Staff described a phased approach: complete targeted fixes already studied (Sanborn area, Clockworks area, Patzler Woodworking area), then conduct additional interior-corridor modeling and pipe-sizing studies for other problem intersections such as Seventh and Lawler and East Hansen. They recommended budgeting engineering work to size pipes and model drainage basins before selecting construction projects.

Staff and several council members discussed funding: the city had previously used a wastewater-related fee to fund drainage projects but stopped applying it after the Sanborn project. Staff suggested rebuilding that fee into the wastewater fund to create a dedicated revenue stream for drainage projects rather than relying on the general fund. "Part of the fee review that we did with water and sewer was looking at starting to build in that fee into our wastewater fund again so that we can start to plan for these projects moving forward," staff said.

Staff cautioned that design standards and extreme storm events limit how much any pipe or detention system can reduce flooding; even after improvements, low-lying "bowl" neighborhoods may still experience standing water during extreme rainfall. They advised a facility plan that prioritizes projects and ties them to a revenue source so the city can budget for multi-year improvements.