Council approves resolution to apply for WSRLA loan for water projects

The Belpre City Council voted to approve a resolution authorizing the mayor to apply for, accept and enter into a Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSRLA) agreement for planning, design and/or construction of water facilities, designating a dedicated repayment source for the loan.

Council moved to suspend the normal three-reading requirement and advanced the measure through second and third readings at the same meeting. Councilmembers registered “aye” votes during roll call that followed the motion and the resolution was assigned Resolution No. 23.

During discussion, a councilmember asked about an engineer’s assumption of a $600,000 figure for part of the project; a presenter said that the $600,000 figure came from the engineer’s estimate. Council members also asked that future legislation be explicit about where repayment or project funds would come from; a speaker noted the existence of a fund built from prior user charges and stated that it “will generate about $9,075,000 dollars a year towards the bank.” That dollar figure was given in the meeting record without supporting detail.

The resolution authorizes application and, if awarded, entry into a WSRLA agreement; any loan award and final loan terms would be subject to approval by the lending authority and the designation of a legal repayment source. The council vote authorized the mayor to pursue the loan application and related agreements but did not itself obligate the city to begin construction. Specific project scopes, final cost estimates and the source(s) of repayment were not defined in detail during the meeting.