Committee reviews transfer ordinance to budget remaining costs for levee studies and engineering

Jamie Livermore, finance staff, presented Transfer Ordinance Number 1 on April 8, asking the Finance Committee to revise the 2025 Act 13 budget to add funds for ongoing levee-related work, including invoices tied to semi-quantitative risk analysis (SQRA).

Livermore explained two prior resolutions (in 2023 and 2024) established a combined maximum budget for the project of $169,900. She said the city has paid roughly $63,000 for 2023 work, has invoices of about $34,400 for 2024 work that need payment, and will need approximately $72,041 remaining in 2025 to finish the contract as currently budgeted. The ordinance would place that 2025 remainder into the flood levee line so invoices can be paid as they arrive.

Councilmembers asked how the levy (levee) work had been funded previously and whether ARPA set-asides remained available. Staff said ARPA funds previously discussed for levee work had been moved to the city’s emergency reserve fund; the Act 13 line item had been used in 2024 and now requires an adjustment for the carry-forward obligation.

Randy Allison and others asked about project pace and vendor diversity. City staff reported that the federal earmark of $8,000,000 the city received for levee work has been released and that the city is drafting multiple RFPs for project components; staff said they are hopeful RFPs will go out in spring and that work will start this year. The EDA grant for the project was cited at approximately $3,000,000.

Livermore said the transfer ordinance is intended to align budget authority with invoices and prior council commitments so the city can pay bills for SQRA and preconstruction work. No formal committee vote on the transfer ordinance was recorded during the April 8 meeting; staff said the ordinance will proceed through the committee/council process for formal action.