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City manager presents May operations: permit activity, record requests spike, water production nears single-day capacity
Summary
City Manager Will reported monthly statistics for May 2025 showing modest increases in planning and building activity, a record high of 18 public-record requests, a busy month for public safety calls, and a single-day water production surge approaching plant capacity.
City Manager Will presented the city’s May 2025 operational statistics to the City Council on July 21, reporting several trends across planning, permitting, utilities and public safety.
Will said combined planning decisions numbered nine (including one housing unit) with more items in the development pipeline. Permitting remained modest at 81 permits, and building inspections were up 385. Submissions through the city website totaled 30, which staff use to track resident questions and requests.
Will highlighted a record 18 public-record requests received in May — the highest in four years of the city’s tracking — noting each request can generate dozens of documents and consume substantial staff time. Will praised staff work on the requests and said the requests were routine, not tied to any one controversial issue.
Financial highlights included $1.47 million in accounts payable and $1.02 million in payroll. Will mentioned several large vendor payments: Meridian Waterline sewer replacement (Lawson Corporation) of $212,000 and a charging equipment vendor (Yera/Era Energy Systems referenced) for about $80,000, plus a roughly $99,000 construction-related charge.
Public safety calls numbered 2,651 for the month, which Will described as a bit higher than normal, while DUII incidents were four for the month. Traffic stops numbered 1,070. Library door count and circulation were robust — 8,226 and 34,161 respectively.
Water and wastewater figures showed 74,280,000 gallons of water produced and 70,720,000 gallons of wastewater treated in the month; staff noted a single-day production exceeded 4,000,000 gallons for the first time, moving toward the plant’s cited maximum daily capacity of 5,000,000 gallons and signaling future need for a new water plant when sustained capacity is reached.
Will also reported IT migration activity is generating many help tickets as the city moves to Windows 11, Azure virtual desktops and network switch replacements. Public works work orders for the month numbered 655, and the city reported nearly full staffing in public works with two positions remaining to fill.
Councilors asked a few clarifying questions about the public-record requests, the timetable for citations reporting as the city transitions to a new e-ticket platform, and the implications of the water production milestone; Will and Rachel Thomas provided clarifications where available.
