Council approves $26,600 SEH contract amendment for wastewater rate study
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Summary
City approved an amendment to the SEH engineering contract to add a rate study (population projections, user‑rate modeling) for $26,600 to support the wastewater facility regionalization project; council discussed data ownership and timing.
Lincoln City Council voted to approve Contract Amendment No. 1 with SEH to add a rate study for the wastewater facility regionalization project at a cost of $26,600, city staff said.
City staff and SEH representatives told the council the additional work—population projections, user‑rate projections and 20‑year rate modeling—was necessary to evaluate alternatives for regionalizing wastewater treatment and to produce the data needed to responsibly choose among alternatives.
Council members raised questions about ownership and access to underlying data created by consultants. Staff indicated they were working to include language in the contract clarifying that the city would have access to and ownership of the raw data and models; staff recommended approving the amendment now and finalizing the IP/data language before executing the full agreement.
Mayor Rebecca Bergland and other council members expressed comfort approving the amendment with direction for staff to finalize clarifying contract language and return with a final execution document. A motion to approve the amendment passed on a recorded vote.
Staff said the additional modeling is time‑sensitive because the project timeline and state grant schedules require updated projections to vet alternatives; staff estimated the study would support evaluations across a 20‑year planning horizon.