Miami County commissioners authorize resolution to advance Bucyrus sewer project, outline mixed funding plan

Miami County commissioners on Jan. 29, 2025, voted to adopt a resolution authorizing construction of sewage treatment and disposal improvements to serve the Bucyrus Sewer District, a project county staff said will eliminate a condemned sewer facility and send Bucyrus wastewater to Spring Hill's treatment plant.

County staff said the project is intended to replace the current Bucyrus wastewater facility, which is subject to a KDHE consent decree, by piping effluent about 4.5 miles to Spring Hill’s Sweetwater Creek wastewater treatment plant. Shane Croft, a county staff member who presented the item, said the county has authorization from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to put the work out to bid and expects to seek bids in February with construction later in 2025.

The county outlined the anticipated funding mix in the resolution: $1,250,000 in ARPA funds, $1,000,000 from Miami County, $250,000 from the city of Spring Hill, a KDHE revolving loan fund award originally totaled at $1,420,000 (with staff later estimating the KDHE loan obligation to be in the $550,000–$600,000 range after other grants and awards), a Small Systems Wastewater Grant of $1,500,000, a Community Development Block Grant of $305,000, and a USDA Rural Development grant of $89,000. Croft said the final KDHE loan amount will depend on the project’s ultimate cost and the bids received.

Croft also told commissioners the project has not gone to bid yet and that the county’s bond counsel—Mary Carson—reviewed the KDHE loan documents and recommended a county resolution authorizing the project and clarifying legal opinions for the loan schedule. Commissioners moved to approve the request to authorize the project and to proceed toward bidding; the motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: County staff said the project resolves ongoing regulatory and infrastructure problems for Bucyrus by retiring the existing facility under KDHE oversight and linking the town to a larger regional plant. County leaders signaled that final local loan exposure will be determined after bids are received and the loan closing.

Details and next steps: Croft said the county will publish bidding documents as authorized by KDHE and return to the commission with bids for construction approval. The county’s estimate of local loan responsibility was preliminary and contingent on bid results. The resolution and KDHE loan documents were prepared with input from bond counsel and county staff.

Votes at a glance: Commissioners approved the resolution authorizing the Bucyrus sewer improvements; the motion passed by voice vote (tally recorded as unanimous by the clerk).