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Council narrows capital priorities, orders hydrology and geotechnical studies ahead of major work
Summary
During a prolonged budget continuation discussion the council agreed by consensus to fund several investigative studies and to prioritize selected projects, deferring larger park and playground builds until planning and fundraising progress.
The City of Waverly on Feb. 3 continued its FY2025–26 budget hearing and made several decisions about capital improvements and the timing of projects.
Council context: staff presented a consolidated list of candidate capital projects and cost estimates and reminded the council that the pool project previously approved by voters remained a major driver of next year’s levy. City staff and councilors then discussed each candidate project and whether to fund studies, engineering or construction in 2025–26.
Major study and engineering decisions: after discussing options and timing the council agreed by consensus to fund a river hydrology and engineering study for Seventh Avenue Southeast (to evaluate flood mitigation and access during high water) with an estimated cost of approximately $90,000. The council also agreed to proceed with investigative engineering for the former power plant (see separate article), and to authorize geotechnical borings and hydraulic work for that site with a staff‑recommended not‑to‑exceed investigative budget discussed in the meeting as $300,000.
Project priorities and deferrals: councilors agreed to defer large‑scale park and playground construction for at least one budget cycle to allow staff and consultants to finalize Memorial Park plans and fundraising. Specifically, the council removed Kid’s Kingdom playground and the larger golf storage/refurbishment referendum from immediate consideration and asked staff to focus on planning phases and fundraising for those items.
Items the council prioritized for 2025–26 included:
- Leisure Services headquarters parking lot replacement (staff estimated roughly $2.35 million for a full rebuild; council supported moving forward to finalize design and funding).
- Boat ramp and associated parking improvements (city estimate about $300,000); council favored pairing that work with the Leisure Services parking lot to capture economies of scale where possible and asked staff to seek grant funding.
- Engineering for 30 Ninth Street NE (road out to fairgrounds) was approved for design/engineering only; staff estimated the full build at roughly $1.5 million with engineering costs of about $85,000. Council said it would advance engineering but defer construction timing pending county work and further coordination.
- Hines Addition water and sewer extension was discussed as largely grant/loan eligible through State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing and staff recommended pursuing SRF funding rather than rely on property taxes.
Timing and budget impacts: staff provided illustrative levy math showing that, with the pool included, the city’s taxable levy impact would be higher than without it but substantially lower than earlier worst‑case estimates once new assessed value is accounted for. Staff reminded the council that bond issuance and publication deadlines in March affect timing for any debt authorization.
Why studies first: several council members said 2025–26 would be a good year to commission engineering and geotechnical work that will produce precise costs and risk assessments, which in turn will let the council make disciplined decisions next year about construction timing and debt issuance. Consultants and staff repeatedly noted that subsurface conditions (karst) at the former power plant and uncertainty about bridge load restrictions for trail bridges made investigative work a high priority.
Next steps: staff will engage geotechnical and hydrology consultants, pursue SRF and other grant opportunities for eligible projects, and return with firm scopes and costs for council approval. The council directed staff to prioritize the hydrology study for Seventh Avenue Southeast and the investigative work for the power plant; staff will advance engineering for 30 Ninth Street NE and continue park concept planning work.
Ending: the council did not take final bond or levy action at the meeting but established a workplan and funding authorizations for studies that will inform construction decisions in the next budget cycle.
