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Council members press state for $30 million to address Mounds water treatment needs
Summary
Council members reported meetings with state legislators and outlined a push for roughly $30 million in state funding to help replace the citys water treatment infrastructure; they plan outreach to the governor and legislative contacts ahead of a March advocacy day.
Council members reported Jan. 28 that the city is actively pressing state officials for funding to address long-term needs of Mounds water treatment system.
Council member Pugh said he and staff met with state lawmakers and described a $30 million funding target. “Its 30,000,000,” Pugh said, summarizing the scale of need discussed with Representative Myers and the citys state senator, Stewart Johnson. Pugh said both lawmakers have expressed support and that Representative Myers had already sent a draft request to the governor.
The council agreed to prepare a joint letter to the governor to reiterate the citys funding request and to circulate that letter to other state leaders. Pugh said the governing delegation planned to deliver the message during the citys "City on the Hill" outreach in March; he encouraged residents to contact lawmakers in support.
Pugh and staff also discussed a complementary idea to create a state-funded assistance program for household-level remediation (for example, point-of-use devices and softeners) as an interim mitigation while larger plant funding is pursued. He said the senator was exploring statewide program language that could provide partial reimbursement for household measures.
Why it matters: Council members described an ongoing multi-track advocacy effort to secure state capital funding for water-treatment infrastructure, including meetings with legislators, a planned sign-on letter to the governor and an appearance at state outreach events in early March.
Next steps: Council members will sign the letter to the governor and continue meetings with the legislative delegation; staff will set a schedule for public updates and for a more detailed presentation about project phases at an upcoming council meeting.
