Bradenton shifts budget, extends Jacobs contract as storms overwhelm wastewater plant

Bradenton City Council on Jan. 8 approved a budget adjustment and an amendment to the city’s contract with Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. to continue operations support at the city’s water reclamation facility after three storms caused unusually high flows and equipment failures. The measures passed unanimously, 5-0.

The council carried a budget amendment (BA 25-01) and approved Amendment No. 3 to the Operations Management and Facilities agreement with Jacobs. City staff said the moves shift previously authorized funds from fiscal 2024 into fiscal 2025 so ordered vehicles and multi-year capital projects can be procured and to extend Jacobs’ on-site support while the plant recovers.

Why it matters: City officials said the reclamation plant—designed to treat roughly 5 to 7 million gallons a day in normal conditions—experienced peak flows of as much as 25 to 30 million gallons a day during the storm period, which contributed to a large accumulation of solids that require dewatering and off-site hauling. City staff said the plant’s screw presses, which compact and dewater solids, failed and needed repair; temporary equipment and extra hauling were used while repairs were completed.

Staff described the scope and near-term plan. “Basically, these are budget adjustments that cover various multi year capital projects and vehicles that were approved and ordered in fiscal year ’24, but were not received by September 30th,” said one staff member identified in the meeting as Mr. Williams. He told council the adjustment moves those approved dollars into 2025 so the city can complete procurement.

Public-works staff described operations at the plant and why Jacobs’ continued presence was necessary. Mr. Perry, the staff member who led the technical briefing, told council the storms overwhelmed the plant’s biological process and caused a heavy buildup of dissolved solids. He said Jacobs has been working on stabilizing operations, training city operators and helping develop standard operating procedures.

“We currently have five [Jacobs] operators on site,” Mr. Williams said during the meeting. He added the city had budgeted for five additional Jacobs staff but now expects the five on-site operators will be sufficient.

Perry explained the technical constraints in more detail: the plant’s screw presses—older equipment manufactured overseas—compact the dewatered solids to the moisture content required by approved landfills. With one screw press out of service the city had to bring in an alternate, expensive belt press and increase hauling. During the discussion staff repeatedly cited large removal volumes; one staff speaker said “we’re talking about, I think, 420 tons per month” of solids and described dozens of daily truck movements during the peak response, while another exchange in the meeting noted the hauling cadence later stabilized to a smaller weekly number. Council members and staff framed those figures as operational estimates from the plant’s recovery period rather than final, audited totals.

Jacobs’ progress was described positively in staff reports. “Jacobs reported that this last month, the testing was the best they’ve ever seen,” Mr. Williams told council, summarizing monthly performance tests Jacobs supplied to the city.

City staff said the operations work and the contract amendment are funded from the water-reclamation enterprise fund and that the work is intended to restore the plant’s performance and to document operations so future city operators can follow updated procedures. Staff also said the city is pursuing legislative and grant funding to expand capacity; a briefing noted a potential multi‑year project that could increase capacity by roughly 8 million gallons per day if funding and approvals are obtained.

The council approved the budget adjustment and contract amendment by a 5-0 vote. Councilmembers who voted yes were Mayor Jean Brown, Councilwoman Jane Coker, Councilwoman Mary Anne Barnaby, Councilman Josh Kramer and Councilwoman Lisa Gonzales Moore.

City staff and Jacobs representatives told council they would provide further operational reporting and offered to arrange plant tours for members who requested a closer look.

Ending: Council members said they view the contract extension and budget shifts as short-term steps while the city continues to “face it and fix it,” and they signaled an interest in expedited state or legislative funding to support longer-term upgrades to the plant.