West Main rebuild nears sanitary tie‑ins; county‑city water tower financing outlined and council approves budget, street‑lighting measures

On Aug. 11 the City of Geneva council received construction, funding and budget updates covering the West Main Street project, a proposed county‑city water tower, federal grant risks for stormwater work and several council ordinances. Council approved two emergency ordinances and the minutes from the previous meeting.

City Manager Tim Cartecki (identified in the meeting as the presenting staff member) reported that the West Main Street reconstruction has entered its sanitary service‑connection phase in the 17th month of work. An additional contractor crew was brought in to accelerate sanitary lateral tie‑ins, and staff said the sanitary segment should be completed this week. Because the sanitary connections require cutting the south lane near Lockwood, temporary road closures and flagging remain necessary. Cartecki said storm sewer installation between Lockwood and West Street is scheduled through Sept. 24, with final paving, sidewalks and curbing expected to proceed into October.

Streetscape and storefront projects: Phase 1 of the ACGP streetscape project was re‑advertised and bidding deadlines were extended: the bid opening moved from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15. Completion deadlines were also adjusted; work in Rotary Park, the community center and senior center parking lot (except plantings) is now scheduled to be finished by Nov. 24, 2025, while the pocket park and South Broadway plantings are extended into May 2026. The city has engaged a construction manager (Eastgate with Fernandez) for closer oversight of phase 1, and staff said an ACGP storefront upgrade portion will follow once final scopes are complete.

Water tower funding: Staff reported final drawings from the county engineer and described the financing picture for a planned county‑city water tower. The project’s current estimated total cost is $3,500,000. The budget shown to council included approximately $1,728,000 in federal grant funds (including redirected principal‑forgiveness funds) and $250,000 in state funding, leaving roughly $1.5 million unfunded. Under the revised county‑city agreement described in the meeting, the city’s obligation would be approximately 35% of the remaining balance (staff estimated just over $500,000 for the city’s share). Staff said the county expects to have the remaining grant awards by Oct. 1 and planned to advertise the project for bid in September; repayment of any loan is not expected before early 2028 and staff indicated the county anticipates a 30‑year amortization on the loan portion.

CDBG risk and local stormwater: City staff warned council about a federal FY2026 executive‑branch budget proposal that would eliminate the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership programs. City staff noted the city currently has $153,000 in CDBG funds allocated for a Pima stormwater infrastructure project and said the potential federal change could jeopardize that funding; staff emphasized the outcome remains uncertain and that local and statewide advocates were engaged on the issue.

Labor contracts and other projects: Staff reported a tentative agreement with the Laborers International Union (public works) for contract years 2025–2027 and said patrol and dispatch union negotiations were ongoing with meetings scheduled. The SPIRE Institute will present a scaled community park concept in a future council meeting; staff said the institute has $250,000 in funding for a proposed community facility and that a written agreement will define public‑access expectations (the draft discussed a 15‑year public access term).

Council action (votes at a glance): • Approval of minutes (previous meeting): motion carried; Rosemary recorded an abstention during roll call (tally recorded in meeting minutes). • Ordinance 3387 (terminating council intent to proceed with street‑lighting assessments as described in the ordinance title): council voted to declare an emergency and passed the ordinance on roll call during the Aug. 11 meeting. • Ordinance 3388 (2025 budget amendment through appropriations and/or transfers): council voted to declare an emergency and passed the ordinance on roll call during the Aug. 11 meeting.

Street‑lighting assessment discussion: Finance staff (Tracy) explained the assessment calculation method used to set the street‑lighting assessment and said the 2026 estimated need was calculated after backing out an estimated fund balance/carryover. Staff said the projected 2026 need (revenue less expenses) was approximately $172,004.61 and described an estimated fund balance/carryover of about $47,500 to cover the first months of utility billing; staff explained the carryover reduces the amount assessed so the city does not “overcharge.” Several council members asked for documentation of the worksheet and staff said they would provide it.

Next steps and follow‑ups: staff will circulate bid documents and presentation materials electronically, monitor the federal CDBG budget process, and bring draft loan and repayment terms back to council once the county finalizes the bid and grant package.