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County advances North Chautauqua Lake sewer upgrades, authorizes bond resolutions pending grant awards
Summary
A package of resolutions to seek state grant funding, establish capital accounts and authorize bond issuances for upgrades to the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District passed committee; county officials said bonding would only proceed if grant funding is secured.
The Audit Control Committee on April 17 approved a set of resolutions to position Chautauqua County to pursue grant funding and authorize bonds for upgrades to wastewater treatment infrastructure serving North Chautauqua Lake.
The committee approved determinations and capital-account establishment required by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation’s application process, a resolution to authorize application for grants on behalf of the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District, and bond-authorizing resolutions presented to reflect recent Comptroller approvals.
Katie Crow, the county director of finance, told the committee that the bond amendments do not increase the maximum borrowing amounts previously authorized; the revisions were administrative following Comptroller review. Crow said grant funding already secured will reduce the amount of short-term borrowing the county intends to close next month for at least one project.
During discussion, presenters and legislators emphasized that the state’s grant programs have historically been crucial to sewer projects around Chautauqua Lake and that the county is required to authorize bonds for the full project cost as part of the funding process even though the county expects to pursue grants to lower the local borrowing need. One speaker said the total project cost was $10,000,000 and that the county would not actually bond for the full amount if grants are received.
Resolutions approved at the meeting included: - A resolution authorizing $1,612,000 of bonds to pay costs of increases in improvements in the Portland/Pomfret/Dunkirk sewer district (presented as resolution number 3). Katie Crow said this represented the maximum that could be borrowed and that about half of that PPD project has grant funding secured. - A capital-account establishment and determinations needed to apply for grant funding for the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District upgrade and a resolution authorizing the county to apply for grants on behalf of the district (resolutions 4, 5 and 7). - A resolution presented as authorizing $1,010,147,000 of bonds to pay the cost of the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District upgrade (resolution 6 as read aloud), and a later resolution authorizing $5,480,000 of bonds for the North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District (resolution 8). County finance staff explained that state rules require authorization for the full estimated cost even if grants will reduce actual borrowing; committee members discussed that the $10,000,000 project cost is the underlying estimate referenced in staff remarks.
Each resolution passed on a voice vote and the chair declared the motions carried. Committee materials indicate next steps include a public hearing at the Legislature level and formal grant application work with consulting engineers and fiscal advisors for Comptroller submission.
