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City staff outline streets, drainage and stormwater equipment needs; drainage master plan, fee study discussed
Summary
Staff described planned equipment purchases for streets and drainage — including a sweeper estimated at $450,000, a replacement pickup, a smaller off-road sprayer and testing equipment for MS4 compliance — and said a drainage master plan and possible fee increases are under study.
Weston, a city staff member, told the council the streets and drainage budget keeps funding for chip seal, slurry seal and patching at roughly the same level as last year and added two capital requests: a replacement pickup to replace a 2005 three-quarter-ton truck and a smaller side-by-side vehicle for trail spraying.
Weston said the existing pickup “has 200,000 on it. It’s starting to nickel and dime us a little bit.” He described the side-by-side as needed to reach narrow trail segments such as the new 600 North Trail where the larger spray truck cannot maneuver.
On mechanized street sweeping, Weston noted the city’s current sweeper is about five years old, “starting to require quite a bit of maintenance costs,” and that new sweepers are back-ordered. “If you commit the funds, you won't see it for a year,” Weston said, and cited a top bid of $450,000 last year for an Elgin-brand machine while noting other brands can be cheaper.
Council members and staff also discussed MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer) obligations. Weston said the city is looking at costs for dry-weather screening and equipment testing needed for stormwater compliance; inspectors’ supplies and testing equipment were included in the budget discussion.
Separately, a staff member briefed the council on possible revenue changes to support drainage services. Staff said the city is planning a drainage master plan in the coming months and will look at an impact fee and raising the regular drainage fee. One comment in the meeting noted prior council discussion about raising a drainage fee to about $12–$18 per month; staff said a study is underway and that any rate changes remain to be decided.
No formal motions or votes on these items were recorded on the transcript segment provided. Staff asked whether there were further questions; council members thanked staff for the presentation.
