Alachua County approves $68,732 short-term loan to help City of Archer keep wastewater project on schedule

The Alachua County Commission on May 27 approved a one‑time, short-term $68,732 general‑fund loan to the City of Archer to pay outstanding engineering invoices tied to a planned regional wastewater project and a smaller water system repair. The loan carries 4.5% interest and must be repaid within six weeks; if Archer cannot repay, the county will apply an equivalent amount of Archer’s infrastructure surtax allocation to satisfy repayment.

The loan was requested by Archer officials to cover unpaid invoices from engineering firm Kimley‑Horn needed to complete permitting materials for the wastewater collection system and to meet a reimbursement schedule with the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD). Archer representatives said several construction and grant agreements are pending, including an interlocal partner project with the City of Newberry and state grants, and engineers will not release final documents until the invoices are paid.

Why it matters: Archer officials said the outstanding fees are blocking submittal of materials to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), which must approve permits and final funding agreements. Archer says the work will enable roughly 700 homes and businesses to convert from septic to a regional wastewater system and remove nitrate loading from local groundwater. County commissioners said they were sympathetic to the environmental and public‑health goals but pressed Archer to secure other partners and to make sure the county’s exposure is limited.

County action and conditions - Motion: advance $68,732 from the county general fund for payment of current Archer invoices to Kimley‑Horn and related work. - Interest and term: 4.5% per annum; loan maturity six weeks from disbursement. - Security/repayment condition: If Archer cannot repay within six weeks, Archer agreed to assign $68,732 of its infrastructure surtax allocation to the county (the county will apply the assigned surtax funding to satisfy the loan). The county’s loan was explicitly described as a one‑time accommodation and not precedent for other cities. - Additional direction: The commission asked Archer to request a short‑term loan or assistance from the City of Newberry (Archer’s partner for the advanced wastewater treatment plant) for the remaining project funding; commissioners also recommended Archer use its private bank line if necessary while pursuing grant reimbursements.

Archer officials said grant agreements are in process: two FDEP awards (one $6 million and one $13 million) plus a $2.5 million state appropriation. City attorneys said the $6 million award will not reimburse design fees, while the other awards’ terms are not yet finalized. Archer also said the $68,732 water invoice can be quickly reimbursed by SRWMD once paid.

Commissioner and public remarks Commissioners questioned why Archer had let invoices go unpaid and urged Archer to seek a short‑term loan from its interlocal partner, Newberry, as Newberry would stand to lose from a program delay. Some commissioners emphasized countywide water‑resource concerns and supported the loan to avoid losing momentum on a project they said would remove failing septic systems from the watershed. Others expressed concern about setting a precedent for county loans to cities and insisted on the surtax assignment as repayment security.

Outcome The motion to advance $68,732 with the 4.5% interest rate, six‑week maturity, surtax security and the requirement that Archer seek Newberry assistance passed by voice vote.

What’s next Archer will make the payment to Kimley‑Horn, then submit the invoice to SRWMD for reimbursement; Archer officials said they expect the larger FDEP grant agreement to be finalized in months. The county manager was authorized to finalize the loan agreement and related conditions.

Ending note: The county described the loan as a single, limited accommodation tied specifically to the pending project and its narrow permitting timeline; commissioners emphasized they expect Archer to pursue and document other funding sources and to return quickly to repay the advance.