Lewiston council directs staff to seek public vote on Main Street bond, not to exceed $25 million

Lewiston City Council voted at a March work session to send a proposed general‑obligation bond for downtown Main Street infrastructure to voters, with council approval to pursue a ballot question not to exceed $25 million and a not‑to‑exceed 30‑year term.

The vote followed a presentation by Dustin Johnson, Lewiston’s public works director, and financial briefings from Clearwater Financial and Welch Comer. Johnson framed the package as a combined project to replace aging water mains, address deep wastewater segments and undersized stormwater, and rebuild the street surface and sidewalks. He said the concept-level total is $33,300,000 but noted “this is a work in progress.”

Why it matters: downtown Main Street contains water lines dating to about 1910 and repeated water main breaks, Johnson said. The council was presented with two cost bands — a full build with streetscaping and other aesthetic components and a reduced version that excludes local improvements (an LID option). Johnson said the full concept is $33.3 million, and the reduced project comes in at about $24.5 million; he told the council the city has roughly $6,000,000 available to apply to the project now.

Key details and timeline - Project scope: replacement or repair of water mains (identified as the principal driver), targeted wastewater replacements (some sections up to 20 feet deep), upgraded stormwater conveyance, fiber and sidewalk vault work, and surface reconstruction. Johnson said water replacement, stormwater and transportation are being coordinated to limit repeated disruption to downtown businesses. - Concept cost and breakdown (concept-level estimates; Johnson): total $33,300,000; roughly $4.1 million water, $2.9 million wastewater and $23.7 million for streets. Sidewalk vaults were called out as a distinct local improvement estimated at about $950,000. - Funding approach: Johnson and finance staff described using a mix of enterprise fund contributions (water, wastewater, stormwater), existing capital balances and voter‑approved general‑obligation debt. Johnson said the city has about $6 million it could “spend down” toward the project and that some ARPA‑funded work already done on side streets would proceed regardless of the bond outcome. - Ballot and procedural dates presented by staff: ordinance drafting to follow the work session, a March deadline to submit ballot language to Nez Perce County (staff gave March 14 in the presentation) and a target bond election date of May 20. Council staff said a formal bond ordinance would be prepared for the council’s adoption prior to the submittal deadline. - Council action: Councilor Wright moved that the city proceed with a public vote for a Main Street infrastructure bond not to exceed $25,000,000 and not to exceed a 30‑year term; the motion was seconded and the motion carried on a voice vote. Staff noted the council still must adopt a formal bond ordinance before the item goes to the ballot.

Finance and term discussion Clearwater Financial staff and the city treasurer, Amy Gordon, walked the council through sample debt terms, estimated annual payments and disclosure requirements for a general‑obligation bond. Clearwater advisors explained that bond documents typically include a call (prepayment) provision and that a 10‑year call date is common; as Cameron of Clearwater summarized, “a 10 year call is typical.” Counsel and finance staff said that if the council adopts a not‑to‑exceed amount and term, the final sale can still choose a shorter maturity (for example, sell it as a 20‑year issue if that proves advantageous when marketed).

Council concerns and clarifications Several councilors pressed staff on where the city’s existing capital and enterprise funds would be used and whether the bond would be hidden as a tax increase. Councilor Speickelmeyer and others said transparency is critical and asked that outreach materials clearly explain that staff intends to use existing capital and utility revenues to reduce any levy impact but that state law requires the ballot disclosure to show the maximum tax impact “if the full tax levy is required to pay the bonds.” Amy Gordon explained that the city currently budgets roughly $2.3 million annually for capital transportation and that some of those ongoing allocations could be applied to debt service in the scenarios presented.

Other points staff emphasized include: - If voters approve the bond, staff expects one to two more years of design and permitting before significant construction (staff cited potential construction in 2026–2027). If the bond fails, Johnson said some water work already bid with ARPA funds would continue on side streets but the downtown core water main replacement would be delayed. - The council asked for clear public education and open houses; staff said outreach and a website would follow and that staff would refine ballot language for clarity. Counsel revised draft ballot text in the meeting to change wording to read, “However, if the full tax levy is needed to pay the debt payment of the bonds, the following disclosure will apply,” to reduce public confusion about the disclosure phrase “fully utilized.”

Formal action and next steps The council’s motion gives staff direction to draft the bond ordinance and proceed toward placing a question on the ballot asking voters to authorize a general‑obligation bond for Main Street infrastructure not to exceed $25 million with a not‑to‑exceed 30‑year term. Staff will return a proposed ordinance and final disclosure language for council adoption and submission to Nez Perce County ahead of the county’s ballot deadline. If approved by voters, staff said they would proceed to refine design, secure final bids, seek grants where possible and schedule construction.

Quotes (from meeting) - Dustin Johnson, public works director: “This is a work in progress.” - Dustin Johnson: “The project now is at $33,300,000.” - Dustin Johnson: “We have roughly $6,000,000 to spend down on that $33,000,000 project.” - Cameron (Clearwater Financial): “A 10 year call is typical.”

Ending Councilors and staff agreed to additional public outreach and to return a formal bond ordinance for council consideration. If the council adopts the ordinance as drafted, staff expects to submit ballot language to Nez Perce County in mid‑March for a May 20 bond election; staff cautioned the dollar amounts and rates are concept‑level estimates and will be updated before sale.