The Hot Springs City Council voted to hold a special public hearing on the Wastewater System Improvements Project at the Mueller Civic Center on Friday, Dec. 12, at 5:30 p.m., after repeated power outages forced the earlier Nov. 13 meeting to be canceled.

City staff explained the Nov. 13 session was canceled because the theater lost power multiple times and emergency lighting did not function, and outside engineering and funding partners (AE2S and the Black Hills Council of Local Governments) would have had to travel from Rapid City. The council said it must meet the state’s 10‑day public‑notice requirement to keep the project on the state water facilities plan and preserve the opportunity to apply for state assistance.

The council directed staff to open a public survey the night of the Dec. 12 hearing and to keep the survey open through Jan. 15 to gather resident input. Councilmembers were told the Black Hills Council of Local Governments will prepare the state funding application; council acknowledged an internal deadline of Dec. 15 for the local partners to have materials ready for submission work ahead of the state’s application process.

Public comment at the meeting underscored local stakes. Resident Gary Romy, who said he irrigates with the city’s effluent, told the council he had expected another renewal of the long‑standing irrigation contract and said he had not been contacted about the upcoming contract period. “I’m the one that irrigates with your effluent water,” Romy said, and asked what the city’s intentions were for the contract going forward.

City officials responded that a council decision on whether to seek funding for an upgraded treatment plant will affect the irrigation contract options: continue the existing irrigation arrangement, use a temporary/contingency contract during construction, or — if upgraded treatment meets state standards — permit discharge to Fall River. The council stressed that voting to submit a funding request does not irrevocably accept funding; council members will retain the opportunity to decline any award depending on the amount and terms.

Next steps: the special public hearing on Dec. 12 will include a city overview, an AE2S presentation of the facility plan, and a funding overview by the Black Hills Council of Local Governments, followed by council questions and public comment. The council expects to act on related minutes at its Dec. 15 meeting.