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Harrisburg council hears hours of public comment on sewer deal tied to state prison plan
Summary
Residents urged Harrisburg leaders to delay or reject a proposed sewer services agreement that would deliver 175,000 gallons per day of capacity to the state in exchange for $7,179,000 in ARPA funds; state and financial advisers say funds must be under contract this calendar year and could cut local sewer rates by 25–30%.
HARRISBURG, S.D. — The Harrisburg City Council spent much of its meeting fielding public comment and staff presentations on a proposed sewer services agreement that would sell 175,000 gallons per day of wastewater capacity to the state Department of Corrections in return for $7,179,000 in federal ARPA funds.
Residents at the meeting urged the council to delay or reject the agreement, saying the city lacks transparency about the contract terms, that the payment resembles a ‘‘bribe,’’ and that tying city sewer infrastructure to a prison project could harm schools, property values and public safety. ‘‘You guys are being given a bribe,’’ said Mike Hoffman, a Harrisburg landowner. Several speakers urged the council to demand detailed stipulations about what the money would pay for before approving anything.
Brian Burner, introduced as a senior policy adviser for the governor, told the council the ARPA funds are restricted to water and wastewater projects and must be under contract in the current calendar year. ‘‘This is $7,179,000 from the state who purchased 175,000 gallons per day of sewer access,’’ Burner said, adding that purchase-of-capacity is an allowable ARPA expense and that the city would receive annual fixed revenue if the contract is executed.
An independent municipal adviser who reviewed the proposal told council members that applying the $7.1 million to existing sewer debt and structuring the contract with protections (an initial payment and an escalator) could lower sewer rates by roughly 25–30 percent and produce a net fixed income on the order of several hundred thousand dollars per year. ‘‘We estimate a net income after all expenses to the city anywhere between $460,000 and $738,000,’’ the adviser said.
Opponents repeatedly argued that the long-term social and environmental costs could outweigh the short-term financial relief. A teacher told the council that ‘‘this will all change if the prison becomes part of the community’’ and urged leaders to prioritize the school district’s reputation and family retention. Others raised questions about stormwater, river runoff and whether current treatment capacity would safely handle any different waste stream produced by a correctional facility.
Council members and staff repeatedly stressed that the agreement, as presented, purchases wastewater capacity and does not bind the city to a particular prison location. Burner said the contract language was intentionally drafted so the city would still have options if the legislature or siting process moved the prison elsewhere.
The public record at the meeting contains motions and votes on other agenda items (see the council’s action log), and council members asked for more time to weigh public concerns and the technical terms. The transcript does not record a final roll-call vote on the sewer services agreement in the portions provided.
What happens next: Council members indicated they wanted more time to review contract specifics and community concerns before a final decision. The meeting closed after the council completed several routine items and took other votes on equipment purchases and right-of-way actions.
