City proposes IGSA with military base to speed water/sewer repairs, staff say base will reimburse costs

City staff briefed council on a proposed intergovernmental service agreement (IGSA) with the nearby military base to provide water and sewer repair and operational support.

The presenter said the IGSA would create a baseline agreement covering water and sewer operations, equipment, stations and materials; the base would request work, the city would price the job, and the city could provide work with city forces or contract out as appropriate. Staff emphasized quicker response time as a key benefit: in one recent example the city said it could have provided a pump from its fleet more quickly than the base's contracting process, which may have prevented a spill.

Staff said the base would reimburse the city for materials plus 10% to cover administrative overhead and that the base pays invoices electronically and promptly. Because some work requires upfront city costs, staff proposed a dedicated budget line within the water and sewer fund to cover IGSA startup expenses; reimbursements would be returned to that account when received.

Council asked whether the IGSA would be independent of regional utility Onwasa/Owasso; staff said the IGSA would be a direct agreement between the city and the base, though regional coordination (monitoring wells, groundwater studies) remains important for long-term planning. Staff also noted a county-funded joint resiliency study (funded from DCIP/OLDCC sources) is underway and will address water and sewer issues regionally.

No final IGSA was executed at the workshop; staff said they anticipate bringing a finalized agreement to a future council meeting for consideration.