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Council discusses merging Bluff Water Works into town water department; no decision
Summary
Council debated hiring a contractor to merge the county Bluff Water Works service district into the Town of Bluff water department, weighing contractor costs against internal planning; discussion continued to a future work session and a Bluff Water Works meeting was scheduled for the following day.
Council considered whether to hire a contractor to merge Bluff Water Works (a county service area) into the Town of Bluff water department. Speaker 5 said the goal—reflected in the town’s strategic plan and general plan—is to consolidate water rights, distribution and billing under the town. Gary Lichtenstein was mentioned as a consultant with prior experience; Mark/Marks at Bluff Water Works has been encouraging a transition.
Council members debated whether hiring a contractor now would be premature or whether a concise deliverable would accelerate succession planning and departmental setup. Some members favored developing a firmer internal organizational plan before contracting; others argued a contractor could deliver a usable department structure and transfer knowledge.
No hiring decision was made. Speaker 1 suggested adding the topic to next week’s work session and testing sentiment at a Bluff Water Works meeting the next day.
Next steps: council will continue the discussion at the upcoming work session and monitor feedback from Bluff Water Works’ meeting; staff will prepare materials and possible scopes of work for council consideration.
