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Wastewater agency previews Springfield reimbursement deal, cites WIFIA amendment and $2M federal appropriation
Summary
Agency staff told the board they expect to present a Springfield-specific reimbursement agreement in February tied to developer-advanced infrastructure, explained a draft reimbursement formula capped at 25% (Springfield’s case may yield ~13%), and said a $2,000,000 congressional appropriation has been reported to the agency.
Administrator Dan Hoynes told the Sarpy County and Cities Wastewater Agency on Jan. 28 that staff are finalizing a Springfield reimbursement agreement and working with Sarpy County to codify a pending WIFIA loan amendment. "We did get approval from the federal government to amend the WIFIA loan," Hoynes said, and staff hope to return the amendment for board consideration at the Feb. 25 meeting.
Hoynes said Springfield and its developer propose to advance permanent agency infrastructure — including a small connection that will run under Highway 50 — and are requesting reimbursement for that work. Engineering estimates for that segment are about $1.0 million to $1.2 million. Jeff Thompson, the agency’s project engineer, described staff’s approach: divide the cost by projected full-development connection-fee revenue and pay a share back to the developer. Hoynes said the draft agreement is written to cap reimbursement "not to exceed 25%." He added Springfield’s effective reimbursement under the formula may be closer to about 13% in staff calculations.
The agency intends the formula to be a case-by-case financial analysis rather than a single binding policy. One attending mayor agreed to support the Springfield agreement but said it should not be interpreted as agency-wide policy. Hoynes said the agency will treat Springfield as an individual agreement "and it certainly doesn't bind" other jurisdictions but acknowledged the outcome will inform future negotiations.
Hoynes also told the board Congressman Don Bacon notified Chairman Kelly of a $2,000,000 congressional appropriation tied to the project; Hoynes said staff are still clarifying the appropriation’s specific purpose and will include recommendations for use in the agency’s upcoming budget proposal. The board must approve the agency budget by April 30.
Next procedural steps are for staff to bring the draft Springfield agreement and the finalized WIFIA amendment to the board for review in February; any formal reimbursement or policy change will require board action.
