Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Reservoir Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Price City says NRCS funding cut stalls reservoir EIS; council seeks federal support
Summary
City staff told the council the Natural Resources Conservation Service ran out of funds, leaving the reservoir environmental impact statement unfunded despite a $900,000 extension; staff said they have asked for $2,000,000 in congressional support and that Sen. Curtis is "pushing" the request.
Price City staff reported that federal NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) funding for the reservoir project has been cut, leaving the project's environmental impact statement (EIS) unfunded even after the council obtained a $900,000 deadline extension. Speaker 5 told the council that NRCS "called me and said, we're out of money."
Staff said they asked consultant Horrocks Engineering to sharpen its cost estimates and explore options to finish the EIS without additional NRCS funding. Speaker 5 said the firm assigned a new lead (referred to in the meeting as Hastings) after being acquired, and that staff asked whether any elements could be done pro bono — a request the consultant rejected. "Every time in this project somebody touches it in a piece of paper, there's a cost," Speaker 5 said, summarizing why costs have grown.
Council members and staff said they are pursuing congressional avenues to replace federal program funding. Speaker 5 said the city requested $2,000,000 and recounted a phone exchange with a congressional office: "He goes ... this is John Curtis ... I just wanna tell you I'm pushing your your ask for the money," the speaker said, relaying Sen. Curtis's commitment to advocate for the city's request. Staff described the overall reservoir program as large — "easily a 150 to 200,000,000" project in scale — and said federal support will be necessary for construction.
Council members asked staff to continue cost‑control efforts and to return with options to finish required studies. There was no formal vote or commitment to a specific funding source during the workshop; staff said they will keep the council informed as federal advocacy and cost estimates develop.
