County staff ask chair to sign letter asking EPA to assess WIFIA loan eligibility for local water/wastewater project
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Summary
A county staffer asked the chair to sign a letter of interest to the EPA to determine whether a proposed water or wastewater project would be eligible for the WIFIA loan program; staff described the step as exploratory and said EPA typically responds in about 60–90 days.
Missoula County staff asked the board to authorize the chair to sign a letter of interest to the Environmental Protection Agency so the EPA can determine whether a local water or wastewater project would be eligible for the WIFIA (Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) loan program.
"By submitting this letter of interest, what the EPA would then take a look at what we're considering and tell us, yeah, this would be eligible for a loan or not," Speaker 5 (Indra Higemeyer, Community Economic Development) said. Higemeyer described the step as exploratory: the county is not yet applying for the loan but is seeking to be invited to apply if EPA determines eligibility.
Higemeyer told commissioners the EPA typically takes about "60 to 90 days" to respond, depending on capacity, and said that if the county is invited to apply staff will assess application requirements, staff capacity and potential costs and loan risks before deciding whether to proceed. The transcript does not show a formal recorded vote or authorization for signature during the meeting; staff presented the correspondence and sought the chair’s signature as part of routine correspondence.
