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Lebanon council creates site-selection committee for wastewater plant, approves resolution 5–1
Summary
The Lebanon City Council approved Resolution 262845 to form a formal site-selection committee to evaluate locations for a new wastewater treatment plant, passing the measure 5–1 after debate about public notice and timing tied to a September funding deadline.
The Lebanon City Council voted to create a formal site-selection committee to evaluate potential locations for a new wastewater treatment plant, approving Resolution 262845 by a 5–1 roll-call vote on the council meeting night.
Councilor Jake Bridal said the committee will include members of the infrastructure committee, knowledgeable community members and city staff, and will use a clear scoring system and timeline so recommendations return to the council in a “structured, transparent manner.” He told the council, “This effort is time sensitive. We are working against the September deadline in order to preserve critical funding, and failure to act could result in a loss of those funds.”
Several councilors pressed for more time to review the proposal. Councilor Chris Crowell asked, “why we have to vote on this now,” saying members had only just seen the proposal and wanted time to consider it. City Attorney Andy Wright warned of a procedural risk, noting that state law now requires agendas to be published at least 48 hours in advance and suggested the council defer the measure for proper notice: “we have to give a minimum of 48 hours notice when we publish an agenda.” Wright said proceeding without that notice could leave the action voidable.
Mayor Rick Bell and proponents argued timeliness was essential to meet the funding deadline and preserve what the mayor described as a constrained opportunity. After discussion the council voted; the roll call was: Joy Carmack — Aye; Jerry Ashley — Aye; Camille Burdine — Aye; Chris Crowell — No; (Chick/Jake) Bridal — Yes; Phil Moorhead — Yes. The mayor announced the tally as 5–1 and the resolution carried.
Resolution 262845 requires the appointed committee to consider multiple sites, use an established scoring method and return recommendations to the elected council. Council members asked staff to ensure members had been contacted and to deliver committee materials promptly. The resolution text and the committee membership list were presented at the meeting and the council directed that recommendations come back to the council for final decisions.
Next steps: the committee will begin site evaluations under the schedule set in the resolution and return recommendations to the council within the timeline tied to the September funding deadline.
