Town and village plan joint CDBG hearing as wastewater I&I work looms

Chair (Speaker 1) opened discussion about the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) process and said the town and village can hold public hearings on the same night, noting the required resolutions are largely procedural. “We're talking about the, essentially, the, every municipal grant between the town and the village, the, community block grant, the CDBG,” the Chair said.

Committee members and staff discussed three technical issues the grant application will need to address: inflow-and-infiltration (I&I) in the town system, I&I in the village system, and the capacity/condition of the wastewater treatment plant. Chair (Speaker 1) said engineering firms referenced in the discussion (named in the transcript as Barton, Judas, and Liberge/LaBerge) would be engaged and that consultant Scott Siegel would attend the next meeting to answer technical questions.

Officials outlined a practical schedule: one body will pass the necessary resolution, adjourn, wait about 15 minutes, and then the other body will start its hearing so attendees can hear the same presentation without overlap. Committee member (Speaker 4) described the short adjourn-wait-start approach as “beneficial maybe for the people,” and members agreed to coordinate dates after they review the informational booklets.

Why it matters: the CDBG application will likely require engineering detail on sewer I&I and lift-station improvements; resolving those technical questions will affect what projects are eligible for funding and how any awarded grant money can be spent. The committee directed staff to continue coordinating with engineering consultants and to set a joint hearing date once those materials have been reviewed.

Next steps: staff will confirm consultant availability and circulate proposed hearing dates; the workshop closed without a formal vote on any grant applications.