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Yreka State of the City: $30–$35 million fire hall, $7M water project and phased $44M wastewater upgrades on the 2026 agenda
Summary
Interim City Manager John Ellab and department heads presented the 2026 State of the City, outlining major projects including a $30–$35 million fire hall in 100% construction design, a $7 million state-funded water supply and storage project, and planning for phased wastewater upgrades estimated at $44 million; staffing, meter upgrades and a city manager recruitment were also discussed.
City staff used the March 3 council meeting to present a comprehensive 2026 State of the City, highlighting capital projects, staffing priorities and funding strategies.
Interim City Manager John Ellab said the proposed fire hall project is at 100% construction design and estimated at roughly $30–$35 million; staff described it as a multi‑department undertaking involving planning, building, public works, finance and fire operations. Finance Director Emily Aldrich said staff are developing long‑term financing and debt‑service plans and pursuing grant funding to reduce the local burden.
Public Works Director Matthew Bray described an awarded bid for water‑supply and storage improvements that he said came in at roughly $7 million and is funded through the State Revolving Fund with no city match noted; the project includes drilling and equipping a production well, constructing a 1-million‑gallon tank, demolishing an older tank and installing a new 200,000‑gallon tank and associated pump station work. Bray also reported contractor mobilization and long‑running efforts to secure funding for this project.
Staff reported the wastewater treatment plant needs major upgrades and preliminary engineering estimates are about $44 million; officials said the work would be phased over multiple years and will rely heavily on grant and state SRF opportunities because the city cannot absorb a one‑time match of that scale.
Finance has budgeted about $300,000 over three years to upgrade meters to cellular reads to improve billing efficiency and state reporting; staff reported a reduction in manual reads and operational time savings from the initial rollouts.
Other topics included the city manager recruitment (active search with an executive firm and 14 applicants as of late February), human resources training and personnel-rule updates (including firefighter procedural rights language), public‑safety staffing and new radio/training grant pursuits for fire, fleet and facilities assessments, and pilot paving and flood‑hazard reduction projects. Several presenters emphasized pursuing grants, breaking large projects into phases and aligning project schedules with funding availability.
The presentation was informational; no council action was required that evening. Council members thanked staff for the report and noted follow‑up during budget hearings.
