Arlington council awards sewer contract, declares emergency to repair water-plant pump and reviews financial reports

The Arlington City Council on June 1 approved a low-bid construction award for the 67th Avenue sewer interceptor upsizing project, adopted an emergency resolution to repair a failed high-service pump at the city’s water treatment plant, and reviewed monthly financial reports for March and April.

Jim Kelly presented the sewer project and asked the council to award the contract to the certified low bidder. The transcript records the construction amount as read during the meeting as "1 million $582,00055"; the council moved to award the project to Reese Construction and authorized the mayor to sign the contract. The motion passed by voice vote.

Kelly also described a pump failure at the water treatment plant: one of the high-service pumps stopped working, and field inspection suggested a cracked shaft. Because PumpTech originally installed the pumps in 2012, staff requested authority to waive formal bidding and contract directly with PumpTech for repairs so the pump can be returned to service before high-water-demand season. A councilmember moved to adopt a resolution declaring an emergency and authorizing the waiver; the motion passed by voice vote.

On finance, Shelby presented March and April monthly reports. Highlights included lodging-tax receipts of about $32,000 year-to-date for 2026 (a 2% increase over April 2025) and April sales-tax revenue up roughly 15% compared with April 2025. Shelby reported utility-tax receipts for April at about $366,000 and a 6% decline compared with 2025. Year-to-date general-fund revenues stood at roughly 27% of budget (approximately $6.6 million) — about 1% higher than the same period in 2025.

Council approved the consent agenda and other routine motions by voice vote and adjourned the meeting.