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Perry City departmental budget reviews: wastewater, water, streets and parks highlight capital needs
Summary
Department heads presented proposed FY27 budgets and longer-term capital needs: wastewater operator Ruben Van Tassel outlined equipment and SCADA costs (UV bulbs ~$25,000, screw press rebuild ~$33,871, VFD upgrades ~$89,000); public works reviewed parks, street maintenance ($1.8M planned for roads), Well 5 operations and multi‑million dollar water tank options.
Department heads presented detailed FY27 budget proposals and flagged multi‑year capital priorities during the May 28 Perry City council meeting.
Ruben Van Tassel, manager of the Willard Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, said he aimed to keep equipment and operations near last year’s baseline while prioritizing reliability and preventive maintenance. He listed critical items and cost estimates including UV system parts ($25,000) and a $7,000 service fee, a screw-press rebuild ($33,871), replacement probe/SCADA upgrades (~$40,000), and variable‑frequency drives (VFDs) for influent pumps (~$89,000) to enable better control and pump longevity.
Public Works (presenter identified as Zach) reviewed parks, stormwater, streets and water budgets. Highlights included modest increases for mowing and tree care, an equipment line tied to a new shared street sweeper, and an $1.8 million streets program planned next year to expand sealcoating and paving work after the completion of the 1200 West project. He described Well 5 as nearly tied into the distribution system and noted additional chlorine testing and monitoring needs following a recent state sanitary survey; he also discussed long‑range options for a 2,000,000‑gallon tank with engineer estimates in the $5–9 million range.
Council members asked for empirical feedback on StreetLogic maintenance scoring and for cost clarifications; staff agreed to provide plan data and to follow up on quotes for tank stand-pipe replacement and other capital items.
Why it matters: several departmental items are maintenance-critical (wastewater UV and pumps) and long-term projects (water tank, public works facility) may require grants or bonding decisions. The council discussed timing for a budget work session before the next meeting once certified‑rate information is available.
Next steps: staff to return with supporting cost/scan data, planned postings and the certified‑rate numbers needed to finalize tax-rate decisions and budget adoption.
