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Council hears plan to begin $5.8M in water and wastewater projects funded from reserves and new rates
Summary
Staff outlined a water/wastewater capital program for FY24–25 that includes $5.8M of projects — AMI meter rollout, sewer main replacements and pump station upgrades — to be funded using excess fund balance and the recently approved rate increase; staff said procurement will use qualifications-based selection and projects will be bid over the coming weeks.
Lancaster staff presented the proposed water and wastewater capital improvements program Sept. 16, identifying immediate FY24–25 projects totaling about $5.8 million drawn from the city's water/wastewater master plan.
The proposed FY24–25 work includes an initial automated meter infrastructure (AMI) rollout (budgeted at $520,000), sewer main replacements on Griffith and other streets, sanitary sewer spot repairs, a mainline inspection camera purchase to improve preventative maintenance, and more than $1 million in pump improvements at the James R. Williams station. Staff noted the city purchases wholesale water from Dallas Water Utilities and that these upgrades will improve service to growing areas on the east side.
Funding approach: Staff said the water/wastewater master fee schedule and a rate change adopted this year enable the city to use excess fund balance (the unaudited water/wastewater fund balance was cited at about $52 million; audited balance at last fiscal year end was reported as about $47 million) and target expenditures above the city’s 18% reserve threshold to start these projects. Projects exceeding $50,000 will come back to council for authorization when bids are received.
Procurement and schedule: Staff and the city engineer stressed that procurement will be qualifications‑based (best value) rather than lowest price only, and that bidding typically takes eight weeks from notice to bid opening; they estimated 8–10 weeks to begin seeing bids for initial packages. Council members asked for procurement procedures and expressed interest in a separate work session to review the bid process.
Next steps: Staff will sequence the projects, advertise for bids as design/packaging is completed, and return contract awards individually to council for approval.
