Lake Park council authorizes clerk to seek new engineer to keep lead service line replacement grant on track

The Lake Park City Council on July 2 authorized the city clerk, with the mayor’s consent, to take steps to engage a different engineer if needed to ensure the Lead Service Line Replacement project meets its October deadline and preserves the grant funding that underwrites the work.

City Clerk Lisa Johnson told the council that the Lead Service Line Replacement project has engineering tasks outstanding and an October completion deadline; she warned that missing the deadline “may result in loss of the grant that will fund the project.” Council Member Carl Spano expressed concern about the timeline and moved to authorize the clerk, with the mayor’s approval, to secure alternate engineering services if necessary; Council Member Michelle Lane seconded the motion, which passed unanimously, 4‑0.

Why it matters: the Lead Service Line Replacement project is grant‑funded and is subject to fixed deadlines. Losing the grant would create a funding gap for a public‑health related infrastructure upgrade and likely delay replacement work.

Council discussion also touched on budget and staffing considerations. Council Member Spano, serving as budget officer, said he had met with department heads in preparation for the FY25 budget and proposed a 3% cost‑of‑living increase for all employees. He also said the police chief had requested expanding a part‑time position to full‑time as part of rebuilding toward a 24/7 department; Spano said remaining ARPA funds might be used to cover initial personnel costs but that recurring funding would need to be identified.

Next steps: the clerk and mayor will pursue engineering options as authorized; the city expects to meet with the engineer to resolve outstanding issues and the auditor will present the FY23 audit at the August meeting. The council did not adopt any contract changes at this meeting; it recorded the authorization to pursue alternatives if necessary.