Buhl council authorizes steps to accept $2 million state water-system appropriation

The Buhl City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 20 to authorize city staff to submit project information to the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority and enter into a grant agreement for a $2,000,000 appropriation the state legislature awarded to the city in 2023.

The grant—passed by the 2023 Minnesota Legislature and administered by the MPFA—was appropriated "for a grant to the city of Buhl to design, construct, renovate, and equip publicly owned water infrastructure, including water storage and treatment systems," according to the resolution presented at the meeting. Councilor Loeffler moved to adopt Resolution 24-21; Councilor Kealy supported the motion. The roll-call vote was recorded as five ayes.

Why it matters: the appropriation funds capital upgrades that city officials say are needed to modernize water storage and treatment capacity. MPFA staff must receive project documentation before a formal grant agreement can be drafted, which is the immediate next step the council authorized.

City Administrator Tony Jeffries told the council the MPFA requires project documentation before preparing a grant agreement. Engineer John Jamnick, who attended the meeting, was available to answer technical questions about project scope and will be involved in preparing required materials.

What the council approved: adopting Resolution 24-21 authorizing submission of information to MPFA and authorizing the mayor and staff to enter into the necessary grant agreement and accompanying documents. The meeting record shows no conditions attached to the resolution; councilors voted to move the process forward.

Next steps: city staff and the city engineer will compile and submit the documentation the MPFA requires. The MPFA will prepare a grant agreement once the information is received and validated; the timeline for MPFA approval was not specified at the meeting.