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Officials say lead-service-line inspections complete; village weighs contractor costs and a 2% COLA to expand in-house replacements
Summary
Staff told the committee lead-service-line inspections funded by a DWAM grant are complete and the village must show progress replacing lines; contractors estimate $3,000–$10,000 per service line while staff say two internal replacements per year may be feasible; Faulkner said he will request a 2% COLA for employees to support restructuring.
Village staff reported that lead-service-line inspections under the DWAM grant are complete and that the village has obtained an extension for the grant end date.
Andrew Rudd said inspections are finished and that the village plans a Water Reliability Study and an Asset Management Plan to meet grant requirements by year end. Joe Fender told the committee that the State of Michigan expects the village to continue inspections and to take steps to replace roughly 5% of the lead or galvanized service lines identified; Fender said contractor costs to replace a service line would likely range from $3,000 to $10,000.
Chair Faulkner warned that the water fund is tight and that the village auditor recommended a rate study and rate increases. Faulkner said replacing service lines internally would require reinstating a supervisor position and restructuring the Department of Public Works and Water/Sewer departments; following meetings with President Graziano and Lois Jones, Faulkner said he will request a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for all employees to keep wages competitive. Nathan Smith said the village could feasibly replace about two service lines per year using internal staff.
The committee did not adopt a formal replacement schedule or a personnel change at the meeting; staff indicated a change-order approach and further planning for asset management and rate study work are next steps.
