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Foley schedules water-treatment presentation; staff warns earlier rate study understates likely costs
Summary
City staff scheduled a focused water-treatment presentation for July 21 and said the existing rate study assumes about $7 million in scope but that actual project needs are likely substantially higher; staff will present updated cost scenarios and rate impacts.
Foley officials told the council July 7 they will hold a dedicated presentation on water treatment on July 21 to give council members the technical background and cost estimates needed for budget planning.
Administrator Sarah Braun recommended July 21 to avoid overloading the August meeting agenda and said Kevin (staff presenter) is available then. Braun cautioned that the city’s prior rate study assumed roughly $7 million in project scope but that staff now believes the full project estimate will be “substantially higher” than the earlier study reflects. She said staff will present best-case and worst-case cost scenarios and the likely effects on utility rates so council members can consider trade-offs before the upcoming budget cycle.
Council members asked for numbers they could use to make decisions and for context on whether smaller steps (for example, decommissioning older wells or phased treatment) could be taken to manage near-term rate impacts. Braun said staff will prepare rough ballpark figures and options for the July 21 session so the council can understand potential customer-bill impacts and timing.
The transcript contains inconsistent and garbled numeric references during the discussion; staff did not present a final updated cost figure at the July 7 meeting. Braun and other staff emphasized the need to consider grant and bonding options and to sequence treatment and wastewater projects to minimize rate shocks.
The council set July 21 as the likely date for the water-treatment briefing and asked staff to provide clear cost scenarios prior to budget decisions.
