Steamboat Rock council selects lower-cost engineering option to guide sewer-plant repairs

The Steamboat Rock City Council voted Sept. 8 to accept the second of two proposed engineering-services agreements to develop a plan for repairing the city sewage-treatment plant.

Councilmember Marc Havens moved to select option No. 2; Councilmember Travis Hollander seconded and the motion passed (Marc yes; Marvin yes; Travis yes), according to the meeting record. Council members said the scope and order of necessary repairs had already been discussed and that choosing the lower-cost agreement would free funds to apply directly to the repairs.

The decision was taken during the council's consideration of old business, alongside updates on other infrastructure work. Council records show manhole repairs are complete, with street work scheduled to begin within weeks; roof repairs are planned for late October or November.

The motion does not specify contract dollar amounts, funding sources or an implementation timeline; the council indicated the choice was driven by cost savings but did not detail how the saved funds will be budgeted. The meeting record also does not specify which engineering firm corresponds to option No. 2.

Next steps identified in the record: staff will proceed under the selected agreement to produce a prioritized plan of repairs. Additional budgeting and contract approvals were not recorded at the Sept. 8 meeting.

The council took the action with three recorded yes votes from the members present; two councilmembers were absent from the meeting.