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Atlantic Beach council schedules follow-up budget meeting as town weighs major water-plant upgrade
Summary
At a April 11 worksession, the Town of Atlantic Beach scheduled a special April 19 meeting to continue FY24-25 budget decisions and heard staff outline plans and funding options for a major water-plant upgrade, including grant pursuit and a proposal to include reverse osmosis in planning.
Town Manager John O'Daniel told the Town of Atlantic Beach Council on April 11 that upgrading the town's water plant will be a major financial project requiring outside design and potential state funding. The council set a special meeting for April 19, 2024 to continue unresolved budget items.
O'Daniel said staff will apply for grants through the North Carolina Division of Water Resources and the Department of Environmental Quality and plans to issue a Request for Qualifications in May to hire a project manager. Councilmembers discussed including a reverse osmosis and soft-water system in the scope. O'Daniel noted the town has paid off its SCADA system and suggested shifting the $3 stormwater fee into the water-capacity fund to help reduce the size of any future utility rate increase.
The council reviewed special fund balances tied to beach and boardwalk work: a prior allocation of 1.5 cents of property taxes was partially used for boardwalk work ($746,350), leaving the Beach Nourishment Fund at zero; current balances reported were Beach Fund $94,326, Dredging Fund $56,949 and Beach Access Fund $135,702. Councilmembers agreed to prioritize routing future revenues to restore the intended beach-nourishment balance.
Councilmember Harry Archer asked staff to consult lobbyist Tom Fetzer to support the town's grant- and funding-relief efforts. No vote on rate changes or final project scope was taken; the council will reconvene on April 19 to continue budget deliberations.
