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Grottoes staff previews FY27 budget and water/wastewater projects, flags manager report for revision
Summary
Town staff delivered an FY27 budget preview, outlined near‑term projects including installing UV equipment at the wastewater plant and a $129,000 materials estimate to complete a critical waterline loop, and said a manager report will be revised because it is 'flawed.'
Kyle, a town staff member, gave the council a staff perspective on FY27 budget timing and several infrastructure projects, saying staff will deliver a recommended draft in the next few weeks and council will hold a public hearing in May.
Kyle highlighted water and wastewater projects as priorities. He said UV disinfection equipment for the wastewater plant is on site and that the town awaits Rob’s availability to install it. "That will be revised," Kyle said of the manager's report he described as "flawed, without a doubt," adding Rob will return a corrected report for council information.
On water distribution, Kyle described a staff proposal to finish a looping main from 3rd Street to Cape Hill to strengthen the town water backbone. He said material costs are about $129,000 and that the town’s goal is to complete the work in‑house using town crews and equipment rather than bidding it out. Kyle said completing the loop and previous work (6th Street) represent the two largest water distribution projects in recent memory.
Kyle warned council against asking for unnecessary capacity that could trigger expensive regulatorily driven upgrades: the town could reach an 800,000 gallons‑per‑day design capacity that would avoid reopening its permit, but becoming a nutrient‑removal plant to meet stricter DEQ limits would require multi‑million‑dollar investments. "If we were to become a nutrient removal plant... you're looking millions of dollars," Kyle said.
Other staff work: Kyle reported staff completed a personnel manual update reflecting legal changes and drafted simple finance procedures for council consideration. He also outlined a goal to publish a five‑year CIP by summer and proposed a late spring plant tour for council members.
Ideas and next steps: A council member suggested pursuing a water‑bottling business using town groundwater as a revenue source; that idea was discussed but no decision was recorded. Kyle will circulate the draft budget to council in the coming weeks and confirmed the public hearing in May.
