Council sets Dec. 3 public hearing after engineers outline $4.3M water plan

A presenter told the council the Phase 1 water‑system improvements are estimated at about $4,300,000 and recommended splitting the work into subphases to make the project more likely to receive state grant funding. The plan would prioritize Ofsted Street replacement and a tower recoating while deferring less critical work.

"The phase 1 improvements were a total cost of 4,300,000," the presenter said, and recommended a Phase 1a that would focus on Ofsted Street and tower work while leaving other elements for a later Phase 1b. He said the tower recoating alone was estimated at roughly $461,700 and that an outright full Phase 1 could push monthly water rates for a 5,000‑gallon user as high as about $105.71 under a no‑grant scenario.

Council members pressed for ways to lower customer impacts and for flexibility in the funding application. The presenter recommended wording the state application to allow shifting funding among Phase 1 elements if grant availability or televised sewer work suggests another area has greater need. Staff said a formal public hearing is required before applying and the council voted to schedule that hearing for Dec. 3 with the option to scale the application down after additional survey and CCTV data are available.

The council was also advised that the city needs an updated low‑to‑moderate‑income (LMI) survey to remain competitive for grants; staff said survey mailings would go out immediately and asked residents to return them so results can be submitted ahead of the January funding round.