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Council tables 486-page wastewater PER after members request engineer presentation
Summary
Council tabled the 486-page Wastewater Preliminary Engineering Report to allow Great West engineers to present details and to give council time to review. Treasurer Kelly Smith warned that the recommended projects could affect grant eligibility because target rates would need to rise about 26%.
The Three Forks City Council voted to table consideration of the 486-page Wastewater Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) after city staff and council members said they had not had adequate time to review the document and requested an engineer-led presentation.
"We just received it Friday, and it’s too large to share on our website. It’s 486 pages," City Clerk Crystal Turner said, explaining why the council should defer a final decision until Great West engineers can be present to walk through the report. Council members expressed concern about unresolved technical questions raised by resident Steve Johnston and the Water & Sewer Committee.
City Treasurer Kelly Smith summarized the project's financing implications: "The PER cost about $80,000, but the City paid $25,000 cash for that and the rest was funded with grants." Smith added that the city would not be eligible for grant funding for recommended projects unless the combined water-and-sewer base rate target rose roughly 26 percent from current levels; she said the current base sewer rate is $54.25 and warned of local resistance to large rate increases.
Councilmen moved to table the item until a meeting that included Great West representatives; the motion passed unanimously. The council noted the city’s wastewater discharge permit comes up for renewal in 2027 and that the state review could require changes to nutrient controls in the system.
