Council makes wastewater upgrades top priority in five-year plan

Mayor opened a council work session framed around five-year strategic goals and repeatedly said the city must “handle [the wastewater] before it became an emergency.” The council agreed that addressing wastewater plant capacity and reliability should be the top capital priority for 2026–2030.

Brandon, a city staff member, gave preliminary cost estimates and timelines: "we can stay at our current location, and it would probably be around $12,000,000 or so" for certain headworks/upgrades, while a full replacement could approach $25 million to $30 million. Council members discussed phased upgrades, DEQ review time, and a possible 2028 groundbreaking if financing and approvals aligned.

The discussion balanced fiscal restraint with infrastructure needs: multiple council members argued for paying down existing debts and preserving general-fund reserves so the city could borrow at favorable terms if needed. Several members emphasized transparent, trackable five-year deliverables tied to the budget cycle so progress can be reported year-over-year.

Next steps: staff will prepare more detailed cost estimates, DEQ submittal expectations and a financing plan to bring back to council for review; the city did not adopt any binding financing decision at the work session.