An update on the water/wastewater project

Merry Christmas! During this week’s council meeting there was a good discussion about the upcoming water/wastewater project.  At the town hall meeting, the council approved a “request for funding” from the state.  How much money (if any) in grants and loans will be received from the state will determine what the projects will cost.  At that time, the city will address the different ideas and phases it will take to accomplish our goals.
Everyone wants to know how these projects will affect their water and sewer bills; however, until we know the cost to the city, we can only speculate and learn as much as possible about our options. We have multiple rate options from experts in this field to study and discuss, and as these projects progress, there will be many more town halls and discussions at council meetings.
At the last meeting we had to discuss how to address the 2025 “operating and maintenance” needs.  
Because there is a shortfall between current rates and operating and maintenance expenses, rates need to go up in the new year.  The wastewater rates have not been raised in many years.  But if we do nothing now, it will only add to the boost in rates as we begin the upcoming water projects. Depending on how quickly the projects move forward, how much help we will get from the state and how the projects will be prioritized will be the deciding factor in rate changes.  None of that has happened to date. We do, however, need to address the shortfall in reserves.
The good news is that we think we have figured out a way to be as fair as possible by using a tiered system according to usage.  We plan to split the tiers for billing per gallon according to residential or nonresidential usage. This will definitely affect everyone, but will be the most fair solution in our opinion. Please trust that we don’t take our responsibility to the community lightly and are doing our best to make good decisions.
The bad news is that once these projects begin, our rates may be raised again. We won’t know much more until we know the factors I’ve already stated.  We realize this will be a hardship for many of us, but we are being assisted by our city engineers and the state representatives to make this as fair as possible. The scale of these projects must get done, and we all need to do what we can to trust the process.  
This council and I have faced quite a few challenges since being sworn in last July. We have been lucky enough to have found a very capable man to take over as city administrator and have been working closely with city engineers to tackle the water and wastewater issues that have been needed for many years. Our city office staff and public works team have kept our city running with little or no help for the past few months. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their loyalty and their work ethic.
Also, our alderwoman, Lori Miner, has taken a special interest in the water projects and does much research and study on her own. If you have specific questions about where things stand I am sure she will happily do what she can to address them.  
Council meetings are every second and fourth Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m.  The meeting scheduled for Dec. 23 has been moved to Dec. 30 due to the holiday. The 2025 rate figures will come to a vote at this meeting, so please try to attend. Be a part of the process to help everyone understand what it takes to bring all of this together.
Have a blessed and wonderful holiday season.