The Pequot Lakes City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 4, adopted a resolution approving an amended facilities plan on wastewater treatment facility effluent disposal options.
City engineer Tim Houle of Widseth Smith Nolting explained the amended plan to the council. The plan is needed because the expansion of Highway 371 to four lanes east of downtown will affect the city's spray irrigation fields.
Using different funding estimate formulas and assuming the worst case scenario of the city not receiving any grants and no upfront investment from city savings, the council learned the cost would be an estimated $80,150 per year for 40 years to $109,800 per year for 20 years.
This worst case scenario would have residents' wastewater bills increasing an estimated $10 per month. It all depends on how much the city receives in funding assistance.
Estimated project costs use the row irrigation method, which would allow for future expansion of the business/industrial park and keeps all operations on the east side of the new highway.
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Total project cost is estimated at $1.63 million. That estimate is without several improvements the city indicated it would undertake.
Also, the council learned that current budget preparations show a preliminary levy increase of $167,000. The main factors for the increase are a decrease of $22,000 in local government aid, staff reorganizations, contract services and capital outlay expenditures, said Nancy Malecha, finance administrator/deputy city clerk.
Numbers will change, Malecha said. The council will meet Aug. 18 for a budget workshop when it will receive detailed information on each department's proposed budget.
Council members Jerry Akerson and Scott Pederson were absent from the Aug. 4 meeting.
