Belgrade City Council Workshop on Utilities Master Plan

This summary covers the Belgrade City Council workshop held on October 13, 2026. The primary agenda item was a presentation and discussion of the city's comprehensive Utilities Master Plan, prepared over roughly two and a half years by AE2S with city staff. The council also handled routine administrative matters and opened a public forum, which received no comments.

Consent Calendar

• Councilmember Aaron Bell was excused from the meeting by unanimous vote (motion by Deputy Mayor Matamo, second by Councilmember McGee).

Discussion Items

Utilities Master Plan Presentation

• City Engineer Chad introduced Brian Vyle and Aidan Schaeffle of AE2S, who presented the plan.
• The plan was developed in two phases: Phase One (starting 2024) involved field data collection, including surveying over 300 manholes, installing pressure recorders, collecting wastewater flow data, and holding a community workshop. Phase Two converted the findings into project recommendations.
• Water rights analysis by WGM Group projected the city's existing rights will cover peak day demand until roughly 2040 and average daily demand slightly after 2040, assuming 4% annual growth. Because the basin is closed, converting agricultural water rights to municipal use will take years and requires advance planning.
• Hydraulic model calibration achieved strong results: water system model accuracy matched tank elevations within less than 3 feet in most cases (target about 5 PSI); wastewater wet-weather flows were within the 20% calibration target.
• The plan identified a need for additional storage. A three-million-gallon storage tank is already under design to serve a population of about 16,000; two more tanks totaling 3.5 million gallons will be needed by the time the city reaches 30,000 residents.
• Well production capacity is projected to be adequate until population reaches approximately 16,000–17,000, assuming wells 8, 9, 7, and 10 perform as expected. A councilmember noted that pump test data for wells 7 and 10 is not yet available, so assumptions are involved.
• Conveyance improvements include a proposed 16-inch transmission main loop around the city core. Deferred maintenance needs include replacing aging hydrants and budgeting for roughly 1% of distribution and sewer system replacement per year.
• Cost estimates: approximately $27 million in capital projects plus $20 million in pipe replacements were identified for 2026–2030, with about $150 million in total projects across the long-term planning horizon. The financial assessment showed a large gap between project costs and projected utility income.
• Wastewater projects focus on lift station improvements, removal of the Farmers lift station, and a study of the truck stop lift station sewer shed, partly due to uncertainty about growth south of I-90 and the existing I-90 sewer crossing.

Council Questions and Discussion

• A councilmember asked about the storage requirement calculation. AE2S explained the DEQ-based assumption of one average day demand plus fire flow, which is more conservative than the city's historical approach of relying on well capacity with the largest well out of service. The city engineer noted the new hydraulic model now allows day-to-day capacity tracking.
• A councilmember asked about annexing subdivisions with independent water and sewer systems. AE2S responded that engineering evaluations would determine whether to integrate or operate them separately, and that state code compliance would need assessment.
• A councilmember questioned whether the financial gap included only a portion of rate income and whether impact fees were included. AE2S indicated the figures came from the city's rate and impact fee study and offered to provide clarification in a follow-up letter.
• The city engineer noted the plan is already being used to analyze fire flows for new development and to support a DEQ sewer development plan; a similar water approach is being explored.

Integration and Next Steps

• Public Works Director Greg and others emphasized that the Utilities Master Plan is part of the larger "Clearly Belgrade" master planning effort, sharing population data with the transportation, land use, and parks plans.
• The final step will be loading the plan into "Conveyo," a GIS-based platform for real-time updates and public access, rather than leaving it as a static document.
• The plan is considered essential for state and federal grant applications and for creating a functional capital improvement plan.
• The mayor indicated AE2S will update the final draft with answers to council questions and bring it back in a few weeks for possible adoption.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public provided comments during the three public forum calls.

Key Outcomes

• Councilmember Bell was excused unanimously.
• No formal action was taken on the Utilities Master Plan; it will return for potential adoption after revisions.
• The council requested clarifications on financial assumptions and well pump test data before adoption.
• During "good of the order," a councilmember who has lived in Belgrade for 36 years expressed amazement at the pace of growth and thanked staff; another councilmember praised the 488-page report as readable and informative.