City Council Work Session Summary for November 10, 2025
City Council Work Session Summary for November 10, 2025
The City Council convened for a work session to review minutes, receive departmental reports on financial performance and capital projects, and deliberate on upcoming agenda items for the November 12th meeting. Key discussions included the approval of emergency assistance loans, the selection of a contractor for water pipe replacement, and the review of solar plant progress. The session concluded with the Council suspending rules to add a video presentation to the next agenda and entering executive session regarding property acquisition.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: Council voted 7-0 to approve the October 6, 2025 agenda work session minutes, noting a correction to the vote tally (clarified as unanimous).
- Agenda Items: The Council consented to a first reading of the municipal code amendment regarding alcohol fees, the allocation of tourism funds, the certification of voting results for the Board, and the funding allocation for the police co-responder program from the opioid settlement fund.
Discussion Items
- Executive Assistance Program (BOW): Council Member Shill Richardson presented a new program providing up to a $200 loan for individuals affected by a government shutdown or SNAP interruption. The program, funded by a $50,000 allocation, aims to prevent residents from choosing between food and electricity. The initiative passed 7-0 on the condition that it functions as a loan rather than a grant.
- Water Plan & Infrastructure: Kim Holland reported on the contract for replacing water pipes in the St. Mary's/St. Anne's area. After reviewing 12 bids, the Council selected KM Davis for a contract totaling approximately $2.3 million (nearly $2.4 million), with a projected start in January running for six months. A side easement was granted at a nominal $1 fee.
- Water Authority Financials (Chalfont): Councilman Chalfont provided a third-quarter update noting water sales of 85 million gallons/day against a budget of 84 million. Net income exceeded the budget by $3.4 million, attributed to unrealized investment gains and PFAS settlement returns. Year-to-date rainfall was down 18% (36 inches vs. 47 inches).
- BLW Financial Report (Ms. Brown): Ms. Brown reported power costs were $690,000 over budget for the month and $1.95 million higher for the fiscal year. Energy requirements hit a five-year high in September for the fourth time this year. Off-system sales revenue increased by $780,000 year-to-date. The reserve amount has grown to $34 million, and reserves have not yet been tapped.
- Chairman's Report: The Chairman reported the solar plant (80 megawatts, 480 acres) is 80% complete and four months from operation. Data center growth nationwide is outpacing utility capacity, potentially delaying future projects by 3-20 years. Nuclear power currently provides a very high non-emitting rate.
- ECG Year-in Settlement: The General Manager confirmed a year-in settlement refund of $8,531.79 to the City. Council members Bruton and the GM are selected as voting/alternate delegates for the upcoming December ECG board election.
- Land Lease Amendment (4 Depot Street): The Council discussed amending a lease to define the "commencement date" as December 1, 2025. An amendment was successfully made and adopted to clarify this date.
- Public Hearing Preparations (19.451 Acres/59 Trammel St): Preliminary discussions were held for Wednesday's rezoning hearings:
- 19.451 Acres (PRDSF): A new stipulation letter addresses roadway improvements and traffic dispersal. Staff confirmed traffic volume from Matthew Circle is accounted for. The Council expressed concern regarding noise barriers near Interstate 75 and potential all-stop conditions if entrance alignments shift to cross streets. The property is zoned Regional Retail Center (RRC), R2, and R4.
- 59 Trammel Street: Owner Ellen Gleason seeks a density increase to 5.5 units/acre. Staff noted that while some variances are required for physical conditions, side setbacks require a request. Questions were raised regarding the necessity of sidewalk construction on adjacent properties during subdivision.
- Grant Application: The Council approved moving forward with an application for a "Boost" grant ($49,610) to enhance summer camp offerings, ensuring compliance with disability access and constitutional obligations.
- Video Presentation Additions: The Council unanimously voted to suspend rules and add a video regarding the "first inclusive first responders" to the presentations section of the upcoming Wednesday agenda.
Key Outcomes
- Motion Carried (7-0): Approval of the $200 emergency loan program for SNAP/shutdown-affected residents.
- Motion Carried (7-0): Adoption of the amendment defining the lease commencement date as December 1, 2025.
- Motion Carried (6-0, 1 abstention): Approval to move the Welcome Center contract amendment to the Wednesday agenda.
- Motion Carried (7-0): Authorization for the Road Closure (Barclay Circle) for the "Lights of Life" event from November 28 to December 31.
- Motion Carried (7-0): Authorization to move forward with the Alcohol Code amendment (First Reading) with required hyperlink updates.
- Motion Carried (7-0): Authorization to move forward with the Summer Camp Grant application.
- Motion Carried (7-0): Approval to add the "First Inclusive First Responders" video to the Wednesday agenda.
- Motion Carried (7-0): Motion to enter Executive Session for property acquisition and disposition matters.
Meeting Transcript
Hello to call the city council agenda work session to order, please. The first item October 6, 2025 agenda work session minutes. Motion to approve. Second. Any discussion? Motion carry seven. Oh. Next side of the BOW report. Council Member Shill Richardson. All right. So we had a good meeting. If you've got a copy of the notes, you'll see that we added something to start the meeting. And the first thing that we discussed was a new assistance program. And so what we're looking at is kind of ways to help people who are either being affected by the shutdown and not getting paid, or people who are not getting their SNAP benefits, so that they can still be able to, they don't have to decide between do I pay for food or do I pay for my electricity? So what the program is, it's going to be set at five at $50,000. That's our limit right now. And we are going to give people up to $200 credit. Because we looked at looking at the average delinquent bills when people get to Lincoln, we're about $150. So it's a $200 credit, but it is a loan. All right, so we don't have issues with the gratuity clause. We're not giving away money. We're loaning people up to $200. You've got to show that either you're a snap recipient or that you were affected by the shutdown. And people affected by the shutdown received letters, so that's an easy thing to show. So with those two things, um, it allows you to keep up have a $200 credit so that you don't lose your uh electricity, and also so you don't have to choose between do I pay the electric bill or do I eat? And that's the one thing that we want it to not have happen. So that was presented today, and needless to say, that passed 7-0. Um we also then went into uh Kim Holland presented next year's a water plan for next year. What they're looking at is they're gonna need to replace some uh water pipes that are running through the St. Mary's um St. Anne's up that area, and um it's a what they presented today was the contract for that, and so they got in actually 12 bids. They selected a company called KM Davis, and we're gonna let a contract with KM Davis for that water system improvement project, and the amount is uh 2.3 almost 2.4 million dollars, and again, it'll probably start sometime in January and run about six months. Um a little side contract, which we thought Andy should have to pay, but we'll go ahead and pay it. Um some of the piping runs through a subdivision that Andy may or may not live in. The pipes are ours, the streets are public, but because we're gonna go through there. We we did have a um we had to do a little easement, and they were gracious enough to set the price of the easement at a dollar. So we decided we'd go ahead and do that as well. Um let's see. Pretty much after that, it was kind of status quo meeting. We had water authority, and I'll turn that over to Councilman Chalfont. Okay, this is a um uh a recap of um for the third quarter. Um, the the funds funds for the third quarter, and they in the third quarter, the water sales for the month averaged 85 million gallons a day with a budget of uh 84 million gallons a day with sales revenues of 9.2 million dollars. Um net income for the month of 7.7 million, exceeded the budget by 3.4. This was uh mostly due to unrealized gain in a mark market investments, and um also we got some return from PFAS settlement that we're working on. So uh year-to-date spending on capital projects totaled 49.6 million at the date of the this report with a remaining uh uh CIP budget commitment of 42.5 million dollars. Cash reserve for CIP spending totaled 81 point five million dollars, and that's where some of that money comes from. You're earning money from too. Um year to day to average rainfall at the water authority, totaled 36 inches to last year's 47, 44.7. So we've about 18 percent down on uh the water uh rainfall. So um we had um four linear projects uh underway and working on in progress, including the uh 041 water main replacement.
openpublica.com