COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – On a night they had their first in person meeting at the Henry L. Brown Municipal Building in 15 months, the Coldwater City Council passed a resolution on Monday which adopts a final project plan for drinking water system improvements in the city.
The action came after a public hearing during which engineers from Fishbeck gave a power point presentation which explained the proposed Drinking Water Revolving Fund Project Plan.
Officials say the plan will focus on replacing aged equipment at the Water Treatment Plant and will also include
work in the water distribution system. The projects being proposed in the distribution system include Washington Street, Perkins Street and Michigan Avenue Water Mains as well as Lead Service Line Replacements.
Impacts of the proposed projects include compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The Coldwater B.P.U. was requesting a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan through the Michigan Department of Treasury of $7 million. But B.P.U. Director Jeff Budd said subsequent to having the D.W.S.R.F. plan prepared, it was determined the C.B.P.U. did not qualify for the entire funding but they did qualify for a $3 million grant for replacing lead service lines known as “Booker Funds.”
In other business, the Council formally adopted the city’s Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget which starts with a deficit of $559,000. But City Manager Keith Baker said in his report to the Council that the city will remain in a financially strong
position with an operating fund balance reserve of over 40 percent of expenditures. He also pointed out that even before the pandemic, the City was facing the very real threat of how to balance the operating budget with flat revenues.
Baker went on to say, “While state revenue sharing was better than anticipated in 2021, the State has warned us not to except much in the way of increases over the next couple years. That, coupled with the expectation that excess LCSA funding will dry up or at least significantly decrease, means that we see at least a short-term future with significant
dropsin State revenues that the City will have to adapt to.”
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