11-08-2021 City Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday,November 8,2021 6:00 o'clock p.m. C. SEWER Edwards shared the Sewer Fund is paid for with utility bills and they have fairly healthy cash balances. Goman shared about projects they will be working on this year including Lift Station 11, Lift Station 3, Grinder stations 3,4,and 5,and sewer meter installations. Edwards noted there will also be forcemain replacements due to old iron pipe in the ground. D. STORMWATER Edwards shared this is funded through storm water fees that residents pay and there is a good cash balance projected out. Projects include storm water improvements coinciding with the streets being worked on in any given year including replacement of culverts,catch basins,and curb-and-gutter. When putting together the 10 year surface water management plan,the City is required to identify storm water issues and projects, of which they did many this year with the Casco Point Road project. Storm water projects include North Shore Drive Ravine stabilization, annual storm sewer improvements and replacements(allocated at$100,000/year), and the stormwater pollution prevention plan. E. EQUIPMENT Edwards shared an equipment replacement for the Line Tracing/GIS Data collection unit which is outdated. Goman noted the rest of the equipment is the rolling stock including the 1-ton dump truck with a plow, a utility service truck with hoist,and a 3/4 ton pickup truck. PUBLIC HEARING 9. PUBLIC HEARING FOR 2021 CIP BONDING—RESOLUTION NO.7233 Olson gave a presentation and noted they will talk about building a Public Works Building or purchasing a Fire Department and the funding source for those. This would be a specific CIP that would allow the City to sell bonds for those buildings. Edwards spoke about the need for the Public Works Building. Currently Public Works is housed next door in a building built in the 1990's and since that time the department has grown as responsibilities have grown over the years. The area around the current facility has also grown which does not allow for expansion. The previous year,the City Council instructed Staff to look for some property and put together a plan for a Public Works facility. They have procured a piece of land across the Highway on Old Crystal Bay Road,did an RFP for architects, and have done some preliminary design work. The estimated cost of the building and the site is just under$13,000,000.Edwards stated$16,000,000 is the proposed number with the remaining$3,000,000 going towards the fire facility. Nick Anhut from Ehlers and Associates spoke about options the City has to fund these projects. Under State statute, cities are limited as to the types of projects they can issue debt for; most items need to come before the public in the form of referendum for approval. However,essential purpose facilities(Fire Station,Public Works, City Hall)are exceptions.Mr.Anhut explained general obligation bonds and CIP Page 4 of 6