City manager outlines plan to keep FY24 water rate to fund portion of Highway 82 transmission line relocation

City Manager David Orr briefed the Council on Aug. 26 about a proposal by Riverbend member entities to continue the fiscal year 2024 water production rate of $1.2606 per 1,000 gallons into FY25 for the portion of billing that applies to joint owners of the Highway 82 water transmission line. Orr said the continued rate for one year would generate approximately $730,000 that the member entities would use toward relocating a portion of the jointly owned Highway 82 transmission line (a project estimated to cost between $6 million and $7.5 million).

Orr said the proposed FY25 production rate otherwise is decreasing in staff’s preliminary budget; the continuation is intended as a one‑year measure to accumulate funds for the relocation. He told council that at an Aug. 12 meeting all original Riverbend member entities present supported the proposal and agreed to take it back to their respective city councils for formal consideration.

The Highway 82 relocation was described as a further continuation of prior corridor work that involved moving the line from New Boston to DeKalb; this phase would support roadway changes and roadway safety improvements along Highway 82. Orr invited questions and said the measure will be considered by the member entities’ governing bodies.