Wastewater discussions at County Commissioners and Jasper Utility Service Board

The Dubois County Commissioners held a brief discussion on the Regional Sewer District progress Monday morning.

Then, Monday evening, the Jasper Utility Service Board moved forward with a contract with Midwestern Engineering to begin planning and design work for a north-side wastewater plant to help accommodate the city’s growth.

The new plant is also being considered as the treatment facility for the sewer that could be extended through Haysville and Portersville.

At the commissioner’s meeting, Commissioner Chad Blessinger reported that they are in continued negotiations with the city to be partial owners of the new plant while exploring financing options with the state. The cost of this additional infrastructure will impact the system’s ratepayers, and Blessinger said that with a potential $4.8 million investment in the new plant, that could be $180 a month.

“If it’s a $180 a month for people, I don’t think any of us are going to support it,” Blessinger said.

Blessinger said they want to find an equitable solution that will ensure the project remains viable without burdening residents with excessive fees.

Commissioner Nick Hostetter questioned how the county’s investment would impact rates and other expenses for the county’s sewage infrastructure and ratepayers. “If we own a third of that plant, are we still going to pay to use it? ”

Commissioner Blessinger agreed, noting they don’t want to have multiple layers of costs for the county ratepayers.

“We don’t want to pay a premium for being an out of county customer and then pay for the building, then pay for maintenance. We don’t want to pay all these different levels,” Blessinger agreed.

County Attorney Greg Schnarr explained they would likely discuss those terms during the negotiation process with the city.

Blessinger and Council members Mike Kluesner and Deena Lewis are all working on the project with the city.

At Monday evening’s Jasper Utility Service Board meeting, Utility General Manager Rob Young reported they had been in talks with the county, the county’s engineering firm Clark Dietz, the city’s financial advisor Baker Tilley and the Indiana Finance Authority.

The city is investigating several funding options, with the State Revolving Fund (SRF) being a key possibility. In current SRF rankings, Jasper’s project is ranked 13th among large systems, while the county’s project is ranked 39th. New rankings are expected in July.

“There are some financially speaking rather large projects that are ranked ahead of the county project right now,” Young said.

Young reported that they are working with different financial scenarios with the county and plan on meeting with a representative from Congressman Mark Messmer’s office to discuss options and raise awareness of the project.

He also reported that the site surveys, geotechnical surveys, soil void checks, and wetlands delineation are complete on the site they would like to use for the plant. No significant issues have been found.

The next step is to finalize an agreement with landowners. City officials are drafting an option purchase agreement to present to stakeholders within a week.

Young also presented the board with a contract from Midwestern Engineers to proceed with the plant design. The board unanimously approved the engineering contract for the project, including the design/engineering, bidding services, and general project construction observation, for $1,262,000.