TOWER— After considerable discussion on Monday, the city council here agreed to seek state bonding funds for a sewer upgrades project focused on a portion of N. Third St. where there is considerable inflow and infiltration of groundwater into the sanitary system.
The issue of inflow and infiltration, or “I and I,” has been a longstanding one for the city, one that both increases the city’s water treatment costs and unnecessarily consumes limited wastewater treatment capacity.
By using inline video to check for inflow, the city has identified some of the biggest trouble spots, many of which are found on the city’s north side. But the cost of repairs can be well outside the city’s budget.
After consulting with Sen. Grant Hauschild, city officials opted for a request for around $1.5 million to help fund the repairs. The request will be assessed by lawmakers over the next several months, along with hundreds of others from around the state, and may or may not advance for funding. If ultimately included in the bonding bill, the funds would be available in 2026.
While supporting the funding request, some on the council questioned whether the city was biting off too much. The city has been managing multiple infrastructure projects over the past couple years, with more in the offing, and council member Joe Morin wondered if it was too much for city hall to handle.
“Do we have to go at this pace?” asked Morin, who noted that Clerk-Treasurer Michael Schultz has been forced to take on a tremendous amount of project management in addition to his regular administrative duties. “I’m strongly of the opinion that we should scale back for at least a year, to not increase Michael’s workload. There needs to be a better work-life balance, or I think there’s a risk of burnout.”
Mayor Dave Setterberg didn’t disagree, but said he’d told Schultz to sound off if the work became too much. “I’ve asked him to let us know if it’s too much, so he doesn’t go off the deep end.”
But Morin said he didn’t see Schultz being willing to complain, regardless of the workload.
Setterberg agreed, but worried that the city could lose out if it didn’t apply for the bonding funds. And given that the Legislature typically advances a bonding bill only every other year, missing out on the 2026 round could push funding out to 2028 or beyond.
Councilor Kevin Norby noted that the city was largely dependent on outside funding sources for major infrastructure repairs. Morin agreed. “We don’t have the tax base to touch any of this,” he said. “I just want it to be clear that it’s manageable.”
Councilor Bob Anderson concurred. “I would want to see a slow downward trend on projects,” he said.
In other action, the council approved a resolution committing to matching funds on a state housing infrastructure grant for the harbor project. That grant is due to submission by June 12.