No public comments as Aberdeen City Council approves $84.7 million budget for 2023
Aberdeen City Council members approved the city's $84.7 million budget for 2023 without any changes or comments offered by the public.
The action came during Monday's meeting at city hall.
The budget total is up from this year's $77.9 million, mostly because of expansion and renovation work planned at the city water reclamation plant.
More: Aberdeen's $84.7M budget for 2023 includes $1M for public works facility
In all, about $57 million in improvements are planned that will expand wastewater treatment capacity at the plant. The 2023 budget set aside about $7.5 million for improvements. The remainder of the money will be budgeted in years to come.
Improvements have already begun at the water treatment plant in anticipation of a future expansion increasing the amount of water it can process daily. Those plans might change if the city moves forward with a joint $750 million project between Aberdeen, WEB Water and BDM Rural Water that would increase the amount of treated Missouri River water piped to Aberdeen and beyond.
To set aside money for that work, some city projects might have to be moved back to 2026, said City Manager Joe Gaa. Officials are looking at various sources of money, he said, and a lot of federal dollars will be needed. Raising all the money will take a few years, he said.
More: WEB grant could be part of broader water project that includes Aberdeen, BDM and a $750M price tag
Within the overall budget is $11.2 million in city money for the five-year capital outlay plan. That budget has $25.57 million in it, including money from grants, outside sources and other city funds, Gaa said.
The 2023 budget also includes $1.1 million to eventually build a new public works facility. That would centralize public works buildings that are now using multiple buildings.
Progress being made on street projects
City Engineer Robin Bobzien said there have been challenges with the project on South Roosevelt Street.
More: Light pole sinks into sanitary sewer resulting in unexpected expense for Aberdeen
That work was needed after a light pole dropped through the surface and into a sanitary sewer line. The job includes the replacement of 1,500 feet of sanitary sewer line on Roosevelt Street south of Sixth Avenue Southeast.
Lot's of water has needed pumping, Bobzien said, and the area dug out is quite deep. More should be known in a couple of weeks, he said, but because the area is expected to settle, it will likely get a temporary asphalt surface this year before pouring concrete next year. The settling would damage the concrete, he said.
More: Reconstruction work begins on North Dakota Street
Work on North Dakota Street between the tracks and Eighth Avenue Northeast should be finished early next week, Bobzien said, and the street should be open to traffic.
The reconstruction was bid for $2.63 million from Reede Construction.
Bobzien also said there is talk about lowering the speed limit on North Dakota Street north of Holgate Middle School. That is now a county road, so the Brown County Commission will make the call on the speed limit. But given the amount of development along the half-mile of the street north of Fairgrounds Road, it could become a city street, he said. That would also include expanding the biking/walking trail in the area, Bobzien said.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Aberdeen City Council approves $84.7 million budget for 2023
