Council pauses on 111‑acre Earnhardt Lane purchase and advances CIP, water and wastewater planning

The council did not take immediate action on a proposed purchase of roughly 111.6268 acres near Earnhardt Lane discussed in executive session. Council members expressed interest in the property for long‑term effluent distribution planning but asked staff to bring a public agenda item with full details and public comment before any purchase decision.

City staff noted the parcel totals about 111.6268 acres (multiple parcels described in transcript) and said the matter will be presented again in two weeks for greater transparency and public input. "For the public, it's appropriate to get all the details out, and then we'll make our decision at that point," a councilor said.

Council then spent an extended work session on the upcoming budget and capital improvement plan. City Manager (Charles) and Public Works Director Victor outlined a two‑track approach: (1) get a base operating budget and (2) present decision packages for discretionary items. Staff emphasized early engineering work (preliminary engineering and design) for several utility projects rather than premature construction cost estimates, including: lift‑station rehabilitation, Water Treatment Plant improvements and a scaled redesign of Water Treatment Plant 3 (staff proposed reducing an earlier 6 MGD plan to 4 MGD or smaller phased steps), transmission improvements between plants, and additional effluent irrigation acreage (40 acres to expand Cedar Breaks as a near‑term option).

Councilors asked staff to produce clearer decision package documentation (what is base vs. discretionary), to separate personnel budgeting from capital and operating baselines, and to provide cost ranges for CIP projects so council can consider financing and bond capacity in the coming years. Staff said a draft budget would be available in a few weeks and that project engineering would be prioritized to provide construction‑level cost estimates in time for future budget cycles.

No final purchase or CIP appropriations were approved at this meeting; the council asked staff to return with contract language, funding options, and engineering estimates on a prioritized timeline.