Culbertson council moves to seek federal aid and commits local bonds for water system overhaul

The Culbertson Town Council took formal steps in 1962 to advance a planned overhaul of the town’s water system, authorizing federal grant applications, hiring engineering help and agreeing to cover the local share with bonds if the federal contribution is reduced.

At meetings from September through December, council members approved hiring Wenzel & Co. to survey potential water supplies for a $2,000 fee and adopted Resolution No. 124, which authorized Mayor Robert Traeger to apply for an advance under federal Public Law 560 to fund plan preparation for “improvements to the quality of water used by the Town of Culbertson.” The application packet included an engineering cost breakdown and an estimated total project cost of $175,000 covering land, construction, plan preparation and related expenses.

On Dec. 3 the council moved to submit a grant application to the Housing & Home Finance Agency (HHFA) and to contract with Wenzel & Co. for engineering work; clerk E. F. Garbe was instructed to consult the town attorney for assistance during negotiations and any future election processes tied to the project. The council recorded Resolution Nos. 125 and 126 to support the HHFA filing and to reflect the town’s planned capital budget adjustments.

HHFA later indicated Culbertson did not qualify for the 75% federal grant the town had originally expected and that eligibility, as documented in agency correspondence, was for a 50% grant subject to agency and other approvals. At a Dec. 26 special session, the council voted to finance the remaining local share — if a partial federal award were approved — with $34,000 in revenue bonds and $50,000 in general obligation bonds, and it adopted Resolutions 127 and 128 to record that decision.

The minutes and application materials list additional procedural steps the council has taken: mayoral authorization to act as the town’s representative for the application, completion of required certification forms, and detailed planning-budget worksheets submitted with the application. The record also shows the council set aside funds and adjusted its capital-improvement plans in anticipation of the non-federal share.

Next steps captured in the minutes include completing the HHFA application amendments requested by the agency, completing engineering plans per the Wenzel contract schedule, and moving forward with local bond authorizations if and when a formal partial grant award from the HHFA is confirmed.