Special Report

Trenton city facilities are undergoing repairs like patches to hail-battered roofs and replacement of a leak-prone water main as city leaders are taking a hard look at utility finances.

The City Council approved Monday, Oct. 26, signing off on roof repairs, water main engineering and new software to forecast utility revenue and reserves, KTTN reported.

Those spending decisions come as city leaders get ready to plan the city’s next budget.

“The fiscal year for Trenton starts May 1,” City Administrator Matt Harline told the Trenton Telegraph. “We will initiate the capital budgeting process soon.”

The biggest check from Oct. 26 covers storm damage. The council accepted a bid from Cornerstone Construction Solutions for metal and composite-shingle roofing at seven city facilities damaged by a May hailstorm.

The buildings include the water treatment plant’s chemical feed building, parts of the electric plant and several utility buildings, along with the Trenton Municipal Airport terminal and new hangar.

Five contractors bid on the work. The city expects insurance to cover the cost after an adjuster estimated the damage at $308,099.28.

The council also moved ahead on a troubled stretch of pipe. In a 7-1 vote with Councilman Marvin Humphreys opposed, members approved engineering by The Howe Company to replace the Oklahoma Avenue water main between East 26th Street and Saint Joseph Street.

The project would swap an aging 4-inch cast-iron line for an 8-inch PVC main. Water/Wastewater Supervisor Adam Snuffer said the area has seen four leaks since the beginning of July.

Construction is estimated at $445,000, plus an optional $70,000 to bore beneath Oklahoma Avenue at Hillcrest and connect a dead-end main. That work would be proposed for fiscal 2027-28 and would need separate council approval.

The engineering wasn’t budgeted, but other available funds should cover it, Harline said.

The city is also keeping a closer eye on its utility finances. The council authorized a six-month, $5,400 subscription to Waterworth software, which will let the city project revenue and expenses, weigh the timing of new debt and plan for minimum cash reserves.

The prorated price is half the $10,800 annual cost and includes training and support, said Chief Financial Officer and Comptroller Harry Belvel. The water department budget will cover it.

That reserve planning matters. The water department’s cash sits below the city’s preferred cushion, with a required minimum reserve of $2,285,501 compared with $2,025,880.61 in unrestricted cash and investments as of Sept. 30.

Harline said this year’s 2% water rate increase, combined with better forecasting, could help the department rebuild its reserves.

The council meets next at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, at City Hall.

“We have not begun to develop the Nov. 9 agenda, but I do anticipate some of the master agreements for on-call engineering will be ready for approval,” Harline said.

Those agreements wouldn’t cost the city anything up front.

“These will have no immediate cost, but will give us firms to call on for small immediate projects and a short list for moderate-size projects under $5 million,” Harline said.

Homeowners dealing with sewer troubles may also get some help. Harline said the council could see measures to restart two assistance programs.

“We may have an ordinance change and a policy document to reestablish our sanitary sewer backflow prevention program and the sewer separation program,” Harline said. “We budget about $30,000 a year for that kind of assistance.”

Beyond the council table, the city is pushing ahead on two separate efforts to clear out rundown houses.

“The city has two demolition programs,” Harline said. “One is partially CDBG-funded and involves 24 single-family houses. The other is funded by city and property owners.”

The city-funded program is moving first.

“We have seven slated for demolition in the city program. We may see mobilization as soon as this week on up to five of the seven,” Harline said in late October. “The city program has completed all asbestos inspections and remediation in one structure.”

The council awarded Truitt Dirt Work the $48,750 contract for that work in August, according to council minutes.

The larger, grant-backed project will take longer. Before any of those 24 houses come down, the city must finish environmental reviews and asbestos removal.

“On the CDBG project, we have completed the required notification of the Native American tribes and we should be able to close out the environmental study soon,” Harline said. “Then we will work with the Green Hills RPC to do asbestos removal and finally we can select the firm for demolition and begin demolition, probably in early spring.”

Residents will soon get a chance to weigh in on the city’s future, too. The next stage of Trenton’s strategic plan is a public survey.

“We will advertise widely to be taken online or on a hard copy,” Harline said. “We hope to get a broad representation of the community to take the survey.”

The timeline is tight.

“We plan to have it out the first week of November and be completed before Thanksgiving,” Harline said.