Common Council 10.28.26

The City of Lawrence Common Council meeting, listed as October 28, 2026 (meeting metadata: October 29), considered utility rate and capital-financing proposals. For Proposal 10, Baker Tilly described a sewer rate study driven by rising Citizens Energy Group treatment charges and roughly $60 million in EPA-mandated sewer work to address chronic sanitary sewer overflows. The estimate assumes 20-year financing at 4%, with borrowing anticipated around 2027–2028 and about $2 million in additional annual revenue phased in over several years. Overflow storage tanks are the selected preliminary approach for problem areas near 46th Street and Post Road and 71st Street and Oaklandon Road. The committee recommended Proposal 10 for full-council consideration by a 5–0 vote. Financing options discussed included the Indiana Finance Authority’s SRF program, the Indiana Bond Bank, and open-market borrowing; final terms and rates remain undetermined.

The meeting also considered reducing the annual private-fire-hydrant fee from about $1,167 to $590 per hydrant; the committee moved to recommend the change to the full council, and a member requested the supporting study. Proposal 12 would authorize revenue bonds for sewer improvements, but the transcript does not capture a clear vote result. Proposal 13 addressed waterworks improvements, including a replacement well at the Fort Harrison water treatment plant, completion of water-main work in Brook Haven, and an already-awarded project near 46th Street between Post Road and Midhoffer Road. The committee recommended Proposal 13 for full-council consideration by a 5–0 vote.