Bethel would move sand shed money to road salt and water plant engineering

Money set aside to fix up Bethel's sand shed would be redirected to road salt and water-plant engineering under two budget changes going to a public hearing Tuesday at City Hall.

The Bethel City Council will take comment on the changes, both sponsored by the city manager and introduced at the council's Aug. 11 meeting.

About $55,000 would move out of the sand shed rehabilitation project. Of that, $40,000 would go toward buying road salt, a purchase the city ties to its decision to keep storing sand outdoors, and $15,000 would cover Bethel's share of a preliminary engineering report for the Bethel Heights Water Treatment Plant. A separate $55,000 salt purchase for city streets and roads was also on the Aug. 11 agenda.

Alaska News previously covered the council's July action on roughly $3.38 million in State Revolving Fund loan applications for water projects, nearly all of it forgiven after disbursement. That funding includes design of a storage tank and pumphouse that would begin piping water to households that now haul it.

City finances are also under pressure from the state. Bethel City Manager Lori Strickland told the Alaska State Senate Finance Committee in April that an increase in the employer retirement contribution rate "makes it difficult for all municipalities" to plan for the long term, adding that the change landed while cities were working through their annual budgets and labor contracts.

Residents have two ways to weigh in: written comment submitted through the city's website 24 hours before the meeting, or speaking at the meeting, where each person gets five minutes.