Fort Madison is trying to organize and prioritize its future infrastructure needs.
City Manager Byron Smith says the city has not had a capital improvement plan since he arrived in January 2009. He says city staff has been working on a five-year forecast for the last six months.
Smith says the wide-ranging document will cover a variety of projects, including streets, water lines, sewer projects, vehicles, and large-scale equipment.
The five-year capital improvement plan would include cost estimates and potential revenue sources for the projects.
The Fort Madison City Council has reviewed the document. A public hearing is required, though, before it can be formally adopted.
The hearing is tentatively scheduled for July 3.
Fort Madison has also been working on an annexation plan and a long-range plan based on past goal setting sessions.
USER RATES
The Fort Madison City Council is moving ahead with a 25% increase in its sewer rates. The additional revenue will be used for sewer separation and improvements to the wastewater treatement plant.
At the same time, a 4% decrease in the water rate is also under consideration. The reduction is possible because of the favorable price of Fort Madison's new water treatment plant.
Both measures have been approved twice, with a third reading still required.
