Mercer Island City Council approved an agenda bill on Feb. 1 to appropriate $110,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for its geographic information services (GIS) utility network data upgrade.
The bill, which was given the thumbs up on council’s consent agenda, earmarks the funds for a priority project that will convert and upgrade the design for the water, sewer and stormwater utility networks in the services’ database to match recent upgrades to the city’s services system.
The upgrade, which is also a vital operation to support the city’s work order system — CityWorks — will next need an upgrade in about five to 10 years. A GIS consultant will assist on the project, which is planned to be finished by the second quarter of 2023.
“The City Council directed staff to accelerate the specified capital utility projects and return in the second quarter of 2022 to discuss project sequencing, refine cost estimates, and funding options including the use of ARPA funds,” according to the bill information packet. ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus package to provide aid to cities as a result of the pandemic.
At its Oct. 19, 2021 meeting, council voted in favor of allocating $1,171,500 of ARPA funds to address immediate operational needs within the organization, including sewer and water projects. The city was allocated $7.23 million in ARPA funds, receiving $3.62 million in June 2021 and expecting the second half of the funds in June 2022.
During the October meeting, City Manager Jessi Bon discussed how the city could map out its projects schedules.
“With ARPA funding, combined with our capital dollars and the potential for federal grant funding, we have the capability to put several of these together into single-bid packages, which would ultimately be more efficient,” she said.
The city council has thus far committed $1,862,500 of the city’s currently available $3.62 million in ARPA funds to the following areas for the budget years of 2021-22: $25,000 for personal protective equipment supplies for pandemic response; $250,000 for phase one of City Hall upgrades; $80,000 for legal services specific to the pandemic response; $102,000 for a senior management analyst, and administration of the ARPA grant program; $416,000 for staffing to restart recreation programs; and $990,000 for a transfer to the Youth and Family Services Fund to address social, emotional and mental health needs during the pandemic.
Council’s consent agenda for its Feb. 15 meeting was scheduled to include an ARPA fund utility update and appropriation request for $799,000 to commence design work of the First Hill Booster Pump Station Generator Replacement, Sewer Pipe Replacements and Upsizing, and Pressure Reducing Valve Station Replacement projects.
