The Helper City Council has decided to pursue a $2.1 million, zero interest loan from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to help finance the rest of the city’s infrastructure project.
The city-wide rebuilding of deteriorating water, sewer and storm drainage systems consistently been more expensive than estimated, leading to a shortage of funds to complete work on Main Street and the east side of town.
The loan will probably not be enough to cover the full expense of completion. However, Mayor Ed Chavez suggested that the chances of getting additional grant money elsewhere would improve if the city committed to the loan.
Sewer rates would likely have to increase to cover the additional expense of loan payments, councilman Gary Harwood advised.
“We don’t want to see rates go up. We all live here and it’s coming out of our pockets, too,” commented councilman Robert Bradley.
Councilman Chris Pugliese, the lone dissenting vote, disagreed with accepting a loan without other funding certain. “Basically we’re rolling dice,” he said. “If we don’t get the other money, rates will go up anyway and then we’d be stuck.”
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