SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint City Council adopted a budget of $92 million for Fiscal Year 2027. The budget, which is the largest adopted in the city’s history, intends to fund a wastewater treatment plant, the city's current highest capital priority.

Mayor Jeremy Grimm said the budget represents a concerted investment in the city’s infrastructure, as it digs out a backlog of deferred maintenance. 

The city’s wastewater treatment plant committed six discharge violations in 2024, according to an annual report by the Idaho Conservation League, performed slightly worse than in 2023.  

For this reason, Grimm said the plant has remained a top priority as he said it continues to degrade. 

“This budget reflects a philosophy that has guided this administration from the beginning: we must take care of what we already have. Roads, sidewalks, parks, public buildings, public safety equipment, water systems, and wastewater infrastructure are the foundation upon which our quality of life and local economy depend,” Grimm said in a letter addressing the 2027 budget. 

Last fall, voters approved the $130 million Wastewater Treatment Plant Bond with nearly 89 percent support, making this fiscal year the transition from planning and financing to final design and construction initiation for replacement of Sandpoint's aging wastewater treatment facility, Grimm said in the letter. 

However, with no federal support, the city is seeking construction options that would significantly reduce the cost of the plant while still meeting wastewater production standards. 

“It’s super frustrating to be in a position where, all of a sudden, the federal government is basically saying we don’t have money to support wastewater plant replacement,” said Grimm. “What we’re doing right now is just scrambling to try to redesign it, to try to find creative ways to reengineer it that will reduce the cost.” 

One alternative option brought forth to the council that meets both requirements is wet weather treatment, a system that would reduce the cost by $10 million, while still treating and disinfecting water without a full treatment process. 

Following through with that alternative option would require Keller Associates to revise and resubmit the preliminary engineering report to DEQ to include the wet water treatment process. 

The council unanimously voted to approve a PER resubmittal that would make amendments to include addressing additional design efforts like conventional activated sludge and a membrane bioreactor, wet weather treatment options and solids handling alternatives. 

Keller Associates engineer Kyle Meschko expressed confidence in the project's progress and partnership with the Department of Environmental Quality. 

“Discussions with DEQ regarding the permitting have gone unlike probably most discussions I’ve had with DEQ,” said Meschko. “They’re very at the table wanting to make this work and recognize the challenges we have as a community for a project of this cost.” 

Meschko said that, due to the project’s urgency, there have been discussions about moving its permit approval ahead of others to begin the design process. 

Moving forward, the council intends to provide transparency and clarification for future projects to the public through educational materials.