Sun Prairie’s Common Council voted 8–0 last Tuesday in favor of moving up the first phase of a new project at the Sun Prairie Wastewater Treatment Facility from 2025 to 2024, The Star reports. Plans include a biosolid treatment program that would utilize solid waste coming through the facility, giving the city the option to repurpose it and generate revenue rather than pay for its disposal.
The approved budget amendment allowing for phase one comes with a price tag of $4.58 million — including $1.58 million for engineering and design boats and around $3 million for initial construction — to be added to this year’s expenditures.
Alders contend that moving the expense up a year — a simple technicality— will save the city millions over time. If the project were delayed, it could reportedly cost another $20 million due to pending U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Build America, Buy America requirements.
Phases one and two together have an estimated cost of $66 million — $3.2 million of which the city has already secured via a federal grant, along with on-hand reserve funds of up to $7 million. Sun Prairie can therefore pay for phase one out of pocket, without any borrowing or additional taxpayer burden. The city can also potentially benefit from another $8 million for the biosolids project through an Inflation Reduction Act rebate.
