At the Wednesday, Jan. 21 regular meeting of the Solon City Council, Solon Public Works Superintendent Dave Richards opened the city’s departmental updates by describing the challenges posed by recent sub-zero temperatures, which caused frozen equipment and other sampling issues at the sewer plant.
“Below-zero weather and water don’t work well together. My samplers are all frozen,” Richards said.
Weather conditions are expected to remain below freezing for the rest of the month, so progress may continue to be stalled until temperatures increase.
Additional city updates included plans for First Street water tower maintenance and progress on City Hall renovations, which remain on hold as the project managers wait for a delayed door shipment needed to finish inside improvements.
“We’re waiting on the doors. It’s a standstill right now,” Richards said. “Hopefully next week those get installed and then really get rolling on the rest of that stuff.”
Richards added that the city is using the pause in construction to reorganize long-stored equipment and prepare other maintenance projects for the spring construction season.
City Engineer Dave Schechinger said the city is coordinating with regional partners on upcoming roadway improvements tied to long-term traffic flow and development planning. He told council members that staff recently held a roadway coordination meeting to align design concepts, construction timing and infrastructure needs across multiple projects.
“Next meeting we’ll go over the layout, schedule and other project issues,” Schechinger said.
Schechinger added that the planning work is meant to avoid overlapping construction disruptions and ensure that road upgrades align with future utility work, including sewer and water system expansions.
Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan joined the meeting remotely and reported on county budget planning and jail discussions.
“We’re engaged in budget discussions right now,” Sullivan said. “We’re working on a plan for a jail for a fall vote.”
Sullivan confirmed the project would be county-led after talks with Iowa City stalled.
“It would be County alone. Talks with Iowa City didn’t work out,” he said.
One of the night’s longest discussions centered on a development concept for the Krafka family property along Highway 382. City staff reviewed the site’s history, including the 2017 relocation of a home from Main Street to the property.
“This was part of a planned Old Mill Creek expansion that never happened,” Solon City Administrator Cami Rasmussen said.
Engineer John Marner, representing the Krafka family, says that the family’s intent is to create one lot on the property. City staff and council raised concerns about long-term infrastructure planning and subdivision rules.
Rasmussen was concerned about having a large undeveloped lot in the city, and Schechinger questioned whether the council would agree to having a site that might not ever become developed, as well as if subdivision requirements would be fulfilled.
Marner pushed back, citing the city’s zoning code language.
“The zoning code sets a minimum lot size, not a maximum,” he said.
After extensive discussion, council members reached a consensus to allow the application to proceed with waivers and an access easement and sent the concept to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further review.
The major discussion of the night focused on Solon’s proposed $36 million wastewater treatment facility and what it could mean for residents’ monthly bills. Northland Securities financial advisor Heidi Pape presented a long-term debt overview and funding strategy, explaining that although Solon is well within its legal debt limit, current sewer revenues fall short of what would be needed to fund the project.
“The city is in very good shape,” Pape said. “But current sewer rates can’t cover that level of payment yet.”
Pape outlined a financial plan that would cost around $4.5 million in city cash reserves and local option sales tax revenue, bringing the total amount borrowed by the city to roughly $31.5 million. The city is also pursuing a low-interest loan through Iowa’s State Revolving Fund program.
“The lowest-cost financing is through the [State Revolving Fund] program at about 3.25 percent for 20 years,” she said.
Even with the proposed funding plan, city officials said rate increases will be needed to make the project financially possible. One proposed change would be to lower the base usage threshold from 1,500 gallons to 1,000 gallons per month, which would shift more of the system’s fixed costs to higher-volume users.
Council members expressed concern over projections showing a possible $60 increase in monthly sewer bills for some households, describing the potential impact as substantial for residents. While acknowledging that the wastewater project is unavoidable, several members said Solon must carefully balance infrastructure needs with affordable rates for residents.
City officials stressed that no final decisions on sewer rate increases have been officially made and that the figures Pape presented were early estimates up for discussion. City officials also said public input on the sewer rate increases will be crucial as the plan progresses.
The council unanimously voted to approve Northland Securities as the underwriter for the wastewater treatment facility bond process, an agreement that allows the city to continue working on its financial plan.
In another infrastructure-related discussion, council members approved emergency repairs to a failing sewer manhole and pipeline section near North Market Square, a project estimated to cost around $23,000.
“It’s a good time to address these issues while Highway 1 traffic control is already in place,” Schechinger said.
Richards also emphasized the safety concerns regarding the aging infrastructure.
“That manhole is in very poor shape. It’s a safety issue if someone has to go down there,” Richards said.
Committee updates included progress on a downtown expansion request for proposals (RFP) and early planning for a future community center.
“We’re working on the RFP. It took a backseat during the budget process,” Rasmussen said.
The meeting concluded with a working session on the fiscal year 2027 budget, during which council members reviewed sewer rate options, equipment purchases, IT upgrades, fleet management software, and plans to update the city’s comprehensive plan.
Sewer rates and the wastewater treatment project will likely remain the primary focus of upcoming budget workshops, with the goal of balancing long-term infrastructure needs against affordability for Solon residents.