04. Bliss Project and Funding Update1
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: October 30, 2024, City Council Meeting
To: Committee Members
From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator
Re: Bliss Project and Funding Update
______________________________________________________________________________
As you may know, the Legislature failed to pass a bonding bill in 2024. Our project was slated
to be funded through the Senate and House Capital Investment Committees Bonding Bill. This
would have been a $1.6 million grant from the State for improvements to the Bliss System. We
are reapplying to each Committee for funding in 2025. I am presenting to the Senate Capital
Investment Committee on Tuesday, October 29, to update them on the status of our project and
explain how the delay in funding has affected the City.
We are still in line for Public Facilities Funding. We are currently ranked 187 on the MPCA
Project Priority List. This funding is an 80% grant. We have already been awarded a 20% low-
interest loan if this grant is awarded to make up the difference.
The City has applied to the MPCA for an extension on the deadline for the system upgrade. We
argued that since the legislature could not pass a bonding bill, the resulting delay in funding has
delayed our project due to circumstances out of our control. We anticipate a favorable response
from the MPCA.