Water purchases and improvements drench council

The Pine Bluffs council had an agenda heavy with invoices to approve Monday evening at their regular meeting.

But it wasn't the invoices and the decrease in the budget that concerned the council. Mayor Bill Shain told the council the Wyoming Water Development Commission staff was not recommending the land and well water purchase the Town of Pine Bluffs was planning.

"It might just be a political play by the director," explained Shain. "And we have had proposals approved without staff recommendation before, such as well number nine. The statute and everything else points to them approving this purchase to help shore-up our water shortage."

Shain told the council Chris Lidstone and himself would be testifying in front of the commission Thursday in Casper at the commission's meeting.

In other business, the council approved all the invoices on their agenda, including six invoices to Lidstone and Associates for the lagoon project, the lift station project, the due diligence work on the Kimzey land purchase, the water distribution project, the loop project, and general engineering.

The council also approved the field order for the water distribution project upon Department of Environmental Quality approval. The field order does not add any additional expense to the project, but will replace 300 feet of pipe not originally in the project.

The council adjourned into executive session to discuss personnel issues. The agenda item that Shain elected to move to executive session was to discuss employee compensation policies.

The next meeting will be Monday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.