Lewiston City Council delays funding decision for local agencies

The Lewiston City Council on Monday night postponed a vote on how much money to provide to four agencies until it can collect more information.

The entities hoping to continue receiving city funds — Valley Vision, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Lewis Clark Valley, Lewiston Civic Theater and Beautiful Downtown Lewiston — all had people testify on their behalf during the meeting at the Lewiston City Library.

But it wasn’t a clearcut decision for the council. Those four agencies had previously received a total of $118,000 from the city, but only $88,000 had been earmarked for these service agreements in the 2025 fiscal year budget.

City Attorney Jennifer Tengono told the council it could dole out the $88,000 to the four agencies as it saw fit, or dip into its council contingency fund to bring the contributions up to their historic amounts. Treasurer Aimee Gordon said that fund has $50,000 that is unallocated.

Councilor John Spickelmire and Council President Jim Kleeburg both indicated they preferred funding the agencies the full amount.

“I personally would rather fund them all (the historic amount),” Spickelmire said. “I’m not sure — I guess this one went by me in the budget talks — why they got reduced $30,000.”

Mayor Dan Johnson and Councilor Hannah Liedkie weren’t at the meeting. Tengono suggested the councilors could postpone their decision until Johnson is able to provide more background about the budget reduction, and they ultimately took that option. The vote will be held at a special meeting that wasn’t immediately scheduled.

Previously, Valley Vision received $40,000; the Boys and Girls Club got $18,000; and the Lewiston Civic Theater and Beautiful Downtown Lewiston each received $30,000.

In other business:

The council approved the purchase of a mower, a change order in downtown sewer work and a resolution that amends the city’s parking rules.

The mower that will be purchased is a Toro Groundmaster 5910 that can mow a 16-foot-wide swath in one pass. The quoted price was almost $159,000, but the council approved nearly $167,000 because delivery of the mower could take as much as nine months and the price could go up, according to meeting documents.

The new mower will replace a model bought in 2014 that is at “the end of its life,” said Roben Braun, fleet maintenance manager.

“We have been setting funds aside to take care of this,” he added.

The sewer line change order approves nearly $280,000 for work done by M.L. Albright & Sons while constructing a bypass line from 12th Street to the Levee Bypass.

The contractor encountered “large rock bore obstructions” that had to be removed by hand; had to rent equipment to pump sewage around a section of the pipe it was working on; encountered difficulty dealing with the “extremely thick” concrete around the main pipe; and had to excavate, remove and backfill an abandoned fuel oil tank under the sidewalk.

The work done will eventually allow the city to construct a new sewer line near the Levee Bypass, meaning it won’t have to dig up Main Street to replace the old line, said Dustin Johnson, Public Works director.

Getting the new line installed is “not in next year’s budget,” Johnson said after the meeting. “I’m hoping, pushing for it in the ‘26 budget.”

The parking restrictions approved make it a rule that no vehicles, other than “city-marked vehicles,” may by parked in municipal lots between the hours of 2:30-5 a.m. The measure also restricts a lot near the Lewiston Police Department for employees only, and a lot near City Hall for only employees and those doing business at City Hall.

The resolution also gives police the authority to have vehicles towed or impound if they are in violation of the rules.

An ordinance that would codify the city’s efforts to identify all water pipes approved for potable use got its first reading Monday night.

The city is trying to comply with a 2021 executive order from President Joe Biden that aims to address lead in drinking water. Dustin Johnson said he believes there are few lead pipes in use in Lewiston, but the federal order means all of the city’s water pipes must be investigated and identified safe for drinking water.

“There’s just no history of led pipes in Lewiston,” Johnson said. “But you have to demonstrate that.”

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2251. Follow him on Twitter @MattBaney_Trib.