The town has announced plans to apply for a grant to allow them to construct a wastewater plant at a cost of roughly $200,000. The town had previously budgeted the required match for the grant: 10 percent of the total cost, coming out to $20,000. Unfortunately for Monterey, Origer said OCRA overhauled their programs and they now require a higher local match, and the town is now asking for the county to pitch in.
Origer said the Nature Conservancy has committed $10,000 to the project because of the effect they believe it will have on cutting down on the number of pollutants being expelled into the river, and the town is now hoping the county will match that generosity.
Origer said the town does not want to raise their rates to fund the project, because they don’t have enough rate payers to make up that gap without hiking rates to the tune of at least $7 per month. He requested the council commit the $10,000 for the project, and said they don’t need to have the money right now; it can wait, he said, until the town is notified whether or not they received the grant.
The council approved a motion to commit $10,000 to the Monterey wastewater grant project, pending receipt of the grant. Origer said they should know in late July or early August whether or not the city will receive the grant.
