The Rapid City City Legal and Finance Committee is recommending the addition of another $50 million dollars to the city’s 2025 budget. The request is to cover several expenses, most notably costs tied to the ongoing water reclamation facility project. Finance Director Daniel Ainslie explained that more than half of the additional funds would be directed toward improvements at the south plant of the water reclamation facility.
The $207 million project—the largest infrastructure effort in Rapid City’s history—has been underway since the summer of 2024. With the current facility outdated, new treatment systems are being constructed at the South Side Drive campus east of town.
Ainslie noted that construction is moving faster than anticipated when the 2025 budget was adopted nearly 18 months ago. As a result, some bills originally expected in 2026 will now come due in 2025.
Currently, the city does not have the budget authority to make those payments. The City Council is expected to consider the request at tonight’s meeting.
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