City dips into water rebates, park plans in ’19

Progress in the city of Brandon was widespread in 2019, ranging from redesigning the city website to addressing major water infrastructure needs. Here’s a rundown of what the city accomplished over the past 12 months:

• Brandon’s Water Vision 2070 study was completed by AE2S. Recommendations from the study included relying on the current well water sources rather than pursue alternative suppliers like Minnehaha Rural Water Corp., developing more wells in the Big Sioux and Splitrock aquifers and pursuing more stringent options for treating the city’s water to lower radium and hardness.

• After months of planning, meetings with 660 residents and gathering ideas on more than 4,000 sticky notes, the Empower Brandon group hosted its first community meeting in late April at the high school.

The strategic planning initiative involves forming committees, sharing ideas for improvements and working to make those changes. About a dozen committees were born out of the gathering, and those committees have continued to meet monthly. Brandon’s two-year contract with Dakota Resources continues in 2020. 

• The intersection at Holly and Sioux boulevards closed Aug. 12 for five weeks for total reconstruction, with traffic detoured to Madison Street and Highway 11. Water, sewer and storm sewer infrastructure was upgraded. 

• The city addressed water quality by replacing the media filter at its treatment plant. Brandon also began developing well 8 to ensure redundancy in its water system. 

• Residents began seeing “Water Smarter” throughout the community. The volunteer-led water conservation committee also helped establish a rebate program for water conservation items like rain barrels and sensors. 

During the initial year of the Water Smarter incentive program, the city provided nearly $4,000 in rebates to Brandon utilities customers who purchased weather-based irrigation controllers, irrigation system rain sensors, programmable irrigation timers and rain barrels.

• The April 9 mayoral election reinstated Mayor Paul Lundberg in office and marked Brandon’s highest voter turnout in six years. Turnout reached 20.2 percent, with 1,451 out of 7,170 registered voters casting ballots. Lundberg overwhelmingly defeated challenger Tim Wakefield. 

• The city of Brandon revamped its utility bills to include a water consumption graph for each customer.

The graph, according to finance officer Christina Smith, helps customers not only monitor their usage from month to month, but also help pinpoint a potential leak.

• Brandon welcomed its new police chief, Joe Weir, a 35-year veteran of law enforcement in the state of Iowa and the FBI. The police department also welcomed three new officers to the staff – Dan Francis, Zach Kieffer and Andrew Nygaard.

• The city of Brandon approved an ordinance permitting residents to keep six or fewer backyard chickens.

• In Valley Springs, City Hall welcomed new finance officer Linda Hunnel in June. The city of Valley Springs also embarked on a hefty water infrastructure project that will likely lead to future higher water and sewer bills for residents. The city applied for state aid for a $3.38 million project to replace water and sewer mains along Cliff Avenue, Valley Drive and Dunham Drive, which is planned for 2021.