Albany City Council was due to hold its regular monthly meeting last Tuesday, August 4 at city hall. However, the meeting was cancelled when only three members–one shy to constitute a legal quorum–was able to attend.

The council will hold a special call meeting to conduct the business that was on the agenda this coming Thursday, August 13 at city hall, also at 5 p.m. the meeting is open to the public.

Among items on the agenda for Thursday’s call meeting will be setting the upcoming year’s city tax rates and declaring a vehicle as surplus property, as well as other possible items of business.

Although there was no official meeting last Tuesday, the three members in attendance–Brad Thrasher, Frankie Stockton and Tony Delk–received a copy of the monthly “Albany Project Status” delivered by Monarch Engineers.

That report included some additional information pertaining to the city’s next major water line project, that being extending a 12 inch water line along the Albany Bypass from the Perry Hay farm south to the Hwy. 738 (Wolf River Dock) intersection to the north.

The $1.9 project is expected to be financed through a combination of grants and low interest loans. An application for funding is being developed that would utilize the grant and low interest loan programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program.

The USDA has already notified the city that it is eligible for funding and have requested a Summary Addendum and that a meeting between the city and USDA take place to discuss the aspects of the project, particularly the conditions that will be related to the financing of the project.

The Summary Addendum requested by USDA, according to the project status report, was submitted to USDA on July 24.

The project, counting obtaining funds and work, is expected to take about a year and a half to complete.

The next regular meeting of Albany City Council, following the call meeting Thursday, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1 at 5 p.m. at city hall and is open to the public.