BRIC Flood Grant Assistance

At a glance

What: Contract with Wheeler Emergency Management Consulting, LLC for up to $200,000.00 to help the Sewer Department reapply for a BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant for the Mero project.
Where it stands: Approved on consent August 24, 2026, 5-0. The contract is not budgeted in FY26-27.
Next: The Department does not expect to move forward until FEMA reimbursement from the April 2025 flood event is received; fees are eligible for FEMA reimbursement upon award.
Freshness: Possibly stale: the newest information here is from August 2026. Later Board agendas (Sep 28, Oct 12) were image-only and were not read, so any later action is not reflected.

The Department was awarded about $10 million in the 2020-2021 BRIC cycle and received a $1,165,258.57 Phase 1 (design) agreement on March 10, 2023; all of it has been received and the project is in permitting.
The federal BRIC program was cancelled in April 2025; a court decision on March 6, 2026 lets recipients resume funding or reapply.
Construction is now estimated at $30,000,000. The Department intends to reapply for $20 million rather than continue with the remaining $8.9 million, and to seek State Revolving Loan Funds for the rest in a later year.
Wheeler was the only firm to respond to the April 5, 2026 solicitation. Pre-application takes about 3 weeks and the full application another 6 to 8, so the Department wants Wheeler available for any BRIC application over five years. It decided not to pursue BRIC in the 2026-2027 cycle.
Consent calendar moved by Commissioner Unger, seconded by Commissioner Smith-Willis; all five members present voted yes (Commissioners Richardson, Unger, May, Smith-Willis and Mayor Wilkerson), none against.

Wheeler contract ($200,000.00) approved on consent, 5-0.