Watertown City Hall publishes a lot, but it's spread across council agendas, minutes posted days later and a meeting video on Rumble. This is the short version: what the Council heard, what's coming up, and what's open for local businesses. Every item links to the city's own document.
Covers: the Nov. 9 City Council work session (minutes, agenda, video) and the city's meeting calendar through Dec. 1. Work sessions are for discussion; no votes were taken.**
Coming up
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 16, 7 p.m. | City Council meeting. Staff said to expect the water plant engineering amendment, a reservoir repair resolution and a decision on the veterans and senior tax exemptions (see below) | Council Chambers, City Hall, 245 Washington St. Streamed on Rumble |
| Mon., Nov. 16; Tue., Nov. 17; Thu., Nov. 19 | Mayor Pierce's community office hours. Police Chief Cristin Lyon joins on the 17th and 19th. Times and place by press release | TBA |
| Wed., Nov. 18, 7 p.m. | Zoning Board of Appeals | Council Chambers |
| Thu., Nov. 19, 11 a.m. | Proposals due, RFP #2026-12 Legal Services (see below) | Purchasing, Room 206 |
| Tue., Dec. 1, 5:15 p.m. | Planning Commission. Also the deadline to file property tax exemption applications | Council Chambers / Assessor's Office |
The Nov. 3 Planning Commission meeting was cancelled "due to recent unforeseen circumstances." Its three requests move to Dec. 1, all in Neighborhood Mixed Use zones (agenda):
- an amended permit for State CS Employees Federal Credit Union to use 1655 State St. as an office
- an auto repair shop at 1543 State St. (Expert Properties, LLC)
- an office at 527 Coffeen St. (First Choice Real Estate, LLC)
The golf course: a five-year lease is on the table
The only bidder to run Thompson Park Golf Course presented in person. Andrea Doane, a Watertown CPA and former owner of the Rustic Golf Club on Pillar Point, came with her son Sean; her daughter Erica joined by phone to talk about the restaurant.
- Rent: $3,000 a month, plus 3% of any revenue above last year's. She is "still sticking with" the $3,000 (video, 0:41:17).
- Term: her written proposal covers one season, but "I would prefer a five-year lease," she told the Council. One year was meant to learn the course's customers first.
- Resident rates would stay where they are. She would lease gas carts, keep a maintenance schedule and report rounds and finances monthly.
- Restaurant: "Mulligan's at the Park," with tournaments, holiday events and Friday nights. She asked for a signed lease by mid-January, because liquor license and food permit applications can take months.
- Her concerns: the irrigation system ("quite pricey to fix"), and whether the clubhouse would pass a health inspection.
Council Member Shoen said a one-year lease gives a tenant too little reason to keep up the improvements staff have made; Council Member Garrabrant agreed a longer lease would bring stability. Council Member Kimball disclosed that Ms. Doane's accounting firm has prepared his taxes and said it would not affect his view. Next: a staff team, with the City Attorney and a Council member, will negotiate and bring terms back to the Council. Any lease still needs state approval.
Vacant city land: an auction as early as January
Planning Director Michael Lumbis presented the first full review of city-owned property since 2022. The city owns more than 220 parcels (the minutes record 224; the presentation said 244), and staff sorted every one. Most must stay with the city: parks and playgrounds, parking, sewer and drainage land, slivers of street right-of-way. The rest:
| What happens | Parcels |
|---|---|
| Sell at auction | 26 |
| Sell by proposal (includes two houses, Sewall's Island and infill lots) | 16 |
| Offer to the neighbor next door | 6 |
| Demolish | 3: 3 Flower Ave. E. and 405 Arsenal St. (underway), 850 Superior St. (next year) |
Next: one more staff review, then a Council resolution declaring the parcels surplus. After several weeks of legal notices, the earliest auction would be mid-to-late January. Staff plans to review new city acquisitions every six to eight months from now on.
Where the sale happens: the auction is run by City Comptroller James Mills. The last one, in May 2022, was a live public auction in the Council Chambers at City Hall, with a brochure listing every parcel (city auction page). The list for this round isn't public yet; it should come with the Council resolution. Comptroller's office: (315) 785-7754.
Council pushed to sell more. Shoen said some parcels have been held for decades and buildable lots should go to auction; Garrabrant asked for a time limit on "by proposal" listings before they go to auction, and for the properties to be showcased; Mayor Pierce wants them promoted on social media.
The water plant project gets smaller, and a rate estimate
The city's project to cut disinfection by-products at the water plant is being split in two. GHD's Kevin Castro said by-product levels have dropped significantly since 2022, so the city can build the essentials first.
- Phase 1: about $45 million. Raw water pump station expansion and a new pretreatment building. Plans go to the state in March 2027; construction is expected to start that summer.
- Phase 2: about $27 million (ozone and filter upgrades). A backup, built only if by-product levels require it. The minutes put its earliest start in 2030.
- Funding: state grants are split by phase, so about $6.7 million of grant money would only come if Phase 2 is built. Phase 1 also gets $14 million in interest-free financing and a $1 million federal grant.
- What it could mean for rates: GHD's preliminary estimate is about 90 cents more per 100 cubic feet, on top of the roughly $3.28 it costs now to produce that water: about 27%. Comptroller James Mills's own analysis came to about 25%.
Engineering Amendment No. 8, covering the redesign and construction services, is expected at Monday's meeting. Water Superintendent Aaron Harvill also expects a resolution then for the first phase of the reservoir repair (relining, about a 10-year fix), and said the city is preparing for 2027 state funding for the settled water line and a lead service line engineering report.
The hydro plant: the power contract worries the Council
The city's power sales agreement with National Grid ends in 2030, and the consultants called it lucrative. Garrabrant called it his main concern; Osborne asked staff to include alternatives, including "the market for leasing it or potentially selling it" (video, 0:33:41). The plant's federal license runs to 2035.
Also worth knowing
- School tax bills: the City Manager publicly apologized for a city system error that printed higher late-payment amounts on school tax bills. "That's on us and we made a mistake." The city is working with the school district to clean it up.
- Veterans and senior tax exemptions: staff handed out a report on what the proposed exemption changes would do to the tax rate. A resolution is expected Monday.
Open for local businesses
Open now: RFP #2026-12, Legal Services (Extreme Risk Protection Orders and police codes), due Thursday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. The city lists its open bids on its Bids page. Specifications are on the city's EvoBid portal (free vendor account required).
Purchasing contact: Tina Bartlett-Bearup, (315) 785-7749, [email protected].
Disclosure: Watertown Business Advisory is a registered City of Watertown vendor. We don't cover solicitations we bid on or contracts we hold.
Sources: City of Watertown, Nov. 9, 2026 work session minutes, video, Nov. 3 Planning Commission agenda and meeting calendar. Quotes are from the video; who said what is from the official minutes.