LANDIS — During the Landis Board of Alderman meeting, town officials approved the acceptance of state funding for the South Rowan High School water line project.

The move was a formality to officially move forward with $2.5 million that was included in state appropriations to loop the water line that connects South Rowan to the Landis water lines.

“South Rowan is so far out of our (water) district,” Town Manager Michael Ambrose said. “It’s one single line that runs water out to South Rowan High School. That line is not looped back into our system.”

Ambrose indicated that in order to make sure chlorine in the system maintains a safe level, Landis is forced to dump water to flush the lines every morning for about an hour.

“The town incurs that cost of dumping that water each day, and this funding will allow us to loop the line back into the system so that it can stay fresh by keeping the water flowing,” Ambrose said.

Water is pumped through the line at a rate of 500 gallons a minute, so running it for an hour equates to 30,000 gallons dumped each day.

“We are footing the bill for that,” Ambrose said. “That is where my problem has been. That is not billable to anyone except the town.”

Having accepted the funding, town officials can now move the project to the bid application phase.

In other Landis news, the board of aldermen voted to reduce the speed limit on South Kimmons Street from 35 mph to 25 mph.

Mayor Meredith Smith said that two residents called and requested four-way stop signs instead of a speed limit decrease.

Mayor Pro Tem Ashley Stewart said that he hopes the move “will slow down the excessive driving” and, along with an “increased police presence,” prevent possible future incidents on South Kimmons Street.

Stewart made the motion to reduce the speed limit, which Alderman Darrell Overcash seconded. It then passed unanimously.

Landis officials also approved a new contract with the Harris Local Government Smart Fusion financial and utility billing software Contract.

In a memo to the board, Ambrose explained that Landis paid approximately $32,000 last year in the contract and was expected to pay $35,000 this year to continue services. The negotiated version of the new contract will only cost $27,500 a year for the next five years, beginning Dec. 1.