Tuttle, North Dakota
Written by Nikki Rogers, EFC Region 8 Category 2 Specialist.
Tuttle is a city in Kidder County, North Dakota, United States. Tuttle was named after Col. William P. Tuttle, an official in the Dakota Land & Townsite Company, which platted the town in 1910. Tuttle was founded in 1911. At the turn of the 19th century and early 20th century, the land surrounding Tuttle was predominantly, although not exclusively, homesteaded by families of German-Russian ethnicity. The population was 60 at the 2020 census.
The city of Tuttle's water and wastewater systems are very old and need replacement and/or rehabilitation. The city reached out to Moore Engineering to conduct a PAR grant for the wastewater system. Moore Engineering found that the lift station needs to be replaced, and the lagoon needs to be rehabilitated to meet the standards of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. The city currently does not meet the Low Median Income (LMI) Index to qualify for some types of federal funding.
The engineers from Moore Engineering reached out to North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association's Project and Funding Specialist, Julie Hein, to help conduct an income survey of the residents of the city of Tuttle.
Hein met with the city auditor and created a spreadsheet of all of the households in the city, including addresses and number of family members. She used an income survey from the Midwest Assistance Program and a letter from the engineer, which she mailed to the residents. After six weeks and very little information returned, she met with the auditor in the city. The auditor and Hein drove door-to-door, explaining the importance of the income survey, having the residents fill out the form, and mailing the income surveys to the engineer.
As of April 10, 2024, the city of Tuttle has returned 90% of the income survey, enough for the information to be sent to the ND Department of Commerce for consideration to have their LMI reduced.
By lowering the LMI of the city of Tuttle, they now qualify for more federal funding and grants for their wastewater project.