The Albert Lea City Council on Monday voted to join with the Shell Rock River Watershed District in support of an application for state bonding money.

If approved, the money would go to support the extension of city sewer and water to the Stables neighborhood, north of Albert Lea.

The project has been one at the center of discussions for several years mainly because of questions about who would be responsible for the cost.

Many of the homes in the area have septic systems that are failing and in need of replacement.

The project to get sewer and water to the houses in this area and to annex them into the city would be more than $5 million, according to costs presented earlier this month.

The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners was slated to vote on the same resolution today.

In other action, the City Council:

• Ordered various road improvements on Myers Road in the Jobs Industrial Park.

The project includes removal and replacement of existing concrete pavement, sanitary sewer, storm sewer and watermain; installation of a new underdrain system; installation of sidewalk on the south and west side of the roadway, among other improvements.

According to the feasibility report for the project in February, the proposed cost is $3.75 million, though the city is seeking out federal and state-aid funds.

If the federal funding falls through, the council may decide to push the construction back to 2012.

The road has experienced severe pavement failure and isolated flooding problems for several years.

• Authorized purchase agreements for about 10 acres of property north of Interstate 90 that will be used to install a new lighting system for the Albert Lea Municipal Airport.

The lights are being installed to increase the safety of pilots operating at the airport.

The proposed agreement includes $12,774 for 4.99 acres owned by Ulland Brothers Inc. and $20,400 for 4.85 acres owned by Sterns and Martin families.

The project is anticipated to be reimbursed at a 95 percent federal and 5 percent local rate.

• Ordered the preparation of engineering plans for a series of projects.

Those include the North Broadway Avenue parking lot, a portion of Lincoln Avenue, downtown alleys east and west of Broadway Avenue, among others.

• Designated Greenwood Drive from the Greenwood Drive bridge as no parking on the south side in order to be able to use state aid funding to complete road work there.

• Approved an administrative survey for the Wedgewood Cove residential development.