The same five council members voted Tuesday to turn down the $60,000 gift to put toward application costs. The city’s water department has whittled the project’s cost down to $980 million, and the City Council is set to reconsider the plant on Sept. 1. She said they saw it as a way of “removing one of the obstacles” that concerned council members. Additionally, City Council Member Gil Hernandez said “it’s a simple no” for him to apply for the grant because the City Council hasn’t yet approved the project. He was ready to donate $20,000 to fund application costs — if the City Council had accepted it.