Amount approved for rate hike once construction starts

By Murray Bishoff Special to the Cassville Democrat

The Purdy City Council advanced plans to improve the city’s network of sanitary storm sewers during its July 8 meeting. 

According to reports, periods of rain have overwhelmed sections of town to the point of making toilets unflushable. Bob Sell, engineer with Allgeier, Martin and Associates, at an earlier meeting reported only 10 percent of the city’s sanitary sewer mains have been lined by previous efforts. Consequently, the inflow and infiltration problem has enabled stormwater to get into the sewer line cracks, filling up the system, causing backups, and increasing the volume sent to Monett for processing. 

Sell reported the city’s bonding capacity from its sewer system construction project to utilize Monett’s plant still has capacity for major improvements without going back to voters. However, because the city used loans from the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program, the city must run plans for more upgrades through Rural Development and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Because of changes at the Department of Agriculture, the city has to prove it has sufficient revenue to pay for the project and continue paying on its debt prior to going out for bids. 

To do that, Sell said, the city must project how much new work will cost and settle on an amount to add to current sewer bills. That sum must be submitted in advance of the project to DNR, and then to Rural Development, for approval. 

Calculating a project cost

Sell needed council approval to submit his projections. He calculated Purdy sewer bills presently run $75 a month on average, based on water usage. He figured work will run about $72,000 a year for many years, starting with sections of town that have the most problems. Based on 391 sewer customers citywide, Sell calculated the city would need to charge about $15.40 more per customer. In addition, the city ought to charge more to cover the nearly $10,000-per-month increase in 2027 Monett is charging to cover its pending wastewater plant upgrade.

Council member Heather Van Note observed the city has not raised water rates in several years, and that “everything has increased in price.” Sell noted that the city does not have to raise rates until the work begins. He nonetheless has to submit a number to DNR to get the project moving. 

Council members settled on raising sewer rates by $18.50. If costs run higher when the project goes to bid, Sell said the city has the option to reduce the amount of work done in a year’s time. He added the sewer lining ought to last 50 years. He planned to use the sum to finalize his report to advance the project. 

Reports

Much of the rest of the council meeting focused on recent activity around town. 

Police Chief Jackie Lowe reported a two-year-old wandered off from a yard on June 25 and was found walking down a street. He recounted two 12-year-olds got into a fist fight. A 12-year-old girl, apparently without parental permission, knocked on a door at 9 p.m. one evening and asked for donations to help buy medicine for her mother, who did not need help. Her parents said they would handle the situation. 

Lowe reported vehicular crashes. One case involved a train car striking a tractor at the crossing of Farm Roads 2090 and 1080. In another, a vehicle hit a fire hydrant, creating an ongoing problem for the public works department. Public works foreman Kevin Cook described issues repairing a broken cast iron T joint on a six-inch main, requiring ordering of parts and drier weather to dig out the water line. The incident caused low water pressure for the entire town, though no boil order was issued. 

Council members discussed putting a use tax on the November ballot. It was noted Purdy is the only major city in Barry County that does not have a use tax on purchases made online to match lost sales tax. The last attempt to pass a use tax failed by a handful of votes. Attorney Toni Hendricks plans to attend the Aug. 12 council meeting and help shape ballot language that better explains the proposal. Council members discussed a media campaign and possible door-to-door contact to explain the initiative. 

City Clerk Sasha Gomez reported the roofer Like Father, Like Son completed work on the city hall roof. 

Bills were paid totaling $52,390.99.