META — Meta aldermen reviewed a report at their Jan. 14 meeting that indicated a 44.63% water loss in December after 254,101 gallons were unaccounted for, with 569,375 gallons sold and just 315,274 gallons catalogued.

“Our water loss is quite a bit higher this time, and I do seem to think we have a leak somewhere,” said City Clerk Deidra Buechter. “We found one, but the Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA) came out and listened to it, and they think it’s very minimal.”

However, she noted it may be more significant due to digging at a homeowner’s residence. “We think that the water leak might be a fuzz bigger than what Missouri Rural Water heard,” said Buechter, noting the plan is to work with contractor Rueben Wieberg to continue seeking the leak.

To put the leak into comparison, an Olympic-size pool holds approximately 660,000 gallons of water. Meta has surpassed that figure several times over in the last two years.

The water tower holds 100,000 gallons, and Buechter said at least part of the problem could be within the technology governing the system suggesting it could be a problem with the master meter, estimating 85% to 90% of the loss could be attributed to the meter. “Our master meter is three inches in diameter, and you need to have three times the diameter of your meter to get an accurate reading,” Buechter said. “We have maybe seven inches, max, between where the water comes out of the wellhead and goes through the meter, so it’s not reading correctly, and then it reads backflow. And there is no backflow, because we had the backflow valve replaced about a year and a half ago. So, we think a lot of it is from that meter not having the adequate length of pipe to read that water that’s being pushed through.”

Buechter noted that to address this particular issue would be a giant project on its own, which led to a discussion of a new pump house.

Replacing the pump house and associated machinery at the same time the city erects a new water tower would be ideal.

However, the water tower at $1.25 million is the most expensive aspect of such a project, which aldermen decided was the most important. “So, we’re gonna knock that one out first, eat the ugliest frog first, and then move on, but it would be great if we did it all at once,” said Buechter.

She reported that in November, a total of $6,130.04 in water sales was recorded, with $1,867.50 charged for trash, $380 in late fees, and $206.41 in sales tax. Total charges were $8,583.95 with a previous surplus of $1,530.34 and payments received in the amount of $9,411.88, leaving a positive balance of $2,358.27.

Meta was approved for an approximate 62.5%-37.5% grant/loan structure, with about $990,000 needed in loan to access the $2.5 million in grant. However, Buechter said that’s just not feasible.

“Looking at our numbers every day that I’m here, we could take on $350,000 comfortably, but absolutely no more,” she said, noting the city would likely have a new rate study completed by MRWA to view in May at the budget workshop meeting, and can make a more informed decision after that.

In maintenance news, Alderman Otto Wankum suggested purchasing 20 or 30 signs modeled on those used by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). “Most of our signs in town are on those round pipes, and every time a truck brushes one of them, we end up getting it bent over just a tad farther,” he said. “Some of them are mangled to varying degrees. Not all of them need to be changed. Some are perfectly safe, but others are in spots where you don’t really have much ground to put them, so it gets a little closer to the highway.”

Wankum will investigate the matter further.

In other business, aldermen agreed to maintain its safety deposit box at Mid America Bank at a yearly cost of $70.

City Attorney Todd Smith of Lauber Municipal Law suggested it was a good fail-safe for important documents, noting that not all records should be stored at City Hall in the event of disaster. “I’m sure your safe is fine, but if something happens, who knows?” Smith said.

• A check written on Nov. 20, 2025, for a credit card payment was not cashed until Dec. 17, 2025. Because the payment was not entered until after the Dec. 8 statement deadline, a letter from the Independent Bankers Bank of Dallas, Texas, indicated the city’s APR would increase if it was not resolved.

Aldermen agreed with Buechter’s suggestion to make online payments to avoid this scenario in the future. She also planned to contact the company and contest the late fees charged to the city.