META — A recently completed inspection of Meta’s 100,000-gallon water tower and a preliminary water rate study are pushing city officials toward repairing the existing structure and pursuing targeted improvements to the city’s well and pump house rather than taking on debt for a larger water-system project.

Aldermen stopped short on Thursday of formally abandoning longer-term options, including replacement of the tower, but City Clerk Deidra Buechter said information gathered during the last several weeks has substantially changed the financial picture. A Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA) rate study found that even a $350,000 loan — an amount city officials previously believed the water system could comfortably support — would push the minimum monthly water bill to more than $101, not including trash service.

Combined with a favorable inspection of the existing tower and new guidance from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on proposed improvements at the well house, Buechter said repairing what the city already has increasingly appears to be the more realistic approach.

“I think fiscally it is best that we do the repairs to our tower that we need, and we keep using it until a miracle comes along,” Buechter said. “In a perfect world, yeah, we get a new tower, we could put in new lines, everything would be perfect, hunky dory. But that’s not going to happen.”

The discussion followed the late-July cleaning and inspection of the elevated tower by Maguire Iron. The tower was taken offline during the final week of the month, requiring the city’s well pump to run continuously while the system was flushed.

Buechter reported that Meta pumped 2.665 million gallons during July, including an estimated 1.5 million gallons used for flushing, while selling 402,989 gallons. The city calculated water loss for the month at 28%, down from 59% in June.

Other losses were discovered during the same period. A significant leak on Locust Street was traced to an old, non-stainless-steel clamp around a corporation stop that had rusted away. A slower leak was also identified on West Second Street, while a leaking hydrant at Sixth and Linn is slated for replacement.

Despite those operating concerns, the tower itself received what Buechter characterized as a good inspection.

Maguire found the tank structure and interior coating in good condition. The exterior coating showed some deterioration and bubbling, which the city intends to discuss with the company, while the inspection also identified a broken riser manway and a vent screen that does not meet current standards.

Mayor Ivie Helton emphasized the favorable finding inside the tank, noting that “the interior coating is in good condition.”

Buechter agreed, saying the exterior coating was where the inspection identified problems. “The interior of the tower was in great condition,” she said. “The only thing that needed to be fixed was the manway access for the riser.”

The riser manway, located near the bottom of the tower, provides access during cleaning and inspection. Its door or hinge is broken and was temporarily secured with wire. Buechter said she plans to contact Maguire Iron about repair options.

The city will also ask about replacing or modifying the vent screen. Buechter said the existing arrangement had previously been accepted by DNR after the city was cited for not having an appropriate screen, but the Maguire inspection now lists it as noncompliant.

RATE STUDY CHANGES THE EQUATION

Maguire’s inspection arrived as the city was already evaluating the cost of larger water-system improvements.

Buechter asked MRWA to conduct a rate study after discussions with Bartlett & West regarding possible State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing. Aldermen had previously indicated they believed Meta could comfortably absorb approximately $350,000 in loan debt. However, the rate study suggested otherwise.

According to Buechter, the study incorporates a replacement reserve equal to 10% of the water budget in an effort to begin setting money aside for future repairs and infrastructure replacement. With a $350,000 loan included, however, the minimum monthly water charge would exceed $101 before trash service is added.

“That’s not feasible,” Buechter told the board, explaining that setting a rate and being able to collect it from residents are two different things.

Alderman Austin Buechter’s reaction to the figures was considerably shorter. “Deal’s over,” he said.

The study uses 2% of median household income as an affordability benchmark, which Buechter said translates to approximately $71.18 per month for 5,000 gallons of water. Even Meta’s current rate structure exceeds that benchmark at that usage level.

Meta’s annual 4% water rate increase took effect on Aug. 1. The minimum charge increased from $37.86 to $39.37 for the first 1,000 gallons, while each additional 1,000 gallons increased from $10.82 to $11.25.

An MRWA representative is expected to attend the board’s September meeting to explain the complete study and answer questions. Buechter also plans to ask for another scenario showing what rates would need to be if the city eliminated the proposed $350,000 loan and instead attempted to place approximately $50,000 per year into a replacement reserve.

“If we could tuck away $50,000 for replacement each year, what would that make rates look like?” she said. “How would that change rates? Because that would go a really long way in repairing and fixing things.”

SMALLER IMPROVEMENTS REMAIN ON THE TABLE

While the city reconsiders the scale of its long-term water plans, several improvements recommended during previous DNR inspections remain under consideration.

Those include adding a shutoff valve and plumbing that would allow the well to pump to waste; raising the well casing from nine inches to 18 inches above the pump-house floor; adding lightning protection; and enlarging the pump house to provide greater separation between the well head and three-inch master meter while leaving room for a possible booster-pressure pump.

Buechter said a booster pump has become particularly relevant because it may provide a less expensive way to address pressure needs than constructing another tower.

Questions from one of the engineering firms prompted Buechter to contact DNR Central Field Operations Unit Chief Dalton Young with the Public Drinking Water Branch to determine which improvements require a state construction permit and whether all of the work would have to be engineered.

Young told the city that adding shutoffs, meters, valves, and similar components does not require a construction permit. Raising the well casing does require one because it changes the height to which the water must be pumped. Lightning protection and enlarging the pump-house building by themselves would not require permits, but adding a booster pump would.

Submitting a construction permit application also does not automatically require Meta to hire an engineer for every proposed improvement. DNR’s permits and engineering staff will review the application and determine which portions, if any, require engineered plans.

Helton said that made submitting the application the logical next step. “I think it makes sense to go ahead and do the construction permit application because if I’m reading this right, once we submit that, they’ll tell us whether we need engineering or not,” she said. “So, if that’s the first step of the process, before we can really go any farther, we need to get that done.”

The board subsequently voted to authorize Buechter to complete and submit the DNR construction permit application, beginning the review process without committing the city to construction.

At the same time, Meta continues to seek alternatives for engineering services. Buechter contacted other firms at the board’s direction to determine whether a smaller company could perform the work at a lower cost. One firm submitted information, while a second expects to respond before the September meeting. Buechter said she will withhold the first proposal until both are available so the board can review them together.

She stressed that the search is not a reflection on Bartlett & West, with which the city has worked successfully, but rather an effort to determine whether the same objectives can be accomplished more economically.

“We just have to be fiscally responsible for our residents,” Buechter said. “We’re just looking for something that’s a little more affordable for our residents, and we have to do our due diligence.”

For now, the combination of a structurally sound tower, uncertain financing, and the rate study has shifted the emphasis toward extending the useful life of the infrastructure Meta already owns while addressing the most pressing deficiencies. The board is expected to take a deeper look at the rate study, engineering options and potential replacement reserves when it meets again in September.

TAX RATE UNCHANGED

Aldermen held a public hearing before Thursday’s regular meeting on the city’s proposed 2026 property tax levy before formally approving the rate during the regular session.

State Auditor calculation forms list Meta’s total 2026 assessed valuation at $7,052,990, including $463,439 in new construction and improvements, all attributed to personal property. After new growth was removed, the city’s adjusted current-year assessed valuation was $6,589,551, compared with an adjusted prior-year valuation of $6,566,447.

That represented 0.3518% growth in the value of property existing in both years.

Aldermen subsequently approved Bill No. 2026-03 as Ordinance No. 632, maintaining the general-revenue property tax levy at $0.4064 per $100 of assessed valuation. The rate is unchanged from the prior year.

The ordinance received first and second readings by title before being adopted by roll-call vote.

In other business, Alderman Mikayla Wankum resigned from the board because she is moving outside the city.

Wankum, who was elected in April, remained a member through the conclusion of Thursday’s meeting and provided the quorum needed for the board to conduct business.

City Attorney James Klahr of Lauber Municipal Law reviewed the process for filling the vacancy. The mayor will appoint a qualified resident to serve the remainder of Wankum’s term, subject to confirmation by aldermen.

Klahr said the city may establish a period for interested residents to apply before making the appointment. Any interviews or board discussion of potential appointees must be conducted in open session rather than behind closed doors because appointment to an elected office does not fall under the personnel exception to Missouri’s open-meetings law.

Helton said the city will begin asking around to determine who might be interested in serving.

FINANCIAL REPORT

Aldermen also approved the city’s financial report, which showed $1,121,101.37 held at Mid America Bank as of July 31. The total included $801,535.91 in the city’s operating account, $144,130.04 in its money-market account, and $175,435.42 in certificates of deposit.

The city also closed its Community Development Block Grant checking account during July, transferring the remaining $114,829.12 into the operating fund. That amount is already reflected in the operating-account balance and the citywide total.

Buechter told aldermen the $1.121 million total reconciled with figures provided by Paul Hood Accounting.

WATER AND TRASH REPORT

The city’s routine water and trash management report covered June, separate from the July pumping and water-loss figures associated with the tower cleaning.

Meta recorded $6,992.55 in water sales from 380,984 gallons during June and charged $1,880 for trash service to 80 customers. The city also assessed $200 in late fees and $300 in connection or reconnection charges, bringing total current charges to $9,641.28.

After accounting for a previous customer credit balance of $912.20, the city had $8,729.08 due and received $9,620.38 in payments, leaving customers collectively with an $891.30 credit balance.

Remaining business will be presented next week.