WESTPHALIA — Westphalia aldermen approved the purchase of eight ultraviolet (UV) lights bulbs and two quartz sleeves for the city’s wastewater system at a cost of $1,600 at their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Aaron Lachowicz of Mid Mo Operations stressed that the city needed to have the UV lights up and running by April 1 to stay in compliance with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Mayor pro tem Delbert Wieberg had spoken with the construction crew for the Pentecostal Bridge project on site and realized that they are planning to install an additional manhole and move the discharge line for the city’s wastewater system further up the river. After the meeting, City Clerk Tammy Massman and Lachowicz contacted DNR officials, noting there will most likely be a permit modification of some kind required.

While Lachowicz had reported that the final draft of the city’s wastewater permit has been accepted by DNR, the permit renewal is currently on hold until Pentecostal Bridge construction project modifications are made.

Mid Mo Operations requested a reduction in testing with the new permit.

“(DNR) worked with us really well on everything that we asked for,” Lachowicz said, adding that the reduction in testing would result in a reduction of costs for the city.

Lachowicz hopes to schedule the DNR inspection within the next two weeks.

• Aldermen discussed the new budget, noting that the focus this year would be on street repairs.

“Last year we shifted our focus to complete the repairs to City Hall,” Massman explained.

Aldermen discussed areas around the city that are in need of repairs.

“Let’s get bids on everything that we are thinking about, and then we do the projects that we want to do,” Alderman Stanley Heckman said.

Massman stressed that the city should be requesting bids in March and April if aldermen want the projects completed in the same year.

“In the construction industry, I don’t see anyone having the time to do any of this work,” Wieberg said.

“That’s the issue, but all that we can do is ask,” Heckman said.

“We have to try,” Wieberg agreed.

Massman noted that the budget needs to be approved at the next meeting to coincide with the start of the city’s 2026-27 fiscal year, which starts on April 1.

• Aldermen previously requested information from Ameren on the process to put up lighted Christmas decorations on electric poles within the city limits.

“It would take a lot of planning and research to get this done,” Wieberg said. “Ameren is going to charge to put the outlets in and dictate the size of any decoration we would put up. They will specify which decoration goes on which pole. I’m not a decorating person; someone would have to pick these out. I think we would need a committee of some sort to look into all of this.”

Wieberg noted that with the cost of the decorations ranging from $300 to $500 apiece, the cost was prohibitive.

Massman noted that the city would be required to have special insurance for the decorations, which would have to be put up by a licensed contractor since the city no longer has city employees.

“I think this will be quite the ordeal to just get this approved with Ameren,” Wieberg said.

Aldermen tabled the issue for now and may bring it up at a future meeting.

• Westphalia business licenses are due at the end of March. Massman noted that she has sent out 38 notices to local businesses and has already received some of them back.

• The city did not receive a new quote for insurance after requesting increased coverage. Massman stressed that the renewal is not due until July, and she will continue to ask for the new quote.

• The city had the following receipts: city ($12,360.53), sewer ($9,369.23), and special road district ($125.73).

• Aldermen approved the following outstanding expenses: city ($4,040.72), sewer ($6,623.75), and special road district ($1,846.90).

• Westphalia had the following account balances: city checking ($151,619.15), sewer system checking ($82,000.01), special road district checking ($134,086.87), and special road district savings ($5,135.06).

• The city holds the following certificates of deposit: city ($465,493.01), sewer system ($552,909.32), and special road district ($554,370.83).

• The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 24, at 6 p.m.