WESTPHALIA — Westphalia aldermen agreed to move forward with the first steps for a new wastewater plant at their meeting on Wednesday, May 26.

Mayor Delbert Wieberg and Mid Mo Operations Operator Aaron Lachowicz will start the process by contacting the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and several other agencies, including Missouri Assistance Program (MAP), the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), and the Missouri Rural Water Association (MWA), to find out about any grants that may cover part of the cost of the engineering services to develop a plan and an estimate.

Wieberg and Lachowicz had already met with MAP representatives.

“We met with them at the plant and explained about the age of the system and what we were thinking, and they strongly advised us to get the ball rolling,” Wieberg said.

He had hoped to have a rate analysis done to present at the meeting.

“I haven’t heard anything from them,” Wieberg said. “MAP is a free service.”

Lachowicz said that the city could also get a free rate study from the MWA.

“To me, they are going to advise us to raise our rates to cover the cost of the plant, based on what grants and loans we get,” Wieberg explained. “The rates are going to be set to pay off the plant for its lifespan of 25 to 30 years. It will not be paid off before then. So, the rates will never go back down. By the time the plant is paid off, it’s worn out, and you start over.”

Alderman Chris Dickneite asked what needed to be done to start the process.

Wieberg suggested that the city needs to contact a local engineering firm and get an estimate for the new plant as a first step.

“That is what we are going to base it on — what it actually costs,” Wieberg explained. “We can sit here and shoot from the hip and have a discussion about the rates, but we don’t know what it will really cost.”

Lachowicz explained that typically, the first step is to request an engineering study from several local firms. The city would send out a Request for Determination (RFD), and the engineering firms would develop a facility plan, design instructions, and facility costs.

“There are grants for the engineering study,” Lachowicz said. “From there, you make a selection for an engineering firm and use their facility plan to apply for your grants and loans.”

Lachowicz said that he could reach out to DNR to check the availability of a grant for the engineering study and help with getting the process started.

“Do we want to build the plant better this time around?” Wieberg asked, suggesting the city could use stainless steel, which would significantly increase the cost of the project.

“The problem with residents is we have to identify the rates from other towns, so they realize we are a lot cheaper than surrounding cities,” Dickneite said.

He explained that currently, the city is barely covering expenses. “We are barely sustaining ourselves; we are not even prepared for a problem,” Dickneite said. “We’re a little prepared because we have money in the bank.”

City Clerk Tammy Massman noted that over the past five years, most of the money generated by the sewer system was in interest.

Dickneite noted that projects of this size tend to move forward slowly. He noted that when the city built the initial plant, a sizable donation from a local philanthropist helped.

“We’re eligible for a grant like anyone else in the state,” Dickneite said. “We would be foolish not to apply.”

Wieberg said that while he believes that money is available for grants now, it might not be available in the future.

Dickneite thought that it would be good to have a timeline of how the project would move forward so that the information could be communicated to citizens.

“We need to get the message out, so they have an idea of what we are doing,” Dickneite said.

Everyone readily agreed.

Dickneite also noted that aldermen should come to meetings prepared to make necessary decisions to move the project forward as quickly as possible.

In other business, aldermen approved a new three-year contract with Mid Mo Operations at the same cost of $3,200 per month. The only significant change to the contract was the addition of a line item that Mid Mo Operations would perform line locates as requested to its scope of work.

Wieberg said that he is pleased with the services Mid Mo Operations has given over the last five years.

“When I call Arron, he picks up the phone,” Wieberg said.

“I don’t see a reason to deviate from what we are doing now,” said Alderman Jake Plassmeyer.

“If the price is the same and the service is good, why change?” Dickneite asked.

“The service is excellent,” Wieberg said.

*  Aldermen approved the insurance renewal with the Missouri Public Entity Risk Management (MOPERM) for an annual fee of $8,459, and annual Worker’s Compensation for $409.  The rates increased from last year’s costs of $7,350 and $408, respectively.

Wieberg noted that the main reason for the increase in the insurance premium was the result of the city requesting increased coverage on several buildings and the pump stations to reflect rising costs and recent renovations.

Dickneite asked if they had reached out for additional rates from companies other than MOPERM.

Massman said that they had not, noting that in the email correspondence, it was noted that there is only one other insurance company willing to cover a municipality.

“So, they didn’t price it out,” Dickneite said.

“There is only one other company that will provide coverage for municipalities,” Massman said. “They did not think it was worthwhile.”

Dickneite conceded that there was only a 10% increase in the premium but asked if the other aldermen were interested in checking around for a cheaper insurance option.

“If it’s anything like getting your own insurance, like when you have to renew your auto insurance, it’s a nightmare,” Wieberg said.

“There’s a limit to companies that will cover municipalities,” Massman reiterated. “We’ve been with them since 2018.”

Ultimately, aldermen decided to approve the MOPERM renewal.

* Wieberg announced that the street repairs had been completed by Verslues Construction for the approved $80,000.

“We budgeted $120,000 for repairs, and there are several other areas I would like to look at,” Wieberg said.

Wieberg listed the following areas: the culvert near Dennis Fick’s property, the street in front of the Fatima R-3 entrance, and the expansion joints in front of Tipp Weber’s house.

“We need to keep making an effort to fix things when we can,” Wieberg said.

He noted that the city would need to prioritize hazards and structural issues before fixing things that were simply cosmetic.

Wieberg will get estimates for the various projects and bring them to the next meeting.

* Aldermen agreed to look at water leeching into the basement of the Westphalia Historical Society building.

Wieberg noted that he would like to run a camera through the cracked clay pipe and make sure that it is a city issue before anything else is done.

“I think it is going to be a joint venture,” Wieberg said. “I first want to see if it is our problem.”

Wieberg will report back his findings.

* Aldermen confirmed that resident Hailey Green does not need a variance to build a kitchen on an existing foundation on her property since she is well within her property.

* Wieberg requested that Massman present a monthly report of the main things that she did for the city throughout the month. He also suggested that she needed to create a document that shows monthly and yearly duties in case something happens and she would not be able to perform her duties as city clerk.

“We need to safeguard us in case something would happen to Tammy, or we’re sunk,” Wieberg said.

Massman reviewed what she had done over the past month and assured the aldermen that there is a working document in the city’s computer, which provides a list of what needs to be done monthly, quarterly, and annually.

At Dickneite’s request, Massman will also start attaching an additional copy of the minutes with the reminder email and agenda that she sends out to the aldermen before monthly meetings.

* Lachowicz had reported that there is an indicator light on one of the pumps at the Massman Lift Station that indicates the seals are going out.

“I sent out an email last week to get a price on a replacement pump for that,” Lachowicz said. “Sometimes they’ll run three to five years with the seal light on, and sometimes they will go out in a month.”

He noted that it was not cost-effective to fix the smaller pumps.

Lachowicz also reported that the pulleys had come in for the blowers and they had been replaced. The quarterly samples have been collected, and the draft permit has been reviewed and will need to be posted for public review until June 10.

* Aldermen approved the following expenses for the month: city fund ($2,936.25), sewer system ($7,619.83), and special road district ($1,329.40).

* Westphalia had the following receipts: city ($10,659.45), sewer ($8,540.38), and special road district ($118.95).

* The city had the following ending account balances: city checking ($161,561), sewer system checking ($87,618.49), special road district checking ($143,114.01), and special road district savings ($5,136.98).

* Westphalia holds the following certificates of deposit: city ($468,368.74), sewer system ($554,065.77), and special road district ($556,774.83).

* The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 30. at 6 p.m.