City to Seek Purchase of Hurdland Sewer System After Public Meeting

Hurdland Residents Back Effort to Bring Sewer System Under City Ownership

By Echo Menges

HURDLAND — Hurdland residents voiced unanimous support Thursday night for the city to pursue purchasing its sewer system from the Knox County Public Water Supply District during a special public meeting held at Hurdland City Hall.

The July 16 meeting was called after residents received notice that the water district is pursuing the sale of the sewer system to another utility. City officials said they wanted to hear directly from residents before investing time and resources into negotiations to bring the system back under local control.

The meeting follows months of uncertainty surrounding the future of Hurdland’s sewer system after the Knox County Public Water Supply District plans to sell its wastewater assets to a private utility were announced. The proposed sale has prompted concerns among Hurdland officials and residents about future sewer rates, local control and long-term operation of the system. In recent months, city representatives have attended water district meetings, researched the proposal and explored the possibility of returning the sewer system to local ownership if residents supported the effort.

Council member Tom Boatman told those in attendance the city council believes regaining ownership would be in Hurdland’s best interest, but emphasized that officials wanted residents to decide whether they should move forward.

“We as a council, we discussed it and we feel like it would be in the best interest for us to try to purchase our sewage system back in our town,” Boatman said. “But we would like the community to say yay or nay on their opinion because if the city don’t want to do it, you guys out there don’t want to do it… it’s going to take a lot of time.”

Boatman said city officials recently learned from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that Hurdland’s sewer system is currently in compliance and only requires chemical treatment to continue operating within state requirements. He said the city would need to contract with a licensed wastewater operator to perform required testing and monitoring if it regained ownership.

Throughout the discussion, residents questioned what the sale of the system to a private utility could mean for local customers.

Boatman said information the city has gathered indicates the purchasing company would be prohibited from raising rates for one year, but could later seek increases through the Missouri Public Service Commission after making improvements to the system.

“They cannot change your sewer for one year,” Boatman said. “But then they’re going to bring in their system… they’re going to set it out there. They’re a for-profit company. Whatever it costs them, they’re going to pass that on to us.”

He also presented financial information the city had compiled, saying the sewer system currently generates more than $23,000 annually while average operating expenses have been approximately $4,000 to $6,000 per year, leading city officials to believe the system could support itself financially if locally owned.

Boatman said the city has not yet approached the water district about purchasing the sewer system because officials first wanted to determine whether residents supported the effort.

“We don’t want to do any of that if the citizens don’t understand and don’t want us to,” he said.

If negotiations become necessary, Boatman said the city would also explore grant opportunities through DNR and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help offset potential costs associated with purchasing the system.

Residents also asked whether the city could pursue ownership even if the current sale falls through. Boatman said the city could negotiate with whichever entity owns the system, but stressed that any effort would depend on public support.

Following nearly 40 minutes of discussion, attendees were asked to complete ballots indicating whether they supported the city attempting to buy back the sewer system. All 13 ballots cast favored moving forward.

The council then unanimously approved a motion directing the city to attempt to negotiate the purchase of the sewer system from the Knox County Public Water Supply District.

Before adjourning, city officials also announced they will begin increased enforcement of municipal ordinances, including issuing warning letters for violations, enforcing animal registration requirements, reminding businesses to renew annual licenses and continuing a tire collection program for residents.