Perryville bond issues pass; Hotop and Sauer secure ballot spots

Funding for a new sewage treatment plant in Perryville cleared a major hurdle Tuesday night.

Three ballot measures will fund construction of a sewage plant to replace an aging facility that increasingly can�t meet environmental regulations.

City administrator Brent Buerck had said �it is not a tax increase. It is a tax extension.�

The three measures are each from a different source, Buerck has said.

All three measures had to pass in order to fund the project � a combined $26 million includes issuance of more than $12.3 million in sewer revenue bonds, extension of a property tax in connection with issuance of $5.1 million in general obligation bonds, and extension of 3/8th-cent sales tax in conjunction with issuance of nearly $8.5 million in bonds.

The taxes will be extended for 20 years, officials have said, and were approved by voters 20 years ago to fund construction of a water plant.

In a public letter, Mayor Ken Baer and the city�s aldermen said the water plant will be �fully paid off� in June 2019.

As for the 40-year-old sewer plant, city leaders wrote it �needs to be replaced with new, modern technology and equipment that will better purify the increased volume of wastewater and better protect our environment.�

Buerck had said the aging plant was never designed to meet ever-expanding environmental regulations. The plant�s filters were not designed to treat ammonia, phosphorous or metals in the wastewater, he has said.

When reached by phone Tuesday night, Buerck said the next step will be for the city to decide whether the plant will be built as a design-bid-build project, or a design-build project.

�We�ll select a consultant either way, with hopes of building a sewer plant in the next year or two,� Buerck said.

The site will remain the same, Buerck said, since there is a �considerable� amount of property at the current sewage treatment plant site, and the city�s pipes already lead there.

It�s a step forward for the city, and a necessary one, Buerck said.

�What we realized is, it isn�t about if Perryville needed a new sewer plant � that decision was going to be made for us,� Buerck said. �It was a question of how we were going to pay for it. Our elected folks tried to put together the best plan with what the citizens wanted, and I�m happy they got that right.�

Other results

Perryville-area business owner Mike Sauer defeated former state representative Patrick Naeger for the presiding commissioner seat, with 58.6 percent of the vote.

Jennifer Hotop bested Diane Geile, earning 55.25 percent of the vote, to be Perry County circuit clerk. Hotop will face no opposition in November.

Missouri Prop A was defeated in Perry County, with unofficial results from all 19 precincts reporting 67.72 percent, or 3,072 votes against.

The Republican spot for U.S. senator went to Josh Hawley, with 54.5 percent of the vote. He�ll face Democratic opponent Claire McCaskill in November, who secured 85.5 percent of the Democratic vote.

For state auditor, Republican Saundra McDowell earned 41.47 percent of the Perry County vote, and will face Democrat incumbent Nicole Galloway.

Turnout was about 37 percent, according to unofficial results.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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