State to allow more sewer hookups

If approved by the McCook City Council, people who have had to postpone and delay plans for new housing in McCook will get a reprieve from the moratorium on sewer connections within the city limits.

According to the council's agenda, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has agreed to allow additional sewer connections, if in so doing, the city does not exceed its current flow into the sewer plant.

The council's regular meeting, Monday at 7:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers of the McCook Auditorium.

Under the conditions set down by the NDEQ, the city will be allowed to permit up to an additional 28 sewer connections. The additional permits were made possible because one house was demolished in McCook and two additional houses were removed from the city sewer when McCook Community College purchased them with the intent of turning the property into a parking lot.

The city also is taking into consideration Burlington Northern Santa Fe's plan to begin discharging treated water from its diesel spill cleanup into the Republican River instead of the sewer plant.

Increased dispatching duties at the McCook Police Department has prompted McCook Police Chief Ike Brown to ask the council to consider renegotiating its contract with Red Willow County to offset the cost of a new dispatcher.

In his report, Brown explains that the level of activity at McCook's dispatcher center has increased to a level where an additional dispatcher is needed and, he believes, the increased expense should be absorbed by county taxpayers.

Currently, the county is paying $12,000 for the service. Brown is asking that the city increase that amount to around $46,000.

The current budget for the McCook dispatch service is $300,000. About 30 percent of the county's population live outside the city limits. If the fee were based on that amount it would cost the county approximately $90,000.

If it were base on the percentage of usage, it would cost about $30,000.

The council will receive a report on the status of the deep injection well for the new water treatment plant. Construction on the well is expected to begin next week when Layne Western of Denver begins installing surface casing.

The drilling rig is expected to be mobilized during the week of May 9. It is estimated that the well will require up to two weeks to complete.

A last minute addition to the council's agenda will include a recommendation to accept or reject an offer for the proposed municipal well site located on property owned by Jay Hancock of McCook.

If approved, the council will be asked to adopt a resolution finalizing the offer for the purchase.

The resolution also includes a statement that if the acquisition of the property cannot be successfully negotiated, the city attorney will be authorized to begin proceedings to begin condemnation proceedings.