The Mokane Board of Aldermen, Callaway County Commissioners and representatives from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources met Thursday to work on a plan to rehab the city's water and sewer systems.
The situation is grim: DNR Regional Director Irene Crawford said Mokane's water system was installed in the '60s and has barely been maintained - much less updated.
"That's really unacceptable," she said. "I can't think of another town in my 30 counties that's in that bad a shape."
If Mokane is unable to bring its drinking water system into compliance, the DNR will have to place it in receivership. That means appointing an outside person to bring it up to code - at great expense. Crawford said receivers often charge rates of $300-$400 per hour, and Mokane's residents would have to foot the bill.
Currently, a water chlorinator provided by the DNR makes sure Mokane's water is safe to drink. The town's aldermen regularly cruise through town to make sure sewage pumps haven't sprung leaks, as two did in March.
The situation has taken a toll on the town's leadership. Mayor Peggy Nalls and alderwomen Becky Davis and Jo Belmont, who were elected in April, announced their intentions to resign during the June board of aldermen meeting.
City Clerk Angela Niederschulte said all have received verbal threats while trying to address Mokane's water and sewer issues.
"Currently, the sheriff is coming down and meeting me to fill the chlorine," Niederschulte said.
She said some of the town's residents don't seem to want to believe there's a problem, and they don't want to see their rates go up.
The city currently has an engineering study of its sewer underway, which should help clarify what needs to be done. However, city leadership expects it and the water distribution system will need to be replaced outright.
"We're willing to prioritize the drinking water," Crawford said.
In order to fix each system, the city needs money. That money will likely come from two sources: increased rates and grants.
The city has already applied for one grant, a rural development grant from the USDA. Crawford said raising rates will help it land future grants, because it makes it clear Mokane is trying to fix its own issues.
"The city of Mokane, with their low rates and lack of anything, won't get many priority points (as it is)," she said.
Currently, the approximately 100 connections to the water system pay $25 per month each (the city has no water meters). A sewer connection costs $35 a month. While a new rate hasn't been determined yet, Niederschulte believes it will have to be around $60 per month for water and $70 per month for sewer.
"When we tell people that, they're going to burn our house down," she said.
Aldermen are also continuing to wrestle with bill delinquency. During the March meeting, aldermen voted to disconnect customers who fail to pay their water bills - a difficult process that involves digging, because of the lack of water meters. As of March, Mokane had a delinquency rate of 31.9 percent for water and 29.7 percent for sewer.
The aldermen hope after they raise rates, they'll be able to persuade Callaway 2 Water District to take over monitoring the chlorinator. After the city successfully lands grants and replaces the water distribution system, the hope is Callaway 2 will manage that as well.
No deal has been struck with Callaway 2 yet, however, and commissioners said they can't force Callaway 2 to take on the job. Commissioners Gary Jungermann and Randy Kleindienst said they'll work to persuade the district Mokane's water customers present a good business opportunity.
"Callaway 2 is the only economical alternative," Crawford said.
The water district has a line within a few hundred yards of city limits, but with Mokane's aging distribution system, the difference in water pressure is so high it would blow Mokane's lines, Niederschulte said.
It's a lot of work, but with no alternatives and the DNR's patience running dry after 15 years of enforcement issues, city leaders said they have no choice but to move forward.
Despite not having direct authority over water and sewer issues in Mokane, the county commissioners said they would offer as much support as possible.
"We don't want to see Mokane removed from the map," Jungermann said.
Mokane's next board of aldermen meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. July 9 at St. Judes. There will likely also be a work session in the near future to appoint a mayor pro-tem.