Two issues on next week's ballot met Monday night during a Jefferson City Council candidate forum hosted by Faith Voices and the NAACP.
Voters will decide April 5 between two candidates for each Ward 1 and Ward 3, but will also vote on a $44 million sewer bond measure. If the measure passes, the city will borrow up to $44 million for upgrades to the sewer system.
One question posed to the candidates focused on what each will do to ensure those funds benefit underserved communities within the city and all areas of the city receive the needed upgrades. All four said they support the bond issue.
Ward 1 Candidate Jacob Robinett said the focus needs to be on addressing the aging infrastructure within the city, which usually means working around older buildings.
"A lot of our older buildings are rental units in different areas of our town," he said. "It's just having those conversations and being vocal with our public works department. I think they are going to be addressing those facility upgrades with this bond issue, but also looking at those critical infrastructure that is older, that needs to be replaced and updated."
His opponent, Jack Deeken, said he hasn't seen or heard of any issues with the east end's sewer system.
"I hear problems with the streets," he said. "I hear problems with code enforcement. The sewer is an aging structure, some of it is well over 100 years old. There's probably clay pipe and they want cast iron. ... A lot of it has to be addresses and that's relining. That's going to have to come when we do the streets as well. I don't think the poor section, out here at least on the east end, I don't think we have a problem with sewer. I never smell it on the motorcycle when I'm in and out all the streets out there."
For Ward 2 candidates, incumbent Erin Wiseman (elected in 2016) and former Councilman Bob Scrivner, the answer came down to ensuring the communities with the greatest need are addressed first.
The city council is responsible for monitoring the process, Wiseman said, through checking in with the public works department throughout spending those funds and redirect when needed to communities with the most need.
"If that is some of those underserved communities, then that's where we need to start," she said. "There's some ... newer developments in town that may not need it quite as quickly. It is important to work especially in those older communities and work in those underserved communities to make sure that they have it."
Scrivner, who served on the city council from 2008-16, said in his time on the council spending funds in the communities with the most need was the top priority.
"They always came to use with a list of where there were failures," he said. "I know we repaired a large number of pump stations. ... That was something that staff came to us and pointed and said we need to do it. ... It would be very difficult for someone to go out and say, 'we're going to privatize all the wealthy areas, we're going to prioritize all of the poorer areas.' It's really done on an as needed basis. ... I think if there's need there, and there probably is because that's a lot of older homes, that's where the focus will be."