HERMANN — With voter approval for bond financing in hand, Hermann’s consulting engineer can move forward with drafting more specific plans for long-term upgrades to the city’s sewer system — a move at providing better service and keeping state government regulators at bay.

The city’s Board of Aldermen Monday night accepted the election results from the Aug. 6 voting on the proposed $15-million revenue bond issue. By approving the sale of bonds, voters save substantial money that they would have paid in interest if the city had to go into the open market to finance the work — which must be done, given the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) warnings about environmental violation resulting from the aging sanitary sewer system.

“A big ‘Thank You’ to everyone who got out to vote,” said Mayor Bruce Cox at Monday night’s aldermanic session. City voters approved the bond issue by a vote of 442-109, more than a 4-to-1 positive margin. The impressive win at the ballot box was attributed to the efforts of City Administrator Patricia Heaney and others in municipal government to educate voters about the need for the bonds.

“I’m very happy it turned out the way it did,” the mayor added.

At the top of the city’s To-Do List regarding the sewer system is the relocation of the lift station at Lions Field. That station, which is in the Frene Creek floodplain and often is inaccessible because of flooding, appears to be the primary concern of the DNR. In the past, the city has shut down the lift station during times of flooding, but DNR says that violates the U.S. Clean Water Act because it results in backed-up sewers and overflows out of the old system.

Other upgrades on the drawing board include replacement of the city’s old clay sewer pipes that empty into the city’s wastewater treatment facility near the Industrial Park on Highway 100. Improvements to that facility also are planned. The work is expected to be stretched over the next decade for 10 to 15 years.

“Hopefully, we can make some long-term fixes” on the system, noted Hermann Public Works Director Jesse Geltz in his report to the aldermen.

Meanwhile, the mayor used his forum to caution motorists about the soon-to-be-seen school students along the city streets. With the new school year beginning Tuesday, Aug. 20, in the Gasconade County R-1 School District, Cox reminded motorists that the presence of students might complicate an already taxing time of having to maneuver around the construction of a new Frene Creek bridge on Highway 19.

“Be patient; be alert,” the mayor urged.

Regarding the new span, Heaney noted that plans are being developed for a Grand Re-Opening Ceremony for Friday morning, Sept. 6, to mark the resumption of traffic across the creek. An exact date for completion of the three-month project hasn’t been announced by the Missouri Department of Transportation, but state officials have said they believe it will be done by the end of August — still too late to keep R-1 buses from having to negotiate the detours in transporting students to and from school and activities out of town.

On another front, the city administrator advised the board that a piece of legislation is expected to be introduced next session aimed at giving city police the authority to enforce the availability of handicapped parking spaces for the handicapped.

Like parking spaces in general, spaces reserved for the handicapped are limited in Downtown Hermann and often used by vehicles not displaying a handicapped license plate or placard.

Finding possible locations for additional parking spaces — and, presumably, more handicapped spaces – is a joint effort by City Hall and the Hermann Regional Economic Development (HRED) Corporation. More parking spaces are seen as key to attempts to foster economic growth in the county seat community.

In other items taken up at the BOA’s first regular session of the month, approval was granted to a bill that sets the city’s property tax rates for this year. City Clerk Corey Orr reported that state government has increased the city’s tax rate ceiling for this year. The proposal before the aldermen sets the General Fund tax at .3656 cents per $100 assessed valuation; the Parks tax at .0095 cents; and the Municipal Band tax at .0103 cents. That makes a total city property tax rate of .3854 cents per $100 assessed valuation.

The total value of property within Hermann increased this year by $394,069, which will produce an additional $2,715 over last year’s amount. The property tax revenue for this year, based on the new rates, should be $178,895, Orr reported.