To assist voters to make informed choices in the June 2 municipal election (rescheduled from April) and to accommodate those who wish to cast absentee ballots, the Leader will present its Voters Guide on its website. Each day, a new contested race or ballot issue will be posted at myleaderpaper.com.
Absentee voting for the June 2 election is open now. Absentee voters can cast their ballots at the Jefferson County Administration Center, 729 Maple St., Hillsboro, or by mail. The deadline to request a mail-in absentee ballot is May 20. To request a mail-in ballot or for other information concerning the election, call the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office at 636-797-5486.
Today, we focus on a ballot issue concerning the Olympian Village sewer system. Tomorrow, the Voters Guide concludes with a look at the municipal races in Kimmswick and Scotsdale.
Olympian Village leaders have placed a proposition on the June 2 ballot that asks voters to give them permission to sell the city’s wastewater treatment system.
Proposition A requires a simple majority vote to pass.
The municipal sewer system had been a headache to city leaders for years before recent improvements were completed.
Now that the system is functioning properly, it’s a good time to sell, Mayor Adrianne Hulvey said, so city officials can have someone else maintain it in the future.
“It has been kind of an ongoing difficulty for the aldermen and mayor,” she said. “It’s currently up to code. It has all its licensing and permits.”
City Clerk Carolyn McDowell said the city has heard from parties interested in buying the system. However, she would not say who those potential buyers are.
Olympian Village, an incorporated subdivision east of De Soto with about 770 residents, has been plagued for years with a lack of government – with no one running for municipal board seats and volunteers essentially operating the city – and the city’s wastewater treatment plant had deteriorated to the point that it had drawn the attention of the state Department of Natural Resources.
For instance, a DNR spokesman at the time said the state Attorney General’s Office was notified Jan. 26, 2016, about problems at the plant.
Since then, however, both the city’s leadership and the condition of the municipal wastewater treatment system have improved, McDowell said.
“There are so many (sewer system) improvements,” she said. “For one, we needed an ultraviolet (disinfection) system for E.coli. We did that. That was huge. We’ve put in new motors, other improvements.”
Hulvey said all four current Board of Aldermen members – Cindy Kite, Ron Wilson, Dave Berry and Anthony Aubuchon – support the measure.
“The board unanimously approved putting it on the ballot,” she said. “We have an opportunity for our voters to tell us if they’re willing to have it sold. I believe, while we are on top, it is a good idea to see how the residents feel about selling it.”
McDowell said the interest from potential buyers also makes it a good time to sell the system.
“It’s something we would like to do,” she said.