By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
In Executive Session Tuesday evening the St. Charles City Council authorized City Attorney, Mike Valenti, to file for a Restraining Order to stop East Central Missouri Water and Sewer Authority (ECM) from making any sewer connections to the City system. This would affect new homes in the T.R. Hughes St. Andrews development.
The City had placed a moratorium on connections in October of 2004. The Hughes’ St. Andrews development had 58 homes connected to the City system through ECM prior to the moratorium. The development is approximately 110 acres and 339 single family homes are planned.
ECM, calling the City’s moratorium illegal, allowed Hughes to resume hooking up last week.
ECM has been providing sewer service to County residents for many years, using their connections to the City system. Last year members of the City Council discovered a flow valve, used to measure the flow from County residents, was inoperable and had not been working for a good number of years. The Council also discovered ECM was paying rates much lower than those being paid by City residents.
The flow valve was repaired and ECM began arguing with the City about the amount of flow and charges the City wanted to apply. An evaluation of ECM was considered for possible purchase by the City but it was thought the system was in disrepair.
The Public Works Committee of the Council recommended a moratorium be placed on any additional hookups and ECM was notified.
Although Developer T.R. Hughes worked in opposition to a number of Council candidates who were elected, they say this is not a political matter. Their problem is not with T.R. Hughes. Their problem is with ECM.
Hughes had an opportunity to have his subdivision annexed into the City but choose not to. He evidently did not want to comply with restrictions, such as storm water, the City was insisting on.
