• BY DAVID TEWES - DTEWES@VICAD.COM
• Originally published November 17, 2009 at 8:45 p.m., updated November 18, 2009 at 9:10 a.m.

• OTHER BUSINESS

  The city council also voted Tuesday to refinance revenue bonds issued in the late 1990s.

  A financial advisor told the city council that will save taxpayers $1.72 million.

  He also said the city's bond rating is so good ...

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OTHER BUSINESS

The city council also voted Tuesday to refinance revenue bonds issued in the late 1990s.

A financial advisor told the city council that will save taxpayers $1.72 million.

He also said the city's bond rating is so good there would be no benefit from insuring the refinancing bonds. That saved $100,000.

Funding for property for a new sewer plant in south Victoria was voted down Tuesday after the city council heard protests from people living near the land.

But that doesn't mean plans to build the plant are dead.

"I would like to educate Victoria on the other options and the cost of those options," Council Member Joe Truman said. "We need to have the community buy in."

The vote against a $375,000 budget amendment to buy the property failed 4-3. Voting against it were Truman and council members Denise Rangel, Gabriel Soliz and David Hagan.

Truman then asked the city council to conduct a workshop on Dec. 1 to talk to constituents about possible other sites and what they would cost.

The property is along Southwest Ben Jordan Street between Laurent Street and Hand Road. Residents nearby have said they are concerned about odor from the plant affecting them as well as Hopkins Magnet School, the Boys and Girls Club of Victoria and a convent.

One of the city's current sewer plants is nearing capacity and the other has outlived its useful life, prompting the city to build a new one. Public Works Director Lynn Short said federal and state regulators require the city to have it in operation by 2015.

That would mean buying the property this year and beginning construction on the $19.7 million facility in 2013.

Mayor Will Armstrong said he is now concerned about meeting the deadline. "This is a big, gigantic situation we need to resolve."

Resident Rose McNary said she has difficulty believing city staff and consultants that odor will not be a problem with the new plant.

"The odor of feces is never killed," she said. "It's not healthy."

McNary also said as a nurse she knows germs and viruses can travel by air and affect adjacent neighborhoods.

Robert Dawson said he is concerned that the odor would affect his customers at Dad's RV Park, which pays $17,000 a year in taxes and has 86 sites.

"My biggest problem is all my customers have wheels under their homes," he said. "If it stinks, they're going to leave."

Emett Alvarez asked the city council members if they would like the sewer plant near their homes.

"These folks have invested their lives in their homes and lived there many, many years," he said. "Then you're going to put a plant next to them?"

Council Member Paul Polasek said he understands the people are worried about the proposed sewer plant.

"I am confident there will be no problem," he said. "I'm confident we will do it right."

Polasek also said the Willow Street sewer plant would be closed. He noted that it's based on old technology and probably does produce an odor that affects even more people.

Consultant Allen Woelke said he's built 20 sewer plants in 20 years and there have been no problems with odor or disease outbreaks.

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