East Moline voters OK sewer, water issues

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By Dustin Lemmon | Tuesday, April 17, 2007 11:47 PM CDT | () comments

East Moline residents approved a referendum and project Tuesday on two separate votes to issue $39.5 million in revenue bonds to pay for improvements to the city’s water and sewer systems.

The first proposition was to authorize the expansion and improvement of the systems and passed with 669 in favor and 536 opposed, or 55.52 percent to 44.48 percent.

The second proposition was to issue the bonds for the purpose of making the improvements, which also passed by a vote of 665 to 534, or 55.46 percent to 44.54 percent.

According to East Moline officials, the aging systems need the repairs and upgrades, but in a backlash against the planned Triumph Foods hog processing plant, a citizens group circulated a petition with 1,300 signatures requiring a measure.

The bonds will be repaid through the city’s water and sewer revenues. The cost of work to repair the systems likely will bring sewer and water rate increases, city officials said.

If the measure did not pass, the city would have faced a higher interest rate on the bonds when they were issued, city officials said.

According to city staff, some water pipes are more than 100 years old and many are deteriorating. The sewer and water treatment plants also are old.

The city is not increasing the capacity of the sewage treatment plant because of Triumph, city engineer Tim Krammler said. TIF funds will be used to pay for a new water tower and infrastructure connections to the Triumph plant, he added.

Improvements to the city’s wastewater plant are needed in response to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violation, he said.

Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at

(563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at www.qctimes.com.