Within the next few years, the City of Webster City will put shovels to the ground for a new, $78 million wastewater treatment facility. There’s still land to acquire, and several items to take care of — even if it means using legal methods to attain the necessary property.
Within the next few years, the City of Webster City will put shovels to the ground for a new, $78 million wastewater treatment facility. There’s still land to acquire, and several items to take care of — even if it means using legal methods to attain the necessary property.
The City Council of Webster City passed a resolution for an engagement letter with Ahlers & Cooney, P.C., a law firm based out of Des Moines, which is a move regarding the facility’s easement acquisition services.
“We’ve already worked with Ahlers & Cooney on a number of facets and, just a few months ago, the council approved the engagement letter to work with them on our electric and wastewater utilities,” said Daniel Ortiz-Hernandez, City Manager. “As we continue the path to develop our new wastewater treatment plant, we need to lean on their services when it comes to property owners and acquiring the necessary easements for our force main path.”
“We’ve been dealing with one property owner that we’ve engaged with for the better part of the past two years,” Ortiz-Hernandez added. “We need to engage with Ahlers & Cooney and make some steps on that.”
According to the memorandum within the council’s agenda, “the wastewater treatment facility is currently in the planning and design phase” and “involves construction of two sewer force mains and outfall piping from the new facility site to the Boone River, there are additional easements and property the city will need to acquire.”
The memorandum also stated that the City of Webster City had “exhausted all good faith efforts to negotiate” with one property owner related to the sewer force main’s route. This has prompted the city to pursue Iowa Code Section 6B, where “if the public project is deemed necessary, it can be acquired through eminent domain or condemnation.”
The motion was passed unanimously.
Within a 22-minute timespan, the council also passed two resolutions to reacquire the fifth and sixth additions within the Brewer Creek Estates.
All together, there were eight lots that were included in a 2019 purchase agreement with J. Larson Homes. Due to the development of the lots not occurring within an 18-month timeframe, the city had requested for the lots to be returned to municipal ownership.
“The first resolution is the city accepting the lots back,” said Zach Chizek, City Attorney. “It’s after the fact.”
The second resolution would appeal to Hamilton County and allow the property taxes accumulated in that timeframe to be diminished.
“The second resolution is asking the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors to abate the outstanding property taxes that are on the property,” Chizek said. “Once the council approves, we can take this to the supervisor for their approval.”
The amount of the property taxes was a little over $15,000.
View the article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.
Last modified: July 6, 2023