Walton is moving forward with the first steps of its project to improve its wastewater treatment system.
At a meeting Tuesday evening, the city council accepted a bid for $23,760 from Dirt Werks AG, a family-owned concrete and excavation business, to clear vegetation and large trees at the site for the city’s improved wastewater treatment facilities.
The need for an improved sewer system has been months in the making. Currently, Walton’s sewer system operates at nearly 80% capacity.
Walton then implemented a moratorium on the system, meaning that no new homes or businesses can be connected to it, stunting further development in the city.
After the vegetation is cleared, the city’s next steps would be to conduct technical testing at the site to prepare for the design and construction of new tanks. According to City Engineer Matt Bogen, Walton plans to install two new holding tanks.
The first tank is expected to be ready for bidding next summer, with construction taking approximately two years. The second tank is anticipated to be ready decades from now, as needed.
The addition of the first tank would add about 200,000 gallons to the city’s current capacity of about 750,000 gallons, and is expected to increase Walton’s sewer capacity by more than 50%, according to Mayor Terri Courtney.
To pay for the project, last estimated at around $5 million, City Council will implement a 2% occupational tax at the start of 2026 on all Walton workers. According to City Attorney Michael Duncan, officials plan to enter an interlocal agreement with Boone County to collect the tax quarterly on behalf of the city for a 10% fee, with the ability to negotiate in the future.
According to newly appointed City Administrator John Wainwright, the fee paid to Boone County would be approximately equivalent to the cost of hiring a new city employee to collect the tax.
“The work is big enough that we’re either going to have to hire an employee to specifically do that work, or repay the county,” said Wainwright. “We’re going to come out of pocket from a collection agency anyway, because someone has to do all the work, and we have to buy software, we have to hire a person. When we look at the outbuild cost of doing it in-house, it’s probably going to be pretty much in line.”