An alternate design proposal for a sewer pretreatment project to block items from entering the city of Warrenton's system from the Warren County Courthouse was rejected Tuesday night by Warrenton aldermen. Board members unanimously made the decision after hearing concerns about the proposed design, particularly that garbage, clothes and other items being removed from the sewer may include raw sewage and would not be properly disposed of. Should that occur, the city could potentially be in violation of Missouri Department of Natural Resources regulations. The city's decision will now mean the county needs to proceed with the original design plan that had been agreed upon by both the county and city in October. That design featured a bar screen system to catch items before they enter the city's sewer system and a platform with holes where the debris would be able to dry prior to being removed by a county maintenance employee. The dispute between the city and county has been ongoing since February when city workers discovered a jail jumpsuit and other garbage that had clogged the city's sewer main. The city requested the sewer pretreatment improvements since every manhole overflow must be reported as a violation to DNR. City officials are worried that similar blockages could cause damage to the sewer system. Under city codes, it's unlawful for any type of garbage to be discharged into the city's sewer main. Since opening bids on Nov. 21, the county commission has yet to take any action and award a contract on the sewer pretreatment project that was expected to have been started by now. Heggemann Inc. submitted the low bid of $55,353 for the project, while three other bids ranged from $57,116 to $118,600. Heggemann also voluntarily submitted a second bid for an alternate design. Commissioners had interest in Heggemann's alternate proposal since it would save the county $20,000 to $25,000. Public Works Director Guy Gevers, along with engineers for both the city and county, reviewed the voluntary alternate with representatives from Heggemann Inc. on Dec. 1. The proposed alternate design included a removable trash basket for the sewage to flow into, with the basket to be removed on guide rails for cleaning. The city recommended a second basket to be put in place while the first basket was out of the flow line for cleaning since there would be nothing to continue stopping large debris. Gevers told the board Tuesday night he informed the county's engineers about his recommendations, but failed to get any response prior to Tuesday night's meeting. "We want them to install another basket so they can switch it out, to allow (raw sewage) to drip off into the sewer," Gevers said. "I have not heard back from them. I don't believe we should accept what they want to do here. My worry is, I want it to sit inside a pit for at least a day, let the water drip off, hose it off as needed and dispose of it in the trash can. My issue is keeping the area clean." With representatives from Wilson Waste Systems and Christian Environmental in attendance at Tuesday's meeting while awaiting for the trash hauling bid to be awarded, Mayor Greg Costello asked whether or not there were regulations faced by the companies as well to accept the items. Keith Wilson, owner of Wilson Waste, responded by stating, "If it's untreated, it's not supposed to be accepted. If it's debris, I would assume it has to be treated and processed before you're allowed to throw it into the (trash) container." Until the pretreatment improvements are complete, the county will continue to be billed for daily sewer cleanouts performed by the city. Between Oct. 13 and Nov. 20, the county has accrued $8,439.86 in cleanout charges. A wide assortment of items that have been removed on a daily basis by city crews include clothes, food wrappers and toothbrushes.