Engineers for the city of Warrenton and Warren County Commission are still in the process of finalizing the design for sewer pretreatment improvements to resolve a dispute between both entities. The firms representing both sides have traded letters in the past week, including a letter from the city offering several modifications to the proposed plans. Commissioners propose installing a bar screen system that will block and catch items that have been flushed down toilets in the courthouse to prevent them from entering the city’s sewer system. The items will then be removed by a county maintenance employee. The pretreatment project, commissioners said, will be designed in a way to allow for a grinder to be installed at a future time if the screen system fails to be an effective solution. After reviewing the county’s proposed sewer pretreatment improvements for the first time, along with an engineer from Gonzalez Companies, LLC, Public Works Director Guy Gevers said in a letter to the county that he was “prepared to recommend the installation of the bar screen without the grinder at this time” provided a few modifications are made to the design. Until the sewer pretreatment improvements are made, the city indicated in a follow-up letter to Sheriff Kevin Harrison that it will clean the manhole that services the courthouse facility on a daily basis and the cleaning charges will be added to the county’s monthly sewer bill. Last week, Warrenton city officials agreed to extend a deadline that would have shut off water and sewer service to the courthouse this week. The two entities have been in a dispute on how to prevent clothing and other items from entering the city’s sewer system. In February, city workers discovered a jail jumpsuit and other garbage that apparently had been stuffed down toilets by inmates at the county jail and blocked the city’s sewer main. In August, the city threatened to cut off water and sewer service to the Warren County Courthouse if the county did not make its preferred sewer pretreatment improvements by Oct. 12. In a closed session meeting Oct. 4, aldermen voted to extend the deadline after receiving a letter from Harrison expressing concerns about disrupting the operations of the jail and other possible issues. If service was shut off, that would have forced Harrison to move around 100 inmates to nearby jails, a costly endeavor. In the same meeting, aldermen chose not to take any action on a request from the commission for a 60-day extension because the county failed to recognize the city’s authority to impose specific sewer pretreatment requirements. When asked about the city’s decision to extend the shut-off deadline, Warren County commissioners said they were pleased to see that the dispute could be resolved soon. “I’m happy we’re making progress,” Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said. Commissioners on Tuesday said once the design plans are finalized, the county will then be able to publish a legal notice advertising the project, a process that will last for three weeks. The project should then be awarded soon after. Commissioners have balked at installing a grinder system — the city’s preferred pretreatment method — because they believe a basket screen system is a cheaper and reliable solution. While the city feels it has the authority to impose specific sewer pretreatment requirements, such as the grinder, commissioners disagree. They said the city’s code book does not include any regulations requiring a grinder to be installed. The city is requesting the sewer pretreatment improvements since every manhole overflow must be reported as a violation to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and worries that similar incidents 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 system.