Wright City has enlisted a financial advising firm to provide its service during negotiations for the sale of the city’s sewer and water systems.WM Financial Strategies, based in St. Louis, will assist in the due diligence of examining how the sale would impact the city’s finances, Treasurer and City Clerk Karen Girondo said.The city began negotiating with Public Water Supply District 2 (PWSD 2) out of St. Charles County in April. Officials are hoping to divest the sewer and water system in order to avoid costly upgrades mandated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. That could in turn keep utility rates lower for Wright City residents, Mayor David Heiliger said.Heiliger explained that PWSD 2 already has much of the mandated infrastructure that Wright City lacks. Now it comes down to how much PWSD 2 will offer to purchase the city’s system and what other requirements, such as a five-year rate freeze, could be added to the deal. PWSD 2 would have to pay for the value of all the equipment, infrastructure and real estate associated with the systems, as well as assuming about $2.6 million in debt from a 2008 sewer treatment plant upgrade.There are a lot of factors and public assets at play in the negotiations, which is where WM Financial Strategies comes in to provide expert advising through the process. The firm specializes in municipal government projects, most recently including helping the city of Warrenton plan for how to finance a new city park and aquatic center.The Wright City Board of Aldermen voted 4-0 to approve a contract with WM Financial Strategies.Sewer