Wright City officials are requesting proposals for purchasing the city’s sewer system.The city’s board of aldermen approved the request as it weighs the option of divesting ownership of the city’s network of pipes, pumps and treatment plant.Mayor David Heiliger said new requirements from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources are pushing the city to make costly upgrades, causing the board to wonder if selling the system might be more cost effective for citizens.“With all the new code, it’s almost impossible to keep the system up to date, and very expensive,” Heiliger said. “Just to make one upgrade is $1 million or $2 million.”According to the request for proposals, the city also has nearly $2.6 million of current debt associated with the sewer system. That stems from a 2008 project to completely revamp the city’s sewer treatment plant. City Treasurer Karen Girondo said that was a $3.5 million project made necessary by changing state regulations.More new regulations mean the city is facing additional costly upgrades to stay in compliance, Girondo said. The DNR gives wastewater districts a number of years to make the changes, but Girondo said the department has started flagging the city for violations, pushing officials to take action.The board hasn’t yet decided whether it will sell the system. The point of requesting proposals is to gather information, Heiliger said, so the board can consider what course of action would be best for the city’s residents.“We want to see what would be cheaper for residents,” Heiliger said. “Of course, we would negotiate terms and prices for the future. We don’t want someone to come in, buy low and then raise prices.”Any entity that offers to purchase the sewer system would be required to assume the city’s debt on top of paying for all equipment and property related to the network, according to the city’s request for proposals. Potential buyers must also show they have the means to maintain and expand the system as necessary.Heiliger said the city hasn’t yet studied the details of such a deal. Once the board of aldermen has more information from potential buyers, they will consider the issue again more fully, he said.Wright City