Monticello alderman Tuesday approved spending town funds to havethe sewer system mapped and to purchase a new sewer washer.

While attempting to study the sewer system for a plannedimprovement project funded by a state grant, officials discoveredthe town did not have a complete master plan for the system, saidMayor David Nichols.

“There is not a complete set of plans for the sewer system ofMonticello to be found in the town,” he said. “It’s ridiculous wedon’t have them.”

Some neighborhood plans are complete, Nichols said, while othersmay only have a map of the system without elevations and pipingsizes. Other discrepancies were also found.

The mayor said he and Public Works Director Bobby Selman wereaware of some discrepancies in the plans because they frequentlycause problems when the sanitation department needs to work on thelines. However, they did not realize the problem was so widespreaduntil they needed a master plan of all neighborhoods to determineupgrades and improvements under the state grant.

Funding for completing the master plan, which will be drafted bythe town engineer, may be obtained through the sewer grant alreadyin effect, Nichols said.

The board, however, approved payment of up to $8,000 for themaster plan from the general fund should the grant not cover thosecosts.

The board also approved the mayor’s office to seek bids for anew sewer washer to replace its aging equipment.

The sewer washer, and the new truck to mount it on, are expectedto cost the town approximately $90,000. The new unit would beexpected to last a minimum of 15 to 20 years, Nichols said. Thetown’s existing sewer washer was purchased in the 1970s.