As the city prepares to fix an overburdened sewer system, council members are moving forward with sewer expansion and possibly building a new one south of the city.

Two months ago a big-time developer from Tennessee said he would build a sewer system depending on the economy. But the City of Bullard cannot wait for the economy to get better, Mayor Pro Temp Rodger Johnson said on Monday.

"We are focusing on immediate needs with an eye on the future," he said.

Bullard needs immediate sewer relief for housing in Bullard and commercial businesses along the State Highway 69 corridor and downtown.

The city will hear from a firm in the next council meeting on options to expand the existing sewer plant. Johnson said the city earmarked $1 million two years ago for a sewer project.

As a result, the city can expand the existing sewer project without increasing one dime of taxes, as long as the project comes in under $1 million.

City Manager Larry Morgan said prices are starting to go down and it is a good time to expand. Contractors are looking for work.

The expanded project should give the city 250,000 gallons of sewer capacity, opposed to an existing 215,000 gallons.

On an average winter day, usage is about 195,000 gallons. But if it rains continuously for several days or if Bullard gets hit with several inches of rain in a couple of hours, then the sewer plant could treat more than 300,000 gallons.

Although this is rare, the jump in treatment is caused from rainwater seeping into the sewer lines which is called Infiltration and Inflow.

So far the city has located several areas where either tree trunks are in sewer lines or where there is not a watertight seal on sewer connections from houses. But on average, this only contributes to some of the sewer capacity issues, Morgan said.

"We are growing," he said.

To prepare for the growth, the city must keep an eye to the future. And this means, that the city will look into building a new plant south of the City of Bullard, whether a big-time developer helps or not.

Council Woman Teresa Adams-Wilks has been in charge of a committee to determine how to work with the developers. But she said she has not spoken with developer William Adair in three or four week.

"I'm not sure where we are standing with that right now," she said.

She also said unless something else comes up a new sewer plant will be postponed because the city cannot afford to build a new sewer plant on.

The next council meeting they discuss sewer options and how to move forward on expanding the existing sewer plant.

In other City news:

The City is looking into launching a Web site to attract commercial industries, post meetings and keep the public informed of city information.