The Montevallo City Council is out of the water and sewer business.

Meeting in an extension of a regular City Council meeting last Tuesday night, Feb. 14, the City Council voted unanimously to authorize Mayor Sharon Anderson to sign a contract with the Water and Sewer Board.

Councilmember Greg Pendleton said the water board offered to take the water and sewer system off the city&8217;s hands, &8220;and we were happy to oblige that.&8221;

&8220;I think that water and sewer concerns in the appropriate hands,&8221; he said. &8220;The city should have never got into this. But I think it turned out OK.&8221;

Claud Elledge, chairman of the Montevallo Water and Sewer Board, said his board had previously approved a resolution authorizing him to sign a contract with the city.

According to a copy of the &8220;indenture&8221; provided by City Clerk Carey Thompson, the city will grant, sell, transfer and deliver to the Montevallo Water and Sewer Board, &8220;all its rights, title and interests in the Montevallo Water and Sewer System, including lines, rights-of-way, easements, fee simple interests and ownership of any and all property used in the acquisition, collection, transport, storage, treatment and processing of fresh water and of sanitary wastewater, whether said property be personal, real or mixed.&8221;

The Water and Sewer Board agreed to pay some $128,389 as repayment for Nichols Contracting Company for an extension of sewer from St. Thomas to Ebenezer Road (County 24); $69,110 as repayment for a future amount due to Nichols Contacting Company to conclude the sewer extension contract from St. Thomas Church to Ebenezer Road; $170,000 for repayment to Wade Plumbing for extension of sewer from The American Village to County 22; or a total of $286,500 to the city, representing the costs of extending the sewer collection lines north of The American Village.

A payment of some $69,110 is immediately payable to the city upon presentation of a due and payable bill from Nichols, upon which the city will pay Nichols.

The remaining amount will be paid in five installments with the first due Aug. 31 and the last due Aug. 31, 2010.

A further payment of $48,753.83 will be made from the Water and Sewer Board to the city when the Lusco property northeast of Moore&8217;s Crossroads is annexed into the city.

The Water and Sewer Board also accepted the responsibility for transporting and processing sanitary sewer generated by Hidden Forest and Lakes of Hidden Forest subdivisions.

Attending the council meeting from the Water Board were Elledge and Water Board Manager Jim Wilson.

&8220;I&8217;m glad it&8217;s done. It gets them out of the water and sewer business and give everything to us and gives (us) control,&8221; Elledge said.

Councilmember Becky Cox-Rodgers said of the council action to get out of the water and sewer business, &8220;I think we were lucky. They (the Water and Sewer Board) did not have to take it on.&8221;

She said the only cost to the city would be about $16,000 in engineering fees