Disposing of liquid sludge as fertilizer will benefit the City of Union economically.

Union City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to award the bid for disposal of sludge generated by the city’s waste water treatment system to EMA Resources Inc. of Mocksville, N.C. for $342,450. Utility director Joe Nichols said that over the life of the three-year contract, EMA will dispose of 6 million gallons of liquid sludge generated by the Tosch Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant; 810 tons of solid sludge to be hauled to the landfill from the Meng Creek plant; and 800,000 gallons of liquid sludge from the Meng Creek facility. He said it will cost 0.0349 cents a gallon to dispose of the liquid sludge and $129.79 a ton to haul solid sludge to the landfill.

EMA will transport the liquid sludge to county farms with permits from DHEC allowing them to use it as fertilizer. Nichols said disposing of the sludge in this manner is more economical than sending it to the landfill. The liquid sludge is provided free of charge to the farmers.

Nichols said sludge with a high concentration of metals cannot be disposed of through land application but must instead be sent to a landfill. He said the difference in the cost is due to the dewatering process used to dry out the sludge before it can be transported for disposal.

Council also approved second and final reading of an ordinance authorizing city staff to borrow up to $250,000 to purchase a new garbage truck. The city will purchase the truck from Amick Equipment through a lease-purchase agreement. The truck costs $247,000 and the balance of the funds will be used to cover any legal fees, sales taxes and other expenses associated with purchasing the vehicle in this manner.

In a related matter, council approved a resolution authorizing city staff to borrow the money for the purchase from BB&T. Finance director Walker Gallman said lease-purchase agreement will be financed at a rate of 3.04 percent over five years for a total cost of $270,199.

Council also voted to award the bid for clearing power lines off trees and branches to Caldwell Landscaping & Clearing Inc. for $2,713.20 per 40-hour week.

Council also authorized Mayor Harold Thompson to contract with Terry Fant, CPA, to perform the annual audit of all city financial records and transactions over the next three years for $87,200.

All municipalities are required by state law to have an annual audit of their finances performed by an outside agency.