By Kevin Jefferies
Commerce – There will be a brand new emergency generator at the Commerce Wastewater Treatment Plant soon. The Commerce City Council approved acceptance of a bid to provide and install a new generator in regular session last night by a 3-2 vote. Penny belcher, Billie Biggerstaff, and Mayor Sheryl Zelhart voted in favor of buying the generator, while John Sands and Hector Arce voted against. The new generator will cost around $83,000.
Biggerstaff expressed her displeasure that this issue took so long for city staff to bring the council the requested options.
Commerce has been without a functional back-up generator for about eight years. The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality requires some form of back-up power to be in place.