DANVILLE — The city could soon have a new yard waste site.

City council members Tuesday night approved purchasing farmland for $75,000 from Daniel Schlorff on the east end of Liberty Lane for the city’s new landscape waste recycling facility.

Council members had already approved an extended option to purchase the land through the end of November. The option price was $1,000.

Public Works Director Doug Ahrens said the city still hasn’t heard about the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency permit. He still hopes to hear by the end of the month.

The land purchase is pending the IEPA approval.

Also Tuesday, council members approved applying for Illinois Environment Protection Agency clean water initiative loan funds to replace, upgrade and improve the sanitary sewer system serving northwest Danville in the area west of Lake Vermilion.

The application would be to the IEPA State Revolving Fund Water Pollution Control Loan Program to assist with construction, sub-consulting and land acquisition for the project. The city will apply for $4.5 million.

The preferred alternative for the project eliminates a sanitary sewer crossing of Lake Vermilion, reduces the amount of force main adjacent to the lake and eliminates difficult-to-maintain gravity sewer in wood ravines.

The sewer service area includes Denvale, Denvale West, the Danville Country Club, Chateau Estates and New Rose Hill Cove.

In other business Tuesday, council members:

• Approved a collective bargaining agreement with Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 703 clerical union. The contract goes back to May 1, 2011, and covers 15 city employees. Most of the employees are records clerks.

There is no salary increase the first year, but there is a 3 percent increase the second year and 3.5 percent increases the third and fourth years of the contract.

In years two through four of the contract, employees will pay 10 percent of the insurance premium.

Mayor Scott Eisenhauer said the increases in wages are a reflection of the increases in health insurance contributions.

“It’s pretty break even,” he said of the salary raises and insurance cost increases the employees will contribute to the city’s increasing health insurance costs.

Some longevity steps also were eliminated, in addition to some other contract changes.

Eisenhauer added the city will be able to manage and control pension costs more by reducing the longevity steps.

He said the contract will cost the city $15,000 more in salary increases, but the higher insurance contributions should offset the cost.

“We tried to get close to break even,” he said.

• Authorized the acquisition of property for the Fairchild overpass improvement project.

During construction, a couple properties on the south side of Fairchild Street between Rogers and Collett streets were found to have sanitary aeration sewer systems discharging into the storm sewer.

City officials want to replace the aeration systems with a public sanitary sewer to connect to the existing public system in the alley between Rogers and Baldwin.

The city is purchasing 651 E. Fairchild for $500 for a permanent easement from Dorothy Blalock.

Larry and Wilma Nicholson is then selling the city an easement at 647-649 E. Fairchild St. for obtaining the vacant lot at 651 E. Fairchild St., and a cash amount of $250.

There still would be a permanent easement for installing and maintaining the public sewer at 651 E. Fairchild.

• Approved purchasing properties through the Vermilion County Trustee for $16,617.
• Authorized the sale of 805, 807 and 811 Hazel St. for $20,000 to Danville School District 118 for parking lot purposes.