The Troy City Council heard several compelling arguments at their meeting Tuesday about putting a sewer system in at Butter and Egg Road.

Four of the five landowners who spoke opposed the $81,000-plus project.

Jean Starling, who lives on Butter and Egg Road, said she has been asking for a sewer system for years, but is now opposed to it.

&uot;I don't want it,&uot; she told the council.

&uot;I don't have the money to help build it.&uot;

Larry Bland, whose family is building a house on Butter and Egg Road, began petitioning for the city sewer.

Starling, who signed the petition in the beginning, asked that her name be removed.

She said she was not aware that the cost would include assessment fees.

&uot;I thought we would just pay to tap in and then pay a monthly fee,&uot; she said.

She admitted the sewer system might increase the value of her property, but she said it isn't worth paying $8,000-$10,000.

Starling did say that if the cost were less expensive, she would reconsider.

Amaryllis Jones and Jennifer Hayes also expressed opposition.

Jones, like Starling, had also signed the petition.

But after she learned of the expenses, she also asked for her name to be removed.

&uot;I didn't understand that there would be all these assessment fees,&uot; she said.

Hayes also said she couldn't afford to pay for the system.

Carol Amos only owns property and does not live on Butter and Egg Road, but the sewer system would run along her property, meaning she would have to pay for it as well.

Amos, who has been developing property for years, said she strongly opposed the project.

Amos owns approximately 900 linear feet, and at the estimation of $36 and one-third cent per linear foot, she would have to pay between $16,000 and $17,000 for nearby houses to have sewer access.

Not only that, Amos said her property is a poor place to put a sewer line.

She has a beaver pond and several slopes that make her property hard to develop.

&uot;I've owned that land since 1970 and have chosen not to develop it,&uot; she said.

&uot;I don't think the city should tell me how to develop my land.&uot;

Bland, the one who started the petition, was the only one who spoke in strong favor for it.

&uot;We are raising the value of our property,&uot; he said.

&uot;This will be a great asset to our community.&uot;

Council members made no decision on the matter and said they would discuss and investigate the project in light of the residents' concerns.

Mayor Jimmy Lunsford pointed out that the planning board will now require new developments to use a sewer system if they are to be included in Troy city limits.

In other business, the council approved Ordinances 209 and 210, which allows the city to assess the cost of removing nuisance weeds.

The council also passed Resolution 616 allowing the city to apply for a Community Development Block Grant Community Enhancement Fund grant for $250,000 to renovate the old U.S. Post Office into a Cultural Arts Center.

Lunsford felt confidant they would receive the grant.

The council also reappointed Earl Smith to a five-year term as Airport Authority and Doug Patterson to a five-year term as Troy City School Board President.

During his comments, Lunsford commended the Troy Police Department on their efficiency, especially with the arrest of Carl Jiles in the assault and burglary case involving Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gorman.

He also stated that further action was being taken in relation to two businesses that did not have licenses and were a community eyesore.

&uot;We cannot afford to have people put junk yards in the city,&uot; he said.

Councilman Charles Meeks also asked Police Chief Anthony Everage to have his officers pay special attention to the noise on Elm Street and George Wallace Drive as they patrol the area in the early morning hours.