White said the residents' early and adamant resistance during the conditional-use phase has been a burden on the district and ultimately on sewer ratepayers — moreso than a lobbyist will be.

"The whole issue we've got is the need for a treatment facility, and due to the small number of property owners that have gotten involved and the amount of expense we've gone through . . . I'm not sure why they're talking about waste when they're the ones that have been forcing us to go through issues that are not required for a conditional-use permit," White said.

He said the fight has cost $100,000 more than it should have because of the resistance. The 208 amendment process will cost the district still more, which is why sewer officials didn't want to go through the process until they had the conditional-use permit in hand.

Neither White nor Zuhl gave a dollar amount attached to the plans for a lobbyist.

Salt and his opposition group are planning an appeal of the conditional-use permit approval. The group has 30 days from the date the commission voted to send a letter announcing its plans to appeal. That hasn't happened yet, but Salt said it will.

In the meantime, White said, the district is not sitting on its hands through the appeal process.

"We are now moving forward with the site plan approval process," he said.

A final site plan will have to be approved by the City Council.

The council has not yet voted or had much public discussion on the issue, but many seem wary of the plans.

Councilwoman Lisa Mariano worries that alternatives haven't been considered enough and that the city will lose more than it will gain.

"This plant is going to benefit multiple cities. We are probably the smallest of the bunch," she said. "For what we're giving up, I'm not sure it's worth what we're getting."

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com