Wichita ? The Environmental Protection Agency will have a $3.5 million budget to buy out the toxic southeast Kansas town of Treece and will consider public comments before deciding whether to go through with the plan.

The Wichita Eagle said the budget, which is about the same as preliminary estimates, includes $2.65 million to assist homeowners in buying replacement property and $74,000 for moving expenses. The budget also estimates $96,000 will be needed to relocate renters.

Officials also have set aside $265,000 for the demolition of the town.

“Once residents are relocated, EPA has decided that the vacated homes in Treece will be demolished so that others do not move into the area,” according to the plan.

Treece, which only has about 100 residents left, is surrounded by millions of tons of lead- and zinc-contaminated mine waste known as chat.

Many residents have elevated lead levels in their blood and have been hoping for the government buyout, saying remnants of the old mining operations that turned their hometown toxic have made it impossible to sell their homes.

Deterioration of the town has accelerated in recent years as the EPA gradually bought out the adjacent city of Picher, Okla., which provided services and employment for Treece’s residents.

EPA spokesman David Bryan said a final decision from the agency on the buyout will come after staff consider the input received during the public comment period, which ends March 15.

The buyout also will require the state to match 10 percent of the buyout costs.

Even though the match remains caught up in the ongoing budget debate at the Legislature, Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials told Treece residents at a public meeting last month that they would find the money somehow.

For residents who decide to stay behind and not participate in the buyout, life will get even harder, because municipal utilities like water and sewer service will be cut.