Author: wpadmin

~~November 26, 2013 at 7:00PM.
First budget meeting.

The Board of Aldermen held a Special Budget meeting on Tuesday night November 26, 2013 at 7:00 PM.  Those present included Mayor Greg Richmond, Alderpersons Calvin Wilson, Alice Kezar, Keith Kohley and Bill Hess. Also present were City Supervisor David Brodie, Chief Curt Drake, City Clerk Paula Brodie and Emergency Management Director Denis Kolb. Guest included Lois Kolb.

The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.  

The Board discussed the General Fund revenues and expenditures, which included administration, recreation department, police department, the municipal court and emergency management department for the 2014 Budget.
The Board decided to hold the next budget meeting on December 2, 2013 at 7:00PM. 
Mayor adjourned the meeting at 8:35PM.                                  

~~November 19, 2013 at 7:00PM.
Regular Board Meeting.

The Board of Aldermen held a regular meeting on Tuesday night November 19, 2013 at 7:00 PM.  Those present included Mayor Greg Richmond, Alderpersons Calvin Wilson, Alice Kezar and Bill Hess. Also present were City Supervisor David Brodie, Chief Curt Drake, Officer Bill Cagle, Emergency Management Director Denis Kolb and City Clerk Paula Brodie. Guests included Carol, Roger and Leroy Coe, Lois Kolb, Bobbie Ellenwood, Jim Morgan and Katrina Hine, reporter from the McDonald County Press.

The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.  

The Board of Aldermen discussed the minutes from the regular meeting on Tuesday November 5, 2013. Ald. Wilson moved to approve the minutes from the regular meeting on November 5, 2013.  Ald. Hess seconded. Ald. Hess, Wilson, and Kezar voted aye with 0 nays.

Ald. Kohley joined the meeting at 7:05PM.
   
The Board addressed Citizens business: 

Jim Morgan stated that Tom West had agreed to be the Grand Marshall of the Christmas Parade. Curt noted that he had contacted KCS about stopping the train during the parade.

Bobbie Ellenwood asked if something could be done about the trash blowing across the street from LenShayVon Island Store. David noted that the store was outside the city limits, but he would go by and talk to them about it.

The Mayor noted that Kim Gallardo was next on the agenda but was not present.

The Board began the business section of the meeting starting with unfinished business.
  
  l. The Board decided to hold the first budget meeting on Tuesday, November 26th at 7:00PM.

  2. The Board discussed the donation for Christmas Parade candy.  It was noted that last year they had given $200.00. Ald. Wilson moved to approve giving $200.00 this year. Ald. Kezar seconded.  Ald. Hess, Wilson, Kohley and Kezar voted aye with 0 nays.

   3. The Board discussed the problem with the property at 211 S. First Street (owner, Jessie Brewington, Albuquerque New Mexico). It was noted that the Board had tried to contact Mr. Brewington several times over a period of several years and even went so far as to have citations written for ordinance violations. The Board discussed hiring someone to clean up the property and adding the cost to the taxes as a tax lien. Ald. Wilson moved to put out for bid the cleaning up of the property. Ald. Kohley seconded. Ald. Hess, Kohley, Wilson and Kezar voted aye with 0 nays.

Ald. Wilson brought up the cabinet for notices and the awning over the sidewalk. He said that he had a cabinet; however it was not water proof. He said if the Board had the canopy built over the sidewalk he did not think that the cabinet would need to be water proof. He stated that he would donate the cabinet if the canopy was built.

Ald. Hess suggested that there should be a spec sheet drawn up for what the Board wants down on the Brewington property so that all the bids come in the same. The Board agreed to have David and Ald. Hess draw up the spec sheets.

Ald. Kohley asked if the Board should put out for bid the awning. David stated that the Board would need to decide how they wanted the awning to be built. He said that he could have Marcus Van Dorn look at it and give them some ideas and a preliminary cost estimate. The Board would then be able to draw up the specs and put out formal bid requests.
  
The Board discussed the following new Business: 

They discussed renewing their membership with the Harry S. Truman Coordinating council.  It was noted that by being a member of the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council the City maintains their requirements regarding solid waste management and that the Coordinating Council also takes care of drawing up and maintain the Hazard Mitigation Plan requirements. The Clerk noted that there is several other benefits the City could take advantage of if someone from the Board could attend the monthly meetings. The Board decided to place the decision on the membership on the next agenda.     

The following reports were made by the Department heads:
 
  a. Chief Drake reported that the grant that Officer Cagle had written for the city had been looked at and after doing a few suggested changes, he believed the City would receive notice that they were approved to receive the grant.  Ald. Cagle noted that the application was for in car video and audio recorders, two mobile radio units including antennas and installation and two handheld units.

  b. David Brodie- reported that the representatives from Missouri Rural Water Association will be in the city on December 4, 2013 to begin the GPS mapping on all of the City’s water and sewer lines. He noted that after communication with Michael Keels, it was discovered that the computer tower in the Mayor’s office would not handle the GPS Mapping program. Michael can get a new tower for $750.00 and he also recommended a dedicated Video Graphic Card for $95.00. Ald. Wilson moved to allow David up to $1,000.00 to purchase the new computer tower and designated graphic card. Ald. Kohley seconded. Ald. Kohley, Hess, Kezar and Wilson voted aye with 0 nays.

     -He noted that he had called Empire District about the electric poles that are leaning at the old water tower and the city hall. He said Brad Lett said he would look at them.

       c. Denis Kolb – had nothing to report.
                   d. Dawn Bunch-  was not present.
  e. Paula Brodie  – noted that the next C.O.A.D meeting is December 12 at 11:00AM at the Pineville Community Center.  It was noted that the McDonald County Coalition meeting is right after that.
       – noted that the Christmas Parade is on December 14, 2013 at 1:00PM.

Ald. Kohley said that he has had several complaints about boys riding around town on mowers. It was noted that they haul people around in utility wagons behind the mower. Curt stated that he and Officer Cagle had talked to the boys and now he is planning to talk with his parents. He also stated that the boys were working, cutting lawns, and cleaning up yards. It was noted by several people present that they have been seen on major streets after dark.

The Board discussed the bills including transfers in the amount of $38,738.47. Ald. Hess moved to approve the bills including transfers in the amount of $38,738.47. Ald. Wilson seconded. Ald. Hess, Kohley, Kezar and Wilson voted aye with 0 nays.

Ald. Kohley moved to adjourn. Ald. Wilson seconded.  Ald. Hess, Kohley, Kezar and Wilson voted aye with 0 nays.    

 

~~November 5, 2013 at 7:00PM.
Regular Board Meeting.

The Board of Aldermen held a regular meeting on Tuesday night November 5, 2013 at 7:00 PM.  Those present included Mayor Greg Richmond, Alderpersons Calvin Wilson, Alice Kezar, Keith Kohley and Bill Hess. Also present were City Supervisor David Brodie, Chief Curt Drake, Officer Bill Cagle, City Clerk Paula Brodie and City Tax Collector Dawn Bunch. Guests included Kathy Wilson, Sheriff Mike Hall, Jimmy Morgan, Marshal Long from the Goodman Fire District and Katrina Hine, reporter from the McDonald County Press.

The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.  

The Board of Aldermen discussed the minutes from the regular meeting on Tuesday October 15, 2013. Ald. Wilson moved to approve the minutes from the regular meeting on October 15, 2013.  Ald. Kohley seconded. Ald. Kohley, Wilson and voted aye with 0 nays.

Citizens business. 

Chet Sexton informed the he had been having trouble with his sewer line for several years. He said that it started causing him trouble again and he asked David about what to do. He said he hired Jim Morgan to strip out the line to see where it was stopped up. He said that the contractors for the City’s water project had broken the line but not repaired it correctly. David said that he was there and that he agreed that the contractors had not fixed the break correctly. He told the Board that he felt that it was the City’s responsibility to pay for the repairs. He noted that the Board in the past had paid the expense for repairs once they discovered whether or not it was due to the water contractors not completing repairs correctly. He said that he told Chet that he would inform the Board. Chet stated that he had the line routered out several times during the years and that the materials to repair the line was $134.00, however he was only asking for the Board to pay the Morgan Backhoe bill. It was noted that the bill was $500.00. David stated that Jim and Chris worked from noon to after five to fix the line. Ald. Wilson moved to approve paying the bill from Jim Morgan. Ald. Kohley seconded. Ald. Kohley, Wilson, Hess and Ald. Kezar voted aye with 0 nays.

Kathy Wilson stated that she was concerned because there were an unusual amount of pit bulls on Ozark Trail. She said that several of them were in yards that did not look secure, a couple of them looked like they were not being fed properly and a few were on chains. She stated that she did not know what the code allowed as far as having pit bulls in the City limits. The Mayor stated that the code said that pit bulls must either be kept in a fenced in yard or chained. Owners of pit bulls must purchase a dog license, first furnishing proof of rabies vaccination and a picture of the dog to be kept on file at the City Hall. The Mayor stated that the Police Department will look into the various pit bulls on Ozark Trail to make sure that they are within the guidelines of the City Code.

There was discussion about how many dogs and cats’ people are allowed to have. It was noted that the City Code allows no more than 3 animals, either 3 dogs, 3 cats or a combination of 3 at each residence. 

Calvin Wilson stated that he knew of one residence on Williams Street that had at least 5 dogs. Ald. Kohley stated that there were several dogs a running loose around town. The Clerk noted that is why there was a message on the water bills a few months back reminding people that they can receive a ticket if their dogs are caught running at large.

The Mayor acknowledged Sheriff Mike Hall who was present to discuss with the Board the possibility of the Goodman Municipal Court establishing a $2.00 inmate prisoner detainee security fund. He stated that the court would assess a $2.00 charge per ticket paid by the defendant. He stated that the fund would help the Sheriff’s department with the cost to finger print prisoners. He told the Board that finger prints taken at the Jail are electronically filed. He informed the Board that in the future he hoped to see the Sheriff’s department using the new Iris recognition equipment. Sheriff Hall informed the Board to keep the electronic finger printing capability there was a yearly charge of $2500.00 which could be paid out of the Inmate security fund. He noted that the funds can also be used for cameras in the jail and book in room and video and audio recording. The Mayor noted that the City had just purchased new fine cards and those would have to be printed again if the Board approved the new fee. Sheriff’s Hall stated that he had heard that and that he wished he had attended a meeting at an earlier date. He asked the Board to consider the increase and thanked them for giving him the opportunity to visit with them.

Kathy Wilson thanked the Fire Department and the City workers for cleaning up a tree that blew down on Ozark Trail.

The Board began the business section of the meeting starting with the following unfinished business:
  
  l. The Clerk informed the Board that she needed to be able to go online to get copies of the   Cities’ bank statements so that she can prepare financial statements. She noted that it was taking too  long to wait for the statements to come in the mail. She stated the Board would need to vote on a new  corporate resolution with the bank adding her name to be allowed to look at the accounts on line.  Ald.  Wilson moved to approve the new corporate resolution with the First Community Bank which allows the  Clerk to use the online functions only. Ald. Kohley seconded. Ald. Kohley, Wilson, Hess and Kezar  voted aye with 0 nays.

  2. The Mayor noted that the Clerk had put in their packets information for them to look over before Budget sessions begin regarding the possibility of increasing water/sewer rates. The Mayor stated that he knew the Board didn’t like to increase rates, but reminded them that operating costs continue to go up with no increase of revenues. The Clerk noted that the last two years during budget sessions the Board talked about raising the rates but never did. She said that she had put in their packets copies of letters from Rural Development, the Department of Natural Resources and Nick Myers, CPA, encouraging the Board to address the water/sewer rates. David stated that besides normal increases in operating expenses the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Natural Resources continually change limits on the City’s water and sewer Permits, which cost the City more to comply. An example the Mayor gave was the change of PH level in fields where the city’s sludge is spread has changed so that the City now has to pay to lime the fields and test before the sludge can be spread. The Clerk stated that several cities use a yearly cost of living increase. She stated that she had put sample ordinances in their packets for them to look at. The Clerk noted that the water/sewer department was a business and should be handled as such. She stated that needed rate increases shouldn’t be a political decision, but a business decision. 

There was no new business. 
  
The Department heads gave the following reports.
 
  a. Chief Drake -informed the Board that Bill Cagle had past his three levels of CSI training. He also informed the Board that he had attended a class that he thought was included in the contract with MSSU but was not. He said the class was very informational and he was glad that he took it, however he would have asked the Board’s permission first if he had realized that it was not part of the yearly contract. He apologized to the Board.    
  b. David Brodie- noted that Jim Morgan had a radio for the white truck. Mr. Morgan stated that he would sell the radio, and install it for $350.00. He said that they would also need to order a new antenna.  Ald. Wilson moved to purchase the radio from Jim Morgan and have him install it and allow him to purchase the new antenna for $350.00. Ald. Kezar seconded. Ald. Kohley, Kezar, Hess and Wilson voted aye with 0 nays.

Curt asked to purchase a jacket like his for Officer Cagle. He said that the jacket has a reflective side to be used for working accidents. The Board agreed to let him order a jacket.

       c. Denis Kolb was not present.
                   d. Dawn Bunch- the personal and real property tax report was in the packets.
  e. Paula Brodie  – noted the flyers on the C.O.A.D meeting on December 12 and a  Fire safety class put on by the McDonald County Collation including free smoke alarms. She also noted that she had ordered the new software for GPS mapping, but was concerned about the computer in the Mayor’s office capability to handle the program. The Board agreed that once the software is received she should contact Michael and have him look into what is needed.

Jim Morgan noted that the Annual Christmas parade is on Dec 14 at 1:00PM. He noted that they will have items to raffle. The Board discussed their annual donation to the betterment club for candy for the parade. They instructed the clerk to find out what was donated last year and asked that a decision be put on the next agenda. 

The Board discussed the bills including transfers in the amount of $31,783.68. Ald. Kezar moved to approve the bills including transfers in the amount of $31,783.68. Ald. Kohley seconded. Ald. Kohley, Hess, Kezar and Wilson voted aye with 0 nays.

Ald. Kohley moved to adjourn. Ald. Wilson seconded.  Ald. Kohley, Hess, Kezar and Wilson voted aye with 0 nays.