Council - Regular Meeting

I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. here. All right, moving on. Intend to approve our motion. Motion second. All in favor?

All right. This facing anybody talk to the council. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Appreciate the opportunity to speak. For the record, my name is Ton 505 Drive. I have a couple of pre questions for you. Were there allegations of me doing something inappropriate at the pool this last summer brought up to the city? This isn't a question and answer period. This isn't an interrogation. Do you have a statement to make? I want to know if there are allegations made that they're not responsible to answer those questions at this type of forum. There's other ways to process that. So yes or no. I mean it's just that simple.

Citizen participation is not an opportunity for you to come in and question the council in this manner. If you have some questions, you can speak to an attorney or figure out how to get those answers. This isn't the place for you to question that. Oh, well I appreciate that advice. Thank you very much. I didn't give you any advice. Yes, you did. Speak to you got it. Anyone else? Go ahead, Jackie. Come on up. Well, I too have some questions. They're not treated the same.

Did you guys send out written proposals to solicit I'm sorry. Did you guys solicit written proposals from attorneys in order to hire a city councelor? I didn't hear what she said. What she said? I didn't understand. Okay, I can hear that. Speak up. Okay, I'll speak up a little bit louder, slower maybe a little bit. Did you solicit written proposals from attorneys for the city counselor's job? your administration, somebody you directed to do it, somebody that had the authority to do it, but your administration,

I don't know, let our attorney, I'm not interpretating what he's wanting. I don't know what time frame she's speaking of. What I'm hear saying is, did the council solicit applications or bids from attorneys when they decided who to hire? I don't know the answer to that. We went out for bids for the lawyer, right? Yes. Yes, that's what she's asking. Okay. And when was that done? I don't have it on file right now. You remember when was done?

Um, I believe it was I was in Florida in November when Chuck left. So, it would have been probably like December or January of 2025, I believe. Okay. And did you ask for responses to the solicitations, proposals? We did. We sent out two numerous. And did you get none? Is that why they're not on the agenda for tonight? What? the agenda, you know, the thing that says what we're going to do here tonight. I heard Well, you're very welcome.

Okay. They're not on the agenda and I'm just asking because we have an ordinance and that would be 115.02 that says they should be in on the agenda tonight and that they should be sealed and they should be opened here tonight in public. And I just wondered if you were going to do that. And I have a couple other quick questions. Is the 6:30 2024 audit completed? 424. They said it should be done. Jennifer, can you answer that? Still in progress. Do we have any idea when it will be completed? No.

Have we scheduled the 6:30 2020 2025 audit yet to begin at some point? It cannot be scheduled until the 6:30 2024 audit is complete. Okay. Well, just a reminder to those who are out making promises to the citizens of this community about grants and loans, you can't get very many grants without audits. And you can get virtually no loans without audits. So, somebody needs to get on this given what's being promised to the city about all the things that we're going to pay for. Jackie, what was that ordinance number you quoted? I'm sorry. What was that ordinance number you quoted?

Oh, um 15.02. Anyone else? I can speak.

Good evening. Couple things to follow up with you guys on the clicker for the scoreboard for Hood Park. Where are you guys at with getting that? You have the first game on Friday for five football and still no clicker. And this has been notified to you guys for nearly two months now.

That was addressed with attorney. We address that all of our turns. So, are they getting it back or not? Because they kind of need to know that to know if they have to try to get more donations. Is it coming back? I mean, there's been substantial amount of time to get an answer for this. The kids have the game Friday. We don't have a clicker. We don't have a remote. We've extended communications to go to get it. And as as of this time, it has not been returned. And I don't know that it will be. I don't know if there's a position being taken that it will not be returned. I That's what I just posted a few minutes ago. Okay. So, there's your answer, I guess.

Yeah, cuz it's $1,500. So, you know, and the actual scoreboard is stationary into the ground. It's part of the city's property. The clicker operates that. It's solely for that. Now, the kids have the wood scoreboard. So, I mean, that's that's great. You know, it' have been nice to know that substantially a long time ago instead of the program just waiting. The second part is, you know, with all the elections coming up, they had to meet the candidates. Um, a lot of you guys chose not to go. Are you guys going to be doing anything on your own accord to be answering questions for the public where the public could ask you guys questions?

Yeah, I hate to miss that. Uh, but I I did city business with park board. came the park board meeting. It would have been different if you would have kept your reggo date uh the 17th, but some reason you changed it. Not you. I didn't I didn't hold it Jackie and the date was set. But my question to you was why would you change it on part one? Why would you put it for a Friday or Saturday when more people? We have always done it on Tuesday, the third Tuesday. We did it on the second Tuesday because we I'm going to call a point of order. This is not this is not following Robert's of parliament. But that is why I didn't like it.

Okay. So my but my question is because the date was set in January. The park board meeting was set in February. Meet the candidate's date was set prior to that. So I'm just wondering are you guys going to do something for the community since you didn't I mean there's several weeks still there are you guys going then to put something on for yourself to answer questions for the community or the community has a chance to ask you questions publicly because when we send emails we don't get responses so I think the community deserves to have public forum to ask questions of anybody running for open offices so are you going to be holding anything to have the community be able to answer questions of the open seats that are bringing and that would be Joyce, Ray, Howard, and Richard in your manner. So, are you guys going to hold anything?

Like I say, we talk about, but you know, I hate to miss it, but we're meeting,

right? And I understand that when we're moving forward, are you guys going to hold anything like here like you can do on a Monday, Friday for an hour where people can ask questions of people who are running for office and asking for community votes. So that's what I'm asking. Are you guys going to hold anything? I don't know about the rest, but uh I was going to announce it tonight that uh the fourth and the fifth for Citizen City Cuba of uh April at citywide wide yard sale. I have rented a space at the BFW hall for any citizen that would like to come in and ask questions. I will be there Friday and Saturday to ask any questions. They come in, we can talk. So I have set something up for myself, talked to the people.

Do you have a time for that? No. You have a time for that that you're around 9 to 12 91. Okay. All right. Thank you. Will a lawyer be there to interfere with questions? Dan lawyer there, buddy. I'm sorry. Okay. I just asked a question. You've already spoke. Yeah, that's right. All right. Anyone else? All right, Haron. Moving on. We got regular minutes of March 3rd, 2026. Motion to approve. Motion. Have a second.

All in favor? Yes. We have equ one exception that I what with one exception and I initial on on the sheet I do approve the executive session. All right. All in favor? I abstain bill to be paid. Anybody time with the billion second. All in favor?

I street department have a resation of Jeremy. We accept motion. Have a second. All in favor? I again.

All right. Posting for labor for this for street department. Huh? For street department. For the street department. Motion. Second. All in favor? I. First of all, I want to know uh we're going to post it. What date are we going to post? We're going to do it next week. This week, Lane. Yeah. Two weeks like normal. Yes. Do we know what we're paying this for this one? That was my next question. Jennifer, do we know what we're paying for? Starting um is 2050 with the CDL, 1950 without.

All right. Do we have a motion? Motion. All in favor? I Randy Williams retirement that motion second. All in favor? Again, can we go out for applications to refill that position? I don't think that we don't have it on. We don't have it on it, but it's application. It ain't costing nothing. Nothing. So, can we go ahead and go out for applications? See what we get. Is it the lions man job? Is that on Randy Williams return?

Yes. I don't know why you Isn't that your general procedure? Yes. We just going out for it. We're just filling out because it may take a long time to fill it out. We can you tell me. Did you say yes, we could? This isn't a bidding process. This is to hire an employee. Is that correct? I talked to Andy. I thought we were a recommendation for our meeting today because I thought you were about all those, right? Yeah. They they said they wanted to Okay. because I did ask that yesterday. You were not putting it on there because I didn't know what they were pick. So, we just table it for now. You think put it on?

She's saying they can post it. I'm just saying I did ask. That's why it's not on. All right. Let's let's post it. So, we know what we're paying, but I want to know. I don't know because I was told that he wanted to apprentice for two months. So, this information is going to be that they want in the in the in the meeting. They wanted uh both. They wanted to see if they can get get a journeyman. If we can't get a journeyman, then we'll get an apprentice. So, go ahead and take go ahead and post the poll. So, we need to post for both. Yeah. Just in case we can't find a journey anywhere cuz we're not the only town that's that deals with not finding.

But we can only hire one right now, right? Only a one. You can't afford both. If you advertise that you if you advertise that you are hiring for both positions, then you're saying, "Well, we have two positions available." Um, can you for one available? That's not That's kind of like false advertising. You can't really go out and say, "I have a journeyman and an apprentice lineman position available," and you only hire for the one. Why do you decide what you're going to hire for and and advertise for that position? I think the lion but we wasn't going to hire a lot.

Can you put it in one advertisement so they know it's one position or that work? I've seen that before. I think if it's legal, yes. I think I think either or would work. Okay. Either do motion. Second. All in favor? So, we're bidding. I mean, we're putting out the ad for both. Correct. Or and or

All right. Rex recommendation. Joyce. Yes. The Crawford County Fair Board once said they're going to put a walkway. They want permission to put a a concrete walkway and a pad around that goat bar. And are we paying for that? Are they paying for that? They're paying for that. They just want permission to do it. Okay. Moses. Yes. Um what's the u do we have like a drawing? what's going to happen, how how it's going to lay out, do you know?

I think it's just a straight walkway to through the one section, just like a 4ft walkway through the middle of the building, the middle of the aisle between the animals. And then on the right side, I think they talked about the whole area, putting the whole thing concrete, which I think is probably 12t wide by 60 foot long, maybe the length of the building. I don't know. But that's what I got. I put the whole one area and then just a walkway so I can see Because they built that building with no floor. Correct. Right. They don't have floor just it would match the walkway would match the rest of the building. So I'll make a motion to do that. We have a second.

All in favor? Um the pavilion Jerry you said the pavilion was in such bad shape that They're afraid if they try to move it again, it's going to fall apart. I don't think it'd make the trip across the creek to What do you recommend? I think we do away with it. It's pretty bad. Is there any salvageable parts out of that metal? Anyway, the metal, maybe a few of them, a lot of them are faded. So, I mean, then maybe the 6x6 post, you might get some of that, but the trusses have been scabed back together over the years. And the header boards when we moved it broke. Is that correct? Yes,

that big like a 2 by 12 or whatever the head just to try. Yeah, because we we put a bunch of money in if we move it somewhere else to make it look in favor. We the art board chose the colors for the pickle ball court, blue for the court and green around it. And do we need to vote on that? I don't think we can go ahead and make a motion for the blue with the green. I have a second. Second. All in favor?

That we need to renew our contract and that needs to be done by April 7th or 9th. I believe it is. Did any cost? I don't know. Do you remember what they said? I have no idea. I don't know. But we do have a contract with it and we have to add

you know anything about that. They didn't put anything down any but we we can't wait. this meeting would be I don't recall ever paying the Red Cross anything to my knowledge at this time but it's been a long time.

You should have somebody with the contract though the contract what the terms are what your insurance liability is that kind of thing. So somebody can give us a contract but it's going to be out the having another meeting before then. There's a special meeting on Thursday. Oh, that's right. Thursday. Did we bring that up on Thursday? Yeah, we have a special meeting. Okay. If we do that though, we probably should open special meeting.

Anything else, George? Yes. Brett Bailey. He's from a ranch in Stillwell. What was the name of that ranch? I should have had the minutes and they didn't give me the minutes. Marvin Ranch Learning Ranch. Yeah. Wants to reserve Cuba pool for lifeguard training. And if we let them use the pool, they will give us a reduced price on training our lifeguards. So where he normally gets his lessons they their pool's not opening until like July due to renovations and stuff. So he reached out to use our pool and we will probably need like our train also.

What's our what's the date on that? What's that? May they give me one? I have one but I looked down right before I came here and I think there was something like May 15, 16 I think whatever that weekend in the middle there. So they Yeah. That sounds

Well, I would like to make a motion to let him use it because their pool the pool he normally uses is out of order and he will give us um special pricing on training ours. All in favor it. Yes. Does he have what is his organization or it's the Marramac Adventure Learning Ranch out of Still?

Okay. So, you might just want to get proof of their insurance or something like that. Proof of insurance. Yeah. Okay. Coverage and that you all are insured for that. Okay. All right. All right. I see 200 43.

I only have one bid that was turned in. 2650 $2 from Brian Murray Brian Mali is there a there's no reserve on this right there was a reserve I believe it was 200 uh yes 200 all right do I have a motion to accept motion second All in favor? Yes.

Transfer requ. So it is recommended at this time that the following transfers um are to be made from capital permit. um to the following department. Um I first like to begin that um I'm bringing these um in the um before the end of the year because um I believe these departments need this by cash flow. Um and um uh so that's why this is being done. the electric department for materials and wire purchased for the McFride project. Please know that the council chooses to get funding for phase one and two and this can be reimburseed back to the capital improvement fund once funding is in place. Amount for transfer for the project. Um I listed out the invoices for that were asking for reimbursement there on your sheet. Um and um the total transfer from capital improvement to the electric would be $29,4855 as of 31126. Um water um for the Mloud Northwest Main Water Project. Council voted to use capital improvement funds um on 121625 in the amount of $228,155.38. So, I'm asking permission to make this transfer happen in our accounting system.

Okay. Need a motion. We need a motion. Um, yes, I'm asking for a motion for that. Have a second. All in favor? I again. Thank. Thank you. Can I say something real quick? Jennifer, what you're doing here with posting this kind of transfer like you just did and having the departments fill out these forms is much appreciated. Oh, you're welcome. Because then we can see what's actually happening. Thank you so much for doing this. Part of that establishing the policy that you've been talking about.

Um, yeah. It's one of the changes that I see each year. I go through the changes and make sure that there's not um um grounds for improvement within the budgetary process and that was one of them that I um have worked on. So a change um a budget train a budget request form for any item that they're requesting um on that and that goes for any alderman or or any the alderman or the mayors or um department supervisors as well. Much appreciated. Thank you for report.

Um I don't have anything on nuisance um right now this week. I do have a resignation I'd like to uh get accepted from Joseph Holly. Uh his last day uh put in his two weeks. His last day being 3:26. Okay. Do we have a motion to accept or anything? Well, we have a second. Second. All in favor?

Yes. All right. With that being said, um it puts us more short-handed. Um I'd like to go out put an ad paper for a replacement position. Do we have a motion? Have a second. Second. All in favor against what's the um salary

$2057 which is 46,000. Um I'll state my position again that probably need to start looking at absorbing positions through attrition and um due to cash flow issues especially in the general fund. So, um, now's a good time as ever. So, you're going to have to start thinking somewhere. Well, we just voted on it. I know. Nobody asked. Should have been brought up before. Had you that anybody before tonight? Yeah. When you hired the last employee, I did.

So, we want to retract the vote. So, we want to keep it like it is.

So, you know that the last person that we did hire sponsored put into the academy is not out of the academy yet. Um, it'll be another month and a half before he's out of the academy and then he'll be on three months probate or field training, which when he's on field training, he's with another officer. So, even with him, we're still short-handed on that squad. And this with this uh opening now basically for the next six months or five months puts me two men short for filling my squads and keeping 24-hour coverage for the citizens. It's a much needed position. I'm not asking to go I'm not asking to add more more employees to my to my police department. I just want to maintain where you have what I have for I'd like to keep what we have to but you know step this forward here if it's most needed we need this please offer any supervisor it's up to you all we keep it well don't you hear a motion to retract it we keep it vote all The other thing I have is a road closure. I have a a I guess the Lions Club Janet Mlan called me. Um it would be on June 27th or 26th the 27th or maybe possibly 28th by time the tent is down. Uh but there wasn't the road closed uh 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. on to 26 on Buchanan Street um until 27th, end of 27th. I think she's getting with Jerry to get the tent removed and stuff like that. It could be the next day, Sunday. I don't know. She said she was going to talk to you about health removal of the tent.

She talked to me about putting the tent up. Okay. I was ask I was going to ask and then also but that's just for Buchanan but she's also on the 27th would like Main Street from Buchanan to Wall Street also closed for their event. The only thing I have a concern with would be with our staff put a tent up because if anything goes wrong or could we be held liable for sorry for putting the tent up? If we put the tent up and anything goes wrong, could we be held liable for assisting in putting that tent up at Lions Club, wherever? It's on It's on the

It should be covered by the city's insurance. That would be the the question. Typically, installing something on private property. We just want to make sure it's covered by your insurance. I think street I think the tent's going in the street. It should be covered. Every year we put So, I'm just asking the question. Yeah, I I I would presume it is by your insurance. That's what it's for.

All in favor? That's fine. Thank you. All right. Well, that one thing again. How about the house? I uh the Washington I've made the phone call. She's working on it. Oh, thank you. She's working on trying to get somebody scheduled to get that taken care of. Hopefully this year. This year get done.

Is it possible that since we tear houses down and put leans on people's property or whatever. Is it possible that we remove the stuff for her for agreeable price by a certain date and then place a lean on the property she doesn't pay us by that date so that we can get this? The city has done things like that. I can mention that to her when I talk to them about that and you know I'm sure they'll I'm sure they're going to get the stuff cleaned up. If if she's having trouble finding somebody to do it, we tore houses down. So we can we can

Yeah, I think a lot of it is just tax season. They're extremely busy, so it's like not on their plate trying to get it done. So I'm sure they're just I'll have to remind them again. I'll go talk to and it'll be when we can do it, but I'll talk to her. Just talk to her. Mhm. That's all I got.

Thank you. Oh, Dr. I do want to address one issue. Um, I'm going try to word it properly. Sometimes things are done and it's in and it comes out different than it was thought to have. And that's what transparency and accountability is for. Um, transparency is doing the doing what we do as a uh a city, the people that work in the city is doing something and having transparency so that you, the public, can see what we do. Sometimes things happen, whether it's by choice or it just happens. And when that happens, it's called accountability. And people are asked who, what, when, where, why. And when those questions are asked, if you don't get all of those, then what happens is you have a question that's left. We got in this the moving of the of the grounds people out from under the park and moving the the transfer of the $50,000. There's a lot of questions as to who's to blame. Well, there's nobody to blame. Blame is is something that you use with your children to find out who did this and who did that or whatever. Accountability is saying, "Okay, we know when, we know where, we know why, we know all the answers except for the who." And the accountability is the question was asked who and there was nothing given. There was no accusations as to why it got moved or whatever. The only question was asked is who and there is only so many people that can authorize the moving of that money.

There was simply a question asked is who? And then all of a sudden it became well if you need somebody to blame it's not a matter of placing blame. It's asking for accountability. And when you can't have accountability and you can't say I said move it or I didn't move it or whatever it doesn't matter. The public perception is when you do something and there's no answer as to who did it, then it raises the question. But it's not about blame. There was no there was nothing made to say, "Hey, we need to punish somebody for this." No, it's accountability. When, where, why, and who? Okay, we don't know who said move this or whatever. Doesn't matter anymore. the the the what happened was reversed and it was put back where it belongs. Now, we'll probably never know who because everybody that sits on this floor and sits in that admin office, nobody knows who done it. So, let's stop this blame game. Who who's at fault? Who? We're not looking for blame. We're just looking for accountability. has nothing to do with trying to get somebody in trouble or get somebody fired or any of that kind of stuff. It's all about let's work with it. Okay, it happened. Who did it? Let's work with that. Okay, why'd you do it? It it happened for this reason. Well, then let's don't let's make sure this don't happen again. Well, guess what? This tonight by Jennifer making the effort that she's done. This will take care of the who, what, when, where, and why. We won't have that problem anymore. All of our auditors, well, I won't say all, but most of our auditors and all of the financial people that talked to us have always said, including our last municipal guy came in here, that we need to we need to have a transfer policy. Guess what? We we kind of have one now. So, it's not about blame. Blame is a word that you use when when you want to

find fault with somebody, get somebody in trouble. We're not trying to do that. It's called transparency and accountability. We will probably never know who Who cares? Now the money is put back in the proper place. The people are put back in the proper place and we now have the process that will help us answer the who, what, and when, where, and why. Okay. So, I would like to say there was never in my intentions of anything I did. I was to retract my statement. And I and to this day, I will tell you that I'm not retracting my statement. Everything that I spoke to was fact. I'm just saying when you don't know who, there is a perception that is wrong. There is no one to blame here. It was all about transparency and accountability. It was never about the word bl.

Right. Have anything?

Yes, I do. On another thought, David, come up here. We've had something happen in the city of Cuba. But he never have happened before. David Mer, he went out on his own. He had he self taught himself to take a test for the treatment plant. We have never had a class A license in the treatment plant before. David passed his test with the state of Missouri for a class A license and he passed the with a good margin and we are very proud of that. Even when Mr. Black worked for 30 years, he never had any more than a class C. A class A license for a treatment plant like ours is the best you can get in the state of Missouri. And if you look around in the other states around is the best. So we have we can any questions that answered or asked David can support that answer. So we are very very fortunate this man took upon himself to go out and to self train himself to to do this test on his own not send him to school for $10,000. He did this. I want to thank you David. I appreciate it very much. I didn't get in our ordinances when you get this type of license there is a possibility for raise an increase in pay. It's up to 7% up to 7% of its hours. I'm just saying this. I don't want to make that decision. I against not only agenda but counc this is due. We've done this for

everybody else's head of a license. We should do it for David. It may not be the full amount, but it needs to be something and we should have it ready put on the agenda for next meeting. David, thank you very much. And I agree with Ray. You know, he did get something to And we do have an order. Yeah. Okay. 90. you have something that I will read it for you. Thank you.

Um, we did receive a notice of termination of contracts today. Um, we did receive our notice from Williams, Robinson, and Wiggins, and they will be putting in their 60day notice to terminate your contract. I hate to hear that. I think you all did a great job. I understand. Thank you for all you've done. Well, thank you. And on that note, it looks like you can put out the bids that have been asked about earlier in the meeting. So, we just be a couple of weeks late to start. There you go. Thank you, Carol. Thank you. Thank you. And

I'll pass on. We we we proposed in the letter that we can stay through the end of May just to be as a a service to help any transition if needed, but if that's not needed by um the mayor come April, then we will step away. But we just didn't want to leave without giving you that opportunity to transition. Okay. Thank you very much. We need to vote to advertise. Yeah, we need a vote to go out for motion.

Yes. All in favor? Um I would like to ask to keep this open until it's fulfilled.

Two weeks is not long enough for this. So yes. Okay. Thank you. All right. So, I want to thank Citizens City Cuba. I've been on the board for 20 years. We will not have we may have special meeting other than that. Next meeting will be after the election. I do want to say something to Mr. Pitz right now. Mr. Pitz, good luck. I mean it. I'm glad that the citizens has two people to pick from and citizens, you will vote for what'sever in your heart.

You might remind you that after executive session, we still have two items after. Yeah. All right. You have a motion going into the session. Oh,

yes. Keep this part.