Board of Aldermen - Regular Meeting

um this the smile he's standing there very serious looking right now i thought there is one okay crack a smile from andrew uh but he's also a trusted confidant so one other uh hat that andrew wears He leads up our program, our crisis intervention program, but he also is a peer support member and that's to help 1st responders cope with some of the traumatic things that we go through in our job on a daily basis. He's recently got got certified in that and he's helping out with that that squad. So, I won't read the entire citation. We put it out on social media, but on behalf of City Administrator Shawna Davis, Mayor Bruce Whitsitt, and myself, we are incredibly proud of Andrew's excellence throughout 2025. And, you know, I want to thank him for his incredible work ethic, his warm heart for the Odessa School District, and the community of Odessa in general. And I want to keep him, you know, we all want to keep Andrew down the path of helping our community everywhere he can.

So congratulations, Andrew, on your award.

Is this okay right here? so i told abby i would try not to embarrass her too much just start okay um so i'm excited to introduce abby walker some of you might have met abby i know uh alderman starr had met her at the rodeo the other night when she was uh working out there. But I am excited to introduce Abby. She successfully filled our vacant patrol officer position. And she has been working hard for the last many weeks in field training program. And she will be rolling out into your own shift here in just a couple of weeks, won't you? So excellent, excellent employee. I really appreciate all the hard work that she's bringing to the department. She joins us from the University of Central Missouri Police Department. You might see a common theme in our department. We're bringing on a lot of police officers from that area. She is a graduate from Northwest Missouri State University. Go Bearcats, right? I'm a mule by my degree choice, so we have some conversations about that. But she did graduate from the Central Missouri Police Academy in Warrensburg. One cool thing that I want to note about Abby is that she started off public safety as a dispatcher, a 911 dispatcher. And if you've ever walked into a 911 dispatch center, The 1st observation you would probably see is how professional they are when they communicate on the radio and when they communicate with other public safety officials. But the 1 thing I always noticed is the ability of them to do. I call it the dispatcher ear. They can listen to 3 conversations at 1 time and tell everyone what to do. and get everybody in the right place. So I've noticed that about her and her role, her short time here at Odessa, that she uses those listening skills to her advantage. She did complete, she is a Type 2 Breath Instrument Maintenance Operator. Is that the correct title? Did I do that right? Okay. Something similar to that. Basically, we have breath instruments that we utilize to investigate alcohol-related criminal investigations, and she helps maintain that equipment. Not only the equipment, but all the credentials that my department has to carry in order to operate that. So Abby and Daniel Melioris, one of my other patrol officers, help run that program. She is also certified in A-RIDE, which is Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement. Thank you. Got it right. And then, of course, you guys already know my passion for making sure that we handle crisis intervention appropriately within our department. Not everything needs a strong hand or a police officer's presence. Sometimes we're mentors and counselors when we go out on these calls. And Abby brings that CIT with her. So that still keeps my department at 100% certified. as all of us have crisis intervention training. So one thing I would end, I do see Abby's personality is very infectious, and I do see maybe at some point she might be up here accepting a Bob Kinder Award in the future. But I want to welcome her, welcome her to the city of Odessa. She brings a multi-layered skill set, and she's a phenomenal asset to Odessa. We're already seeing that. So thank you, Abby, for coming aboard, and welcome.

Congratulations and welcome. Bill number 2026-23 I will accept a motion for the first reading, introduction and readings of bill number 2026-23, proposed ordinance reappointing Carl Scarborough as municipal judge of the Odessa Municipal Division of the 15th Circuit Court of Lafayette County.

I make a motion for the first reading of bill number 2026-23, appointment of the municipal judge.

I have a motion. Do I have a second? I have a motion and a second. Discussion? All in favor? 6-0. Discussion? Hearing no discussion, I will accept a motion to accept the second reading, Introduction and Readings of Bill Number 2026-23, Proposed Ordinance of Reappointing Carl Scarborough as Municipal Judge of the Odessa Municipal Division of the 15th Circuit Court of Lafayette County. Do I have a motion to accept the second reading?

I will make a motion to accept the second reading of Bill number 2026-23, Appointment of Municipal Judge, and approve as an ordinance.

I have a motion. Do I have a second? I have a motion in three seconds. Roll call.

Alderman Flaherty? Yes. Wren? Yes. Holson? Yes. Bench? Yes. Palmer? Yes. Starr? Yes. Motion carried, giving ordinance number 3187.

Thank you. First reading, bill number 2026-25. Introduction and readings of Bill Number 2026-25, Amending Chapter 2, Division 3, City Administrator Section 2-190, Duties and Powers, Item G, Board of Aldermen, Agenda of the Odessa Code of Ordinances. Karen, do you want to comment on that?

This is basically just making it consistent within the code of the 24-hour process. In a section under City Administrator, it said 40 minutes.

So this just makes it compliant, the code compliant with what we've actually been doing, or us compliant with the code now. Do I have a motion to accept first reading? We did the motion.

All in favor?

Do I have a motion to accept first reading? I promise I haven't had any. make a motion to accept the first reading of bill number 2026-25 amend code of ordinances i have a motion do i have a second i have a motion and a second it's first reading all in favor thank you any discussion here is this like a business days thing or is this literally

Well, in the Sunshine Law, it says 24 hours. Meaning that we could essentially get it on a Sunday night. We could, yes.

I believe it's business days. Well, 24 business hours. So, for example, you couldn't do it Sunday. You could do it Friday at 5 o'clock.

still has to be on friday right well that's my that's my question yeah it's 24 hours per sunday or it's 24 hours for friday so i would say if there's that much question maybe you could propose a more definitive way to say does this mean sunday or friday that's my question would it would it clarify it if you added business hours um Is that a thing? Mr. Glauber.

A, Monday meeting, the language and the sunshine law says 24 hours, exclusive weekends and holidays when city hall is closed, you could mimic that language. And in fact, what you what you could do this evening, it doesn't change the title. It doesn't change the subject matter. Someone can make a motion to amend the proposed ordinance. To add that sunshine law language, and then before it would be presented to you. here is to make it mimic exactly the sunshine law you could add that language excuse me to allow that to happen and then we could present it to you for your signature based on an amendment it would be a motion and a motion and a second to amend the proposed ordinance to add that language and then a motion to uh to approve as amended well then i would uh move to amend the language to mimic the sunshine law

So I have a question or comment. So this would be when we get our packet. This is not just when it's posted for the public, right?

I think those are the same. Yes, this would be our packet.

I think we need more than 24 hours. I mean, I think 48 seems kind of like a minimum just because, you know, these packets can be large. You know, I don't remember how big this week's was, but it was, you know, okay, a large amount of documents. And sometimes we need to maybe do research or, you know, I just think 24 hours is not enough time.

So if you second my motion.

For to add the.

To essentially mimic the sunshine laws. Well, that makes it fine. But the sunshine laws. Which I would prefer.

The sunshine law is 24 hours, isn't it?

But it said exclusive on weekends and holidays, which means Friday.

I would still like it 48 hours.

If I may, I would suggest you need to consider that in the future, board meetings may not be on Monday. Right.

Right if they were on a Wednesday, then that means we could get it on Tuesday.

I would, I also support leaving it at the 48 hours, updating the remainder of code and the rules meeting procedure to 48 hours, but meaning end of day Thursday, if we get our packet on Friday night, and I have a question for the city administrator, and she has to reach out to someone else. She's reaching out the day of the meeting.

And then, and then if it's, if it has to be amended, then what happens if that, you know, if it's 24 hours and we had to amend an agenda on Monday. Then that's not 24 hours for the public, right?

Well, when we get it, I think it goes live online. It does. Yeah. Okay. That's that's my goal is to essentially have 2 full days no matter what to look at these things. Because I believe when, when a few months ago started, we were told the aim was to try to hit Thursday as much as possible, but usually it hits Friday. So we're already kind of not hitting the goal when it comes to the agenda. So, yeah, I guess I would.

adjusted to 48 hours across the board i would also like to just remind all of us that the strategic plan or the strategic priorities report which is on the website it mentions community engagement And the persistent, twice it says, persistent lack of trust and transparency between government and residents. I just think allowing, if there are members of the public that are becoming more engaged or might have questions or reach out to an alderman, allowing a little bit of extra time when we also can reach city staff during a business day if they have other questions, I think would be helpful for myself. And it may be helpful for one of us responding to a citizen if they have a question. I would like 48 hours meeting.

I mean, I would like Thursday. I would like another day than that. But 48 is kind of the minimum I would be okay with.

I'm open to suggestions on better wording, but it currently says 48 hours. Right.

We could add that.

So, Juneteenth, for example, was a Friday.

We got it on Thursday. If if this were changed, we would get it Wednesday. Yes. Okay. Thank you. I personally would support that.

Is that.

I mean, it's 1 more day, it's 1 transition cycle, I think, to back it up and.

most other cities are putting their agendas out before friday night so i i know somebody on the city council in liberty and asked them and they get theirs thursday morning because i asked them do they just get theirs 24 hours so i feel like it's probably more consistent with other you know cities to do it earlier mr leper i just so as a consideration and i can tell you like you know with the city that we work with i see

one practicality that cities run into when they get it so far in advance is the fact that it then slows down the city's ability to do business. You guys are meeting twice a month, so that's better. I have some cities that meet only once a month. And if you have both once a month and early, then it's hard to get stuff in. So, you know, I think, you know, kind of a very kind of happy medium a lot of cities get to is usually the Wednesday or Thursday before, say, a Monday meeting, and then you can adjust the Sunshine Law, but keeping in mind, though, that anything then really after Wednesday, you're fairly locked and loaded. Also, remember, it does say tentative agenda under the Sunshine Law, which means you are allowed to change it even, you know, the night of the meeting. But if you have an ordinance you want to add, remember that if you don't make the ordinance available to the public prior to the time you consider it, then you have to read all of the words

Do I need to restate my motion?

Your motion was 24 hours with the wording of the Sunshine Law.

I adjusted it to 48 hours with the wording of the Sunshine Law.

Okay. So we have a motion?

It's a motion that didn't get seconded. It did not get seconded yet. I'll second. No, I'm doing it.

Okay, so what exactly was the first motion? The first motion was a motion...

To add a sunshine law language to the 24 hours that night for lack of a second. And then the 2nd, motion is a motion to. Because sometimes our police facilities open 24 7. so I have 1 question.

I'm sorry that. There is another section in meetings in meetings that into under what before it says 24. how do we does that just need to come back?

Miss Nora and I were speaking about that as well, because there are other changes that would need to be made. They were trying to make it consistent to the other pieces in there. But this is a good opportunity to get with the board's pleasures on that. I think what I would recommend then is, is we'll set. To approve that this evening, right? And then what the staff can do is they can bring you another ordinance that would change all the other ones. And what I would recommend is cross reference those. Notice requirements to the 1 that you're fixing right now and that way, this is the only 1 you'll have to change going into the future.

then it would just cross-reference that and then the rules of meeting procedure also references 24 hours I think two spots so that'll come back as a separate with you okay because it's So you can do that all under 1 doesn't matter that the rules of meeting procedure was adopted by resolution. Does that have to be done?

No, there's what's called the rule of equal dignity. You can't amend an ordinance with a resolution, but you can amend a resolution with an. Okay. Thank you.

I appreciate that.

So we have a motion and a second to change the proposed ordinance to 48 hours and adding the Sunshine Law verbiage to it. Yes. We don't need a roll call for that, do we? We're not doing a second reading yet.

Yeah, so this is just the motion to do the amendment, right?

So all in favor of amending it? six zero any more discussion now i'll accept a motion to accept the reading the second reading of Bill Number 2026-25, Introduction and Readings of Bill Number 2026-25, Amending Chapter 2, Division 3, City Administrator Section 2-190, Duties and Powers, Item G, Board of Aldermen Agenda of the Odessa Code of Ordinance as an Ordinance as Amended.

I move to approve Bill number 2026-25, introduction of Bill number 2026-25, amending Chapter 2, Division 3, City Administrator Section 2-19, Duties and Powers, Board of Aldermen Agenda of Odessa Code of Ordinances as amended. Sweet.

And as an ordinance.

As an ordinance.

Do you have a second? HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ROLL CALL.

NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS.

NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS. NEW SPEAKERS.

You said 3189.

There's a reason for that.

Oh, okay.

I have it further down the next one that we're going to talk about further down. I had to push it down to the close session.

Got it.

So that was the 1st reading. And we're not approving that as an ordinance. Correct.

We did the first reading. Alderman Palmer made a motion to amend it, to change it. We voted to approve the change. Then I asked for a motion to approve the second reading.

You changed it. Now we need a first reading of the ordinance. Of the changed ordinance? Yeah.

to approve bill number 2026-25, amending chapter 2, division 3, city administrator section 2-190, duties and powers, board involvement, and agenda of the Odessa Code of Ordinances as an ordinance, as amended.

Do I have a second? Okay. I have a motion and a second. Roll call.

Okay. Alderman Platt. Yes. Wren. Yes. Olson. Yes. Finch. Yes. Palmer. Yes. Starr. Yes. Now carried motion carried as an ordinance number 31. Thank you.

Thank you. Discussion of the electric rate proposals. Who wants to kick that one off? Alderman Starr, Alderman Starr, I'm sorry.

I move that we postpone this until Karen and Shawna are back. I mean, Kathy or Patty. Shawna and Patty. Because I think if we have questions, they're the ones that's going to need to answer it.

don't think i mean if we have questions we can't answer it apparently so that would be my suggestion i'll second that i have a motion in a second on the table um all in favor to postpone until both are here six zero item is postponed request for new items members of the board of aldermen have the opportunity to propose items for consideration to be added to the agenda for the next regularly scheduled meeting a vote will be held to determine whether to include an item on the agenda therefore debate and discussion should be limited to determining the board's interest in further discussion at the upcoming board of aldermen meeting Do any alderman or alderwomen have any requests to add to the next agenda? Alderwoman Polson.

So my request would be to look at parking along the angled parking as it relates to vehicles that are too long. I did look up, we have the ordinance that there's no parking on sidewalks. That's the ordinance I did find. And people are already parking on sidewalk. So, however, we can discuss that. I think it needs to be. Discuss where there needs to be different ordinances. We need to look at length of vehicles. We have just a lot of new sidewalk and the light wall and things that we don't want to get torn up.

Okay. Alderwoman Starr. I would like to first discuss the... Well, let's vote on Alderwoman Paulson's first. Okay. Anyone opposed to Alderwoman Paulson's request? Do we have consensus to include it? Motion and a second. All in favor? 6-0. Alderwoman Starr.

I would like to first discuss the salary study that we had back in March. I... Well, I will just, I want us to see the study because we have not seen it. And our 90 days will be up and we promised our employees a raise after 90 days. And we need to do that.

So, you just want to discuss seeing it, trying to push forward.

I can tell you that city administrator and finance director has been working on it, coming up with alternatives, what they might be able to do, what we can do, what we can't do. I don't know if they're in a position to really present any decisions to the board because it will be the board's decision what to do. We need to do something. We do.

We do promise these people after 90 days, we do something the 90 days. So, we need to do something.

We do discuss an update.

Yeah, we got to have an update and then we got to decide how we're going to handle it because. We promised we promised these employees. And. They can go down the road and make $15,000 a year more than we're making here. So we've got to do something to keep our people there.

We have a motion to accept Alderman Star's request. Motion to accept. Do we have a second? Motion and a second. All in favor? 6-0. Next scheduled meeting, July 13th. Yes, sir.

This might also be a good time to, since we're doing this type of an action, to have the board direct staff to bring back that ordinance that we talked about before, modifying the other notice periods for the packet that we just talked about, since you're on that subject matter. We didn't really vote on that per se.

You want a vote for what?

to bring back all of the items for the 48 hours all to make it the code consistent all the way through so you want a motion for the board to direct staff to bring it back to you to bring that back to the board i will make a motion to bring back an ordinance that will update chapter 2 article 2 division 2 meetings section 2-63 b4 There are two places that say 24 hours to update to the new language, as well as the two references to the 24 hours in the rules of meeting procedure that was adopted by resolution number 2025-16. Thank you.

Do we have a second? Have a motion and a second? All in favor? 6-0. um next scheduled meeting july 13th we're doing something a little unusual tonight we're going to adjourn to closed session for a bit to discuss some items and then we'll return to open so i need a motion pursuant to revised statutes of missouri 610.021 item 1 legal actions causes of action litigation or confidential attorney client communication and personal to revise statutes of Missouri 610.021, item 12, sealed bids and related documents until bids are open and sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract until a contract is executed or all proposals are rejected. May I have a motion to move to closed session? So moved. I have a motion to move to closed session. Do I have a second? I have a second. Roll call.

Alderman Star? Yes. Blackie? Yes. Bench? Yes. Olsen? Yes. Red? Yes. Yes.

Before we go, will the live feed continue? You're going to shut the live feed off. Will you start a second session when we come back? Okay. Thank you.