The Rock Port Board of Aldermen met Thursday, August 1, 2019, at Rock Port City Hall with Mayor Chris Chamberlain presiding. Board members present were Ron Deatz, Lavon Paukert, and Todd Stevens. Alderman Tim Taylor was absent. Also present were Superintendent Trevor Hale, Utility Clerk Terri McGuire, Chief of Police Shannon Sherwood, and City Clerk Emily Schulte. Visitors were Marty Addington, Michael Goins, Jeremy Davis, and Park Board President Katey Kroeger.

Mayor Chamberlain called the meeting to order then led the meeting in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

The meeting agenda was approved.

The aldermen also voted to approve the June 19, 2019, meeting minutes and the city financial statements, accounts payables, tax report, delinquent tax list, and all board and departmental reports.

They also voted to approve the utility financial statements, accounts payables, purchased power and water statements, take or pay water use report, water loss reports, Utility Clerk report and City Superintendent report.

Michael Goins and Jeremy Davis were present to discuss future opportunities for the city and Rock Port Telephone. More information will be presented as it becomes available.

Marty Addington was in attendance to ask if the board had made any decision about reinstating the residential delivery of gravel and cold patch. Details of the program were discussed along with mention of possible liabilities with MIRMA. Mayor Chamberlain let Addington know that a decision would be made at the next meeting.

The Third Street alley closure request was discussed. A hearing will be planned for September and all affected residents will be sent a letter informing them of the date and time.

The aldermen voted to reject the asphalt overlay bid due to funding, bid pricing, and the quantity of bids received.

Libby Weber visited with Clerk Schulte regarding 411 W. Cass. The property has an addition that was built in 1968 and the ordinance for a 7’ side yard was enacted in 1965. The addition is sitting next to the property line and no variance or building permit was ever requested or granted. The aldermen voted to approve grandfathering in the addition at 411 W. Cass.

Superintendent Hale discussed a grading schedule with the Phelps City Special Road District. The initial pass for all secondary roads was $1,200. The aldermen voted to approve the superintendent having the roads graded at his discretion as needed.

Candidates for the City Attorney were discussed. Proposals were received from two candidates. Mayor Chamberlain plans to contact their references and then a special meeting will be scheduled for further discussion.

Certificates of Service were signed by Mayor Chamberlain and recognized by the Board of Aldermen in acknowledgement of Kandi Dowdy and Dan Smith in appreciation of their services to the City of Rock Port. Kandi served the city for two years. Dan served as the City Attorney for nine years.

Certificates of Appreciation were signed by Mayor Chamberlain and recognized by the Board of Aldermen in acknowledgement of Lisa Farmer, Shauna Farmer, Ron Hunter, and Greg Young. Lisa Farmer served as the Park Board president from May 2014 to July 2019 and remains on the board in a regular member capacity. Shauna Farmer served as the Park Board secretary / treasurer from May 2014 to May 2019 and remains on the board in a regular member capacity. Ron Hunter served on the Board of Adjustment from 2007 to 2019. Greg Young served on the Park Board from 2016 to 2019.

The Mayor and the Board would like to thank each of these individuals for the time they’ve spent bettering our community.

The city’s 4th of July celebration at the park was discussed. The possibility of a committee for future years will be readdressed for coordination purposes.

Greg Young’s resignation from the Park Board was approved.

The aldermen voted to approve the Citizens Bank & Trust signature card updates. Names on the Park Board, City of Rock Port Swimming Pool, Park Board Walk/Bike Path and Pool Repair Fund bank accounts are: Katey Kroeger, Jill Lager, Tisha Jackson, Chris Chamberlain, Todd Stevens, Trevor Hale, Emily Schulte, Terri McGuire, and Brenda Clemens. Shauna Farmer and Lisa Farmer were removed from the bank signature cards.

The mayor’s board appointments were discussed and approved.

Jennifer Alvarez was appointed to the Tourism Board. Her term will end April 2022.

The Park Board appointment was tabled.

Alderman Stevens recommended establishing a document listing the responsibilities and procedures for subordinate boards.

Katey Kroeger was in attendance to discuss Park Board matters. Big Iron came yesterday and made a video for the park’s tractor and finishing mower. They will be put up for auction on September 1.

Kroeger also reported on the pool committee she will be putting together. She would appreciate the names of any residents who might have an interest in joining.

It was then reiterated that the process for the Park Board to put in city work orders is for them to be called in to the office during regular business hours.

Chief of Police Shannon Sherwood reported 252 calls or incidents requiring case numbers and the assistance of other agencies seven times. Chief Sherwood attended the Police Chiefs Conference and the new patrol car has been delivered and is on the road. The old car will likely be put up for bid.

The aldermen voted unanimously to approve Chief Sherwood placing the old patrol car up for bid with the minimum bid he sees fit.

Superintendent Trevor Hale reported the Hillside Drive cul-de-sac project is going well, but getting the concrete has been a little difficult. The first phase of the chip seal project is complete. It is Hale’s recommendation to add only a portion of Rainbow Drive to the chip seal list, as opposed to the entire road, for budgetary reasons. However, the entire road has been patched. The previously approved project amount will need to be amended if Rainbow Drive is to be added to the chip seal list.

The aldermen voted to approve the addition of a portion of Rainbow Drive to the chip seal list along with adjusting the previously approved amount as necessary.

Superintendent Hale reported that the Phelps City Special Road District has graded secondary roads for a second time. Compliments have been received on their improvements.

Water loss is still proving to be a difficulty. Several areas with galvanized pipes have been replaced. An 8” main break on the water tower line recently occurred. A busted meter was recently caught on a read.

A PCB audit was completed. A list of 50 different transformers was put together. They will be tested to determine their PCB quantity and determined whether they should be recycled, sold, or kept. Grant funds for the plugging of the wells has been granted, however the company performing the work has been slow in replying to the city. Hale recently received a lead on another three entities that he will contact regarding the work.

The Burke Circle flow report was presented. Hale stated that the next step will be the smoke testing. Once the report draft is finalized, everything will be in line to move forward.

Several utility poles have been replaced recently. R.S. Electric is in town completing the contract with the city. Right-of-way tree trimming has been done. Merz Equipment brought several pieces of equipment recently for testing: a brush cutter as well as a tree saw. Illegal dumping has once again been taking place at the brush site.

Superintendent Hale was approached by a resident who is curious if a load limit is needed on East Mill Street because of large loads causing road deterioration. Basement meter service policies were discussed.

Alderwoman Lavon Paukert and Alderman Stevens will be unable to attend the August meeting. As there will be a lack of quorum, the August meeting will be cancelled.

Alderman Ron Deatz reported having met with MoDOT regarding the stop sign at the four-way stop. Deatz and Chief Sherwood met with an engineer regarding solutions to vehicles running the stop signs. As of right now, not much can be done. Hopefully more information will be received by the September meeting.

Alderman Todd Stevens commented that the tree trimming the city has been doing is a good thing for protecting the city’s assets. The top of Hillside Drive has some large holes that might need to be fixed with cold patch. Stevens also showed interest in the board taking a trip out to the Hwy. 136 flood area. It would be a good idea to be more informed as a municipality. Chief Sherwood and Superintendent Hale stated access could likely be obtained for this purpose.

A resident has suggested the city submit a request to FEMA for flood damage to the lagoon road. Clerk McGuire informed the board that she has been in contact with FEMA. Chamberlain also mentioned meeting with every employee over the previous few days to individually discuss how everything is going. There was mention of keeping this practice going two to three times per year. All of the feedback heard was pretty positive.

The board adjourned into executive session for personnel matters pursuant to Section 610.021(3) RSMo.

The executive session adjourned and the regular session resumed.

Stevens moved to approve all on-call pay for hourly city workers be consistent across the board for all hours worked above 40 in a week. There was no second and the item was tabled.