The Rock Port Board of Aldermen met Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. with Mayor Amy Thomas presiding. Board members present were Ron Deatz, Lisa Farmer and Kelley Herron. Also present were: Superintendent Brentlee Thomas, Utility Office Manager Terri McGuire, Chief of Police Shannon Sherwood, and City Clerk Emily Schulte. Visitors were Kory Paris, W.C. Farmer, and Officer Luke Seiter.

City Clerk Emily Schulte swore in Kory Paris, newly-elected North Ward Alderman, and Lisa Farmer, re-elected South Ward Alderwoman.

The meeting agenda and minutes of the March 23, 2022, meeting were approved.

The aldermen voted to appoint Ron Deatz as Mayor Pro Tem/Board President.

Consent Agendas

The aldermen voted to approve the city financial statements, accounts payable, tax report, delinquent tax list, the City Clerk, Chief of Police, and all board reports.

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

Board Appointments and Board Liaison Appointments

The aldermen voted to approve the Mayor Thomas’ board appointments and board liaison appointments. The appointments are:

Board of Adjustment – Lisa Farmer, board liaison

Health Board – Melissa Masonbrink, Steve Proctor, and Shannon Sherwood, board members; Mayor Thomas, board liaison

Park Board – Andrea Cook, Devon Sons, and Jennifer Welch, board members; Kory Paris, board liaison

Planning Commission – Ron Deatz and Mayor Thomas, board liaison

Tourism Board –  Holly Huntley, Jody VanSickle, board members; Kelley Herron, board liaison

There are two vacancies on the Board of Adjustment, two on the Planning Commission, and one on the Tourism Board.

AAI: 2022-02 – Police Department On-Call Policy

Mayor Thomas relayed that Attorney Rottgers requested to review the RPPD On-Call Policy prior to any actions being considered by the board.

AAI: 2022-02 – Police Department On-Call Policy was tabled until May.

AAI: 2022-03 –

RPPD Policy Manual

Mayor Thomas recommended instead of abolishing the manual as a whole the board instead consider revisions on individual policies. There are certain policies she believes do need edits or to be removed, however it doesn’t seem necessary to scrap the entire manual. She recommended board members and Chief Sherwood review the current book and have further discussion regarding changes needed.

AAI: 2022-03 – RPPD Policy Manual was tabled until May.

AHEC Mutual Aid Agreement

The city is still awaiting a reply from Attorney Bauman.

AHEC Mutual Aid Agreement was tabled.

Chief of Police

Chief Sherwood has been in contact with the school and is hoping to coordinate with Tropical Sno on the last day of session to offer free slushies with a cop to the students. It was requested to shut down the alley behind the Police Department to host the event. W.C. Farmer and Alderman Paris informed Sherwood that the Fire Department has a truck that can only exit through the back door of the fire house which could be a potential issue. It was suggested Sherwood inquire if the event could instead take place on school property.

City Clerk Emily Schulte

Clerk Schulte informed the board that the 4th of July Committee is slowing down a bit and asked for the board’s assistance keeping it on track. Any officials interested in the city officials training on May 13 will need to get their registration in. Mayor Thomas expressed interest.

A lapse in a land lease with Super 8 was recently discovered and needs to be looked into. Information and an opinion from Attorney Bauman was given to the board and Schulte stated more research would be done. The board would be needing to make some decisions on how we remedy this lapse and move forward. It will be added to the May agenda.

The Tourism Board is working on potentially hosting farmers markets this summer and also a Bowling with Superheroes event in the near future. The board was reminded of executive session minutes needing turned in from two recent meetings. Finally, Schulte stated she would be on vacation during the June meeting and asked if the board would like to proceed without her or move the meeting back a week. The aldermen voted to postpone the regular June meeting from the 15th to the 22nd.

Superintendent Thomas

Superintendent Thomas reported on normal spring maintenance. The new hires are being trained, a crew was brought in to assist in repairing pole damage from a recent storm, and streetlights are being replaced as parts are received. Thomas would like to have a pole study done in the near future to assess the condition of the existing poles owned by the city and create a structured replacement plan. It would eventually be ideal to convert the Main Street streetlights to LED as well.

The lagoon treatment has begun. The shipping of the Burke Circle lift station pumps has been delayed. The current setup is holding, but they’re keeping a close eye on it. Thomas’ department is currently working together with the Park Board and filling some work. Maintenance is being done on city equipment wrapping up winter and in preparation for summer projects.

The city is currently having Spiegel Farms haul rock while the dump truck is down. The arrangement is proving to be cost efficient in saving wear and tear on city equipment and freeing up employees for other tasks. Paris inquired about city vehicle replacement and what upkeep looked like.

The back side of two Main Street buildings were presented. There were health and safety concerns voiced as one of the properties city employees must walk through to read meters. One property is missing a back wall and falling in. The other has a nuisance concern with the amount of junk and trash located on the property. Chief Sherwood stated to have sent a letter approximately April 13 to one of the property owners and he has 10 days to clear out the mess. He was not aware of the other property which is currently falling in nor who owns it. Paris stated being concerned of the potential fire hazards with these properties.

It was inquired what happens following the letter giving 10 days to the owner to remedy their property. Sherwood stated a second 10-day letter would be sent, then a citation. Sherwood pointed out the City Prosecutor’s history of dismissing nuisance violations instead of prosecuting them. It was asked if there was a reasoning behind Prosecutor Bauman’s actions, to which Sherwood stated he wasn’t sure but would reach out to her to discuss the matter. Sherwood then stated the city needed to hire a certified building inspector for these nuisance properties.

Alderman Kelley Herron

Alderman Herron con-gratulated Paris and Farmer on being sworn in. He also  extended his gratitude to Todd Stevens on his many years of time and dedication to the city.

Herron also thanked Thomas for being proactive in having poles checked following the windstorm.

Herron stated having been made aware of an issue regarding the police department’s cell phones mentioned at a recent accident. It was inquired if the department has city issued phones. Sherwood relayed there are phones, but none are currently in working order, so the department uses their personal phones. They also utilize their radios, which are the newest in the county. It was asked if the city is still paying monthly charges for the broken phones. Schulte confirmed the city is, as she was not informed they were no longer working. Sherwood stated he believed he contacted NorthwestCell to cancel the three lines. He was asked to follow up regarding a refund of the monthly charges if they were in fact to be cancelled.

Herron then asked how the Skyline turnaround was working out. Superintendent Thomas informed him the ground was leveled and gravel was put down, but no asphalt yet. The city has a manhole that will need to be raised.

Alderwoman Lisa Farmer

Alderwoman Farmer welcomed Paris to the board. She also thanked Stevens for his service; she learned a lot from him.

It was asked if the Lingerfelt property has been looked in to yet this year regarding nuisance complaints. Sherwood noted the inquiry and will look into it.

Alderman Ron Deatz

Alderman Deatz also thanked Stevens for his years of service on city boards.

Complaints have been received regarding trucks running the four-way stop. Sherwood noted there being a law enforcement liaison through MoDOT which he is working to get in contact with regarding the issue. Rock Port Cabins was then mentioned and Officer Seiter noted he had talked with the owner regarding maintenance for this upcoming mowing season. Sherwood stated he divided the city into two halves and gave one to each of his officers for monitoring potential nuisances.

Alderman Kory Paris

Alderman Paris stated also having learned a great deal from Alderman Stevens while growing up in this community and watching him on the board.

Paris inquired who owned the streetlights out by the interstate. It was relayed that all three providers own lights in the area. More lighting is needed in the area. W.C. suggested the city look into a Community Improvement District to potentially improve the lighting in that area.

Mayor Amy Thomas

Mayor Thomas mentioned a discussion with Attorney Bauman regarding when the city stopped collecting on personal property taxes and that the reissuing might be close to expiring. Some research should be done to see if it should be reconsidered.

Attorney Rottgers reached out and would like to meet with the board.

Other Business

It was inquired who the owners of Rock Port Convenience are, as their delinquency of real estate taxes was noted.

W.C. inquired if the city is doing a city-wide cleanup in alignment with county-wide garage sales. It was relayed that we will not be doing it this year, but instead sticking to the previously decided alternating year schedule.

The meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m.

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The Rock Port Board of Aldermen met for a special meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. with Mayor Amy Thomas presiding. Board members present were Ron Deatz, Lisa Farmer, Kelly Herron, and Kory Paris. Also present was Attorney Peter Rottgers.

Mayor Amy Thomas called the meeting to order.

Approval of Meeting Agenda

The meeting agenda was approved.

Executive Session

Board members voted unanimously to adjourn into executive session for legal matters pursuant to Section 610.021(1) RSMo.

The executive session adjourned and the regular session resumed. The meeting was then adjourned.