The City of Tarkio Board of Aldermen met Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at Tarkio City Hall. The Pledge of Allegiance was conducted at 6:00 p.m. Roll call was conducted by Tarkio City Clerk Danielle Madron. Present were: Blu Dow, Scott Poppa, Andy Riley, and Jeff Agnew (via telephone), aldermen; Mayor Mark Staten; City of Tarkio employees – Street Department Superintendent Jamie Quimby, Parks Department employee Chris Niles, Building Inspector Jesse Payne, Chief of Police Tyson Gibbons, and Police Officer Nic Schebaum; JoLynn Whittington insurance agent; Tarkio Board of Public Works board members Curtis Hedrick, Kyra Mills, Corey Martin, and Jessica Walker; Tarkio Park Board President Ashlee Driskell; Dallas Prather with Tarkio Renewal; and Michael Klosek, Sr., citizen.

Mayor Staten asked for the approval of regular meeting minutes from the October 12, 2022, meeting, as distributed. The minutes were accepted. There were no additions to the agenda.

Dallas Prather informed the board that Tarkio Renewal was at the end of this year’s grant cycle. They paid out $6,743.71 in grant monies to citizens doing work to their homes.

JoLynn Whittington presented 2023 health care quotes to the board. The city currently offers Allied insurance to its employees. The city currently pays $5,116.75 monthly for employee health benefits. The quote for 2023 will be $4,577.44. Dow made a motion to accept the 2023 quote from Allied in the amount of $4,577.44 monthly. Poppa seconded and four ayes voted to accept the motion and the second. The motion passed.

Tarkio Board of Public Works (TBPW) members Kyra Mills, Jessica Walker, and Curtis Hedrick spoke to the board about water rates increasing. The cost to purchase water from the Wholesale Water Commission has increased for the TBPW, mainly due to the rising cost of chemicals. They are looking to be increasing the water rates at $1.50 per meter and $1.50 per 1,000 gallons. Commercial rates and residential rates with both have the same increase. Andy Riley requested to see a cost versus revenue report from the Board of Public Works. Clerk Madron will be reaching out to the city attorney to find out what the proper steps are pertaining to council votes on this matter.

The upcoming election will be April 4, 2023. The opening filing date will be December 6, 2022, at 8:00 a.m. The closing date will be December 27, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. Positions up for reelection are North Ward Alderman Scott Poppa and South Ward Alderman Andrew Riley.

Park Board President Ashlee Driskell presented the board with the job description for the open park superintendent position. The application process will be opened next week and close the process on December 9, so applications can be reviewed at the December 14 meeting.

Department Reports

Blu Dow, City Buildings – Meek and Sons came to unclog the toilets today at City Hall. Travis Hicks with TK Property Services came to look at the evidence room door at City Hall. He will be measuring and getting the door ordered to be replaced.

Jeff Agnew, Fire Department – Clerk Madron has received an invoice for the Critical Illness Pool. The cost of coverage for 20 volunteer firefighters from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, is $2,280.00.

Andy Riley, Parks and Pool – The Halloween events were a big success for the Parks and Rec Board. Surveys were taken by city residents to get ideas on how to make the events better. The Elf Auction is making a comeback and the Christmas Parade will be December 17 starting at 7:30 p.m. On Memorial Day weekend, there will be a baseball game at the newly renovated baseball field. More information on this event will come at a later date.

Scott Poppa, Street Department – Quimby’s report:

• Repairs/Equipment – Victor Phillips was here and did the 2,000-hour maintenance on the front loader.

• Winter Prep – All equipment has been checked and installed for winter snow removal. They are as ready as possible. Quimby would like to cross train the police department on snow removal so that they can utilize the manpower since the department is down one person. Quimby has discussed this with Chief Gibbons.

• Brush Pile – This area is being used a lot right now with fall clean-up going on. If the weather allows, Quimby would like to burn it again.

• Vandalism – There were several signs and one barricade damaged in the recent spree of tagging. Chief Gibbons had Quimby put together an estimated cost of damages and there are copies of this if anyone would like to see it.

RV Park – This area is not in use at this time. All campers have left. If any show up, the heaters for the water hydrants will be plugged in.

• Stop Signs – It has been brought up that traffic, especially on Main Street, isn’t stopping well at the stop signs. Quimby is going to try to budget new signage that has LED lights and is solar powered for next year. These stop signs and all needed hardware run anywhere from $1,500 to $1,800 each.

• Signs Installed – The stop signs and the children at play signs that were discussed at the last meeting have been installed.

• Christmas Décor – The Christmas signs and pole decorations have all been checked and are operating properly. Tim Morehouse is going to assist the city in getting the new drops put on the light poles, then Quimby will contact Evergy about putting up the decorations.

• Curb Cleaning – The crew has been cleaning curbs to remove leaves. There have been over 10 dump truck loads taken to the brush pile so far. This will continue as long as the weather allows.

• Halloween Events – Tables and extension cords were taken to the college for the event that took place there. There were barricades provided for the Halloween parade that took place on October 29.

Mayor Mark Staten, Gould Peterson Municipal Airport – All paperwork has been signed that is required at this point to move forward with the hangar building project.

Chris Niles, Animal Control – There was a dog in the pound for a week. The owner did come pay the fees and picked the dog up.

Tyson Gibbons, Police Department – The property damage case from Niedermeyer Park is still ongoing with resolution and restitution for the losses with community services in place. The other property damage investigation netted two suspects that resulted in 11 citations total. Range day was October 20; all officers passed. Reserve officer Richard Lock has moved to Ozark, Missouri, but will remain on the roster and may be called if needed.

Danielle Madron, City Financials – No financial questions were asked. Clerk Madron asked if the board wanted to have a special Christmas meeting January 7, 2023. Riley made a motion to have a special Christmas meeting on January 7. Poppa seconded and four ayes voted to pass the motion and the second. The motion passed. City employees will be taking CPR classes on November 16 at Tarkio Tech.

A break was taken at 7:40 p.m. The meeting resumed at 7:45 p.m.

Mayor Staten announced an executive session would be held per Chapter 610.021 Section 3. Hiring, firing, disciplining or promoting a particular employee, etc. Discussion was had about the open parks position. The meeting moved out of executive session.

The board voted to pay the parks superintendent a starting wage of $14.00 an hour, with a 90-day review for a possible pay rate increase.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. The next regular meeting will be December 14, 2022, at 6:00 p.m.