Board of Aldermen

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 AT 200 HIGHLANDS BOULEVARD DRIVE 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor David L. Willson called the Regular Board of Aldermen meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL AND STATEMENT OF QUORUM Roll call showed those present were Alderman Clement, Alderman Stevens, Alderman Hamill, Alderman Ottenad, Alderman Baumann, Mayor Willson and Attorney Gunn. Alderman Diehl was absent. A quorum was present. 3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES a. Minutes of the Regular Board of Aldermen meeting of Monday, September 19, 2016 Alderman Clement made the motion to approve the Minutes of the Monday, September 19, 2016 Regular Board of Alderman meeting. The motion was seconded by Alderman Hamill and carried by a vote of 5-0, without objection. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF ORDER OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA Alderman Hamill made the motion to accept the Order of Items on the Agenda as submitted. The motion was seconded by Alderman Clement, and carried by a vote of 5-0, without objection. 5. CONSIDERATION OF PETITIONS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC a. Comments from the Public Mr. Charles Hunn, 630 Clear Creek Court, a citizen of Ballwin and former employee from the City of Manchester, said he had worked here for 28 years. He came out here in 1986, and one of the reasons he came out here was because it was certainly a safer place to work than where he was, and Manchester at that time, was one of the better-paying municipalities in St. Louis County and Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 1 had a decent benefit package. He added that he is married and has five children so that was important to him. Over the years, different boards came and went and salaries started going down, but the benefits package remained. He said that was one of the reasons that he stayed with Manchester; it wasn’t so much the salary, it was the benefit package for the children. Some of the employees here in different departments have spoken with him about an increase in the health care benefits, and he was shocked by what they are telling him. If what they are saying is true his questions is: “Is there a specific reason for this increase in the health care benefits for the employees?” He would like to know the reason why, and also why this year caused this type of an increase for people who have children. He said he knows what it was like to work two or three jobs so his children could go to schools and they could have certain things in life. He said Law Enforcement doesn’t necessarily always pay well. Mr. Hunn stated when “Hell” comes to Manchester, it is your employees who have to deal with it. It is your policemen and public works people. He said when there are ice storms, your parks department comes in to help out. He said they are the people that make it work, and the least the Board could do is cover the medical costs as they have in the past. He said this is a killer if you have children. Alderman Ottenad asked that someone from the City get back to him and answer him. Alderman Clement answered that the City Administrator will be getting back to Mr. Hunn. Ms. Denise Tinnon, 935 Queensbridge, a Manchester resident, said she wanted to echo what Mr. Hunn said, and she cannot express the level of disappointment she has in the Board for increasing the amount of money that is coming out of employees’ pockets. They are going to cause people to be upset coming to work. She said they are automatically upset before they even get to work, and if she comes to the Police Department for a police report or when she goes to the City Hall and needs something, it is not the aldermen who are there to help her; it is the people who can’t afford to put food in their children’s mouths; she said it is the police officer who can’t afford to send their children to school, and she doesn’t understand why this decision was made. She asked why there wasn’t some type of vote or a phone call from the people that she hires with her vote. She said she votes every time and she is not sure why she didn’t get some type of call when there was a decision made that is affecting everybody except the Board. She said she does expect someone to get back to her on this, and she would like to know who that will be. The response was that the City would get back to her. Mr. Brian Elliott, 735 LeManns Drive, said he was an employee, and he is a resident of the City of Manchester. He said he wanted to echo what the last two speakers had said, and it is embarrassing what the Board is doing to the employees without explanation. They shouldn’t be in a position where they make less and less each year as they go forward; it shows no appreciation for the work they do. He said he had to leave after three years because he couldn’t keep going to work with the Parks Department, and he saw this coming a mile away. He said he had to do what was best for his family, but they are going to run everybody that is good out of the City if they don’t make a change. Mr. Daniel O’Brien, 512 Glan Tai Drive, a Manchester resident, said a lot of these people are new to this, but what these past people have talked about is true. He said the beautiful thing about Manchester is we do take care of our own. He said that more than anything, Mr. Hixson has an obligation to the employees; he has to answer to the Board, but they have to answer to the Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 2 people, and 20 votes can swing anything in any ward. Mr. O’Brien said if they are put under pressure to get insurance from some different organization and to get out of the pool or whatever they did, people need to know these things. This is really how it works, you answer to them, but they answer to the people. He said this Affordable Health Care is scaring everyone to death, and insurance companies are the only ones making all the money, so, they throw these big numbers and they throw out these policies and say take it or leave it. He said that is what happens if you are not in a position to shop it out, or you don’t have an actuary who takes care of all insurance matters. He is in favor of hiring an actuary to coordinate all the insurance in Manchester; he suggested spending the money there. Mr. O’Brien said the fact is this is jammed down their throat for these people who can’t afford it, just isn’t right. He said the first thing he thought of with this entire process is the Fox family. Unfortunately, their son died, but if they had to live, insure, and do their things with this situation, it would be impossible. He spoke directly to Alderman Ottenad and said that she has been through this situation, and has lived through it, and should know what it is like. He said if Dave and Patty Fox had to go through what they went through right now with the insurance, they couldn’t do it. Dave would have to quit even though he has been employed with the City of Manchester about 20 years. He said the City can’t run scared because of the insurance companies. He said this is business to them; they don’t look at these people’s faces or their families, but it is their obligation, and if there are problems with the Board pressuring in any kind of way to take these things, then this needs to be taken to the people. Mr. O’Brien said it is not too late to fix this. He said this can be changed, they can get back in the pool. He said this is not a done deal right now. He said it has been voted on but it can be changed. Mr. Chris Winters, 510 Cardinal Lane, a Manchester resident, said that two weeks ago he failed to mention the Homecoming Committee, and the outstanding job they did and always do. He said for all the hours volunteers put in, he wanted to say “thank you”. Mr. Winters stated he has looked through all the previous minutes and he can’t find any hard numbers from Beattie and Associates or United Health Care, Coventry or Anthem. There are no bids or related documents, and he can’t find where this was discussed, except that there was a closed session on August 29, so he assumes that is when it was discussed. He said since they have voted on and picked the company to give insurance, he wanted to know if that bid and information is public knowledge now. He said he wanted to look at the numbers. He said Alderman Clement mentioned it is over $1 million in a statement, but he can’t see what the City is paying and what the employees are paying. City Attorney Patrick Gunn stated this information is available through a Sunshine Law Request, as this is a public record now. Mr. Winters stated that all other bids are automatically put in the minutes, such as trucks, etc. Mr. Robert Lopez, 1302 Mautenne, a Manchester resident, stated that he sees lots of City employees. He is happy with the street department, the police department, and when he goes to City Hall, he gets questions answered right away. He said the City has the Highlands providing revenue, really there is a lot of revenue coming into the City, and to shortchange these people and not getting them best that money can buy, and he believes it needs to be done. Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 3  Ms. Sharon Owens, 107 Baxter Acres Drive, a Manchester resident, said she talked several years ago about the low wages of Manchester employees, and she also gave examples of what exemplary employees the City has; they do wonderful things. Everywhere she goes in the community she gets compliments about how good the employees are, she doesn’t care if it is the Public Works Department, the Office, the Police Officers, or the Parks Department. They are all wonderful employees and they need to be appreciated, and when they aren’t paid well, it shows they are not appreciated, and it is up to the aldermen that they make a decision some way to pay for them. Ms. Owens stated that it seems that everything that happens in Manchester, whether it is the Arts or the beautiful building at the Park, it seems like it is taken away from the employees’ wages and it is coming out of their money that the City is getting all these extra things. She said it is up to the aldermen to decide how to do it. When they do the budget, they need to list their employees and employee wages at the top. She said the City has wonderful employees and it is important to start showing them and showing the residents of Manchester that employees are appreciated. She said we need the aldermen to show they appreciate their employees. Mr. Chris Kerber, 303 Royal Village Drive, said having been a Manchester resident for 10 years, his dealings with the police officers and with public works have been excellent. He is with everyone who has said to take care of those employees, because you get what you pay for. Mr. Kerber stated he wanted to thank Alderman Baumann and City Attorney Gunn for their help. He said they have been dealing with an issue at Dierberg’s and the noise. It is an issue that has constantly been recurring and has become a pretty big one ever since the construction has started. He said that while he doesn’t want to tie this into the tax that was approved without anyone voting on it from a public standpoint, there is a slight relation with this. He said Dierberg’s has a responsibility to the residents, as well as following the Ordinances that are in place. He wanted to thank Alderman Baumann and City Attorney Gunn, because when he contacted Alderman Baumann, the response was immediate. He said that Attorney Gunn’s approach with Dierberg’s was fantastic. He said his only reason for standing up there is so everyone from the City government standpoint knows that if you have Ordinances, and public money is helping them, you need to hold them accountable to follow those Ordinances. He thinks it is two maybe three letters that he received from City Attorney Gunn, and Alderman Baumann has dealt with him and his neighbors. He said he has personally dealt with managers down at Dierberg’s, and enough is enough. He said he doesn’t believe they have been fined and doesn’t believed there has been an issue raised beyond that and he thinks it is time to do it. Mr. Kerber said the City of Manchester needs to hold them accountable, as well. If you’re going to do that to your own employees, demand it of yourself. He said if you can get the decibel level in your house at 60, and he believes the decibel level should be changed too, because it is now loud enough that the noise is coming through the walls. He thanked Alderman Baumann and City Attorney Gunn for being responsive. Ms. Leslie Richardet, # 2 Finlay Fields, a Manchester resident, stated she feels the Board is hiding something and not telling everything that is going on with everyone in the City. Her question is she understands that Manchester is one of the bottom of 50 cities with what they pay their officers and departments, and she wonders if that is why Manchester can’t keep any police officers in the City. She said with everything that is happening these days, she thinks we need to support our police officers and all the other departments in the City. She said things are getting a little wild here. She said with the Board cutting benefits, that is not good, and she would like to know why the Board is doing it. She said there are things that can be done to make a little money. Ms. Richardet Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 4 then gave an example that she does not know of any other city that gets free trash pickup. She asked what would happen if they charged everybody $5 a month. She thinks that would help get some more money in the City. Mr. John Schrader, 804 Windingpath Lane, a Manchester resident, said he had the pleasure of being on the dais for four years and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He said he would love to thank everyone for coming out tonight, but he finds it a shame that something big has to be happening to get the room full. He thinks it would be fantastic to see more public in here during the meetings. Mr. Schrader asked if this is the same insurance group that was brought to the City about three years ago by Alderman Hamill, and there was an affirmative answer. He also asked if it is the same brokerage firm that Alderman Hamill is using for his own business, and if so, if he is voting on the insurance and budget, and whether it is a conflict of interest. Alderman Hamill answered that he does use the same insurance broker, but they do not get paid by the City. Mr. Schrader stated that when he was on the Board, he abstained from a vote for a business license for an insurance broker because he was one of their customers. Alderman Hamill stated if Mr. Schrader wanted to take up whether or not he should abstain or not, they can certainly do that. Sergeant Sheree Waterhouse, stated that she lives in Leslie, Missouri, and works for the City of Manchester, and has worked here for a long time. She said there are a lot of employees here who have hung in here for a long time waiting for something good to happen here. The employees love this community and she loves the people. She said she knows everyone in the audience from either working with them or getting to know them because she has worked here 23 years. She said the employees keep waiting for something good to happen here, and when the Highlands came, we thought “Oh good, finally, we are going to be competitive with other cities in our pay” which we are not. She said we are on the bottom on a list of 50, Manchester is 48 or 49. There is no reason to be at the bottom. She said we work in a City that has revenue but we also work in a City where the citizens are used to not paying anything for all the services that are provided to them. We work hard, we do our jobs, we come to work every day, we just want to be compensated. We want to be compatible with other Cities around us; everybody around us makes way more than we do. Someone comes to work here, they work here 10 years, then they go down the street and work at Glendale, a very small little community, and it is a $10,000 raise walking in the door. Does that make any sense? We can’t keep people here. The only people who stay are the old timers like her who are too old to go anywhere else. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love her job, she loves her job. She said “I love this City, but we just want you to love us back.” Sergeant Waterhouse said she knows the answers to the questions that were asked tonight when people are saying we just want an explanation and we want to know why they are going to come back; it was with insurance increasing by 36 percent or whatever the number was. That happened everywhere and everybody else isn’t doing this to their employees. Why does every expense that the Board incurs always go on the backs of employees? Why? She said employees don’t understand it. We work hard and we want to feel like we belong here and are appreciated; we want to feel you want us to stay. Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 5  Sergeant Waterhouse stated the last time the City put an ad out for applications for police officers (and that was for two openings), 17 applications were received, which is pathetic. She said we used to get a couple hundred, but we don’t anymore. She said she could stand up there and go on and on, but these families who have kids who have to pay for baby sitters a couple hundred dollars a week and now that they are going to have to pay a couple hundred or more dollars a week for insurance, they are going to be eligible for Circle of Concern. She will be inviting them to “Shop with a Cop” because they will not be able to provide their own Christmas. She is asking the Board to please understand that they know the costs have gone up, but can we get back in SLAIT (St. Louis Area Insurance Trust)? Why are we not going to get back into SLAIT? There has to be something we can do. She turned to the audience and asked if everyone would be willing to pay $5 or $10 a month for trash. Everyone responded that they would, and they clapped. Sergeant Waterhouse said you cannot run a City without bringing in revenue and she understands the Board doesn’t want any of the citizens to ever pay anything; that is a wonderful idea in fairytale land, but it doesn’t really pay the bills. She pled: “Please help us.” Ms. Sharon Owens, 107 Baxter Acres Drive, asked about the City’s employees being paid at the low level of the survey. She would like someone to present the benefits and the wages of Manchester employees compared to other communities in St. Louis County. Also, she would like the date when the Highlands Tax Increment Financing (TIF) ends. She would like to know why the City left the group insurance and went out on their own. Ms. Kim Smith, 2 Calder Court, a Manchester resident, said it is good to be back again, kind of. She said she has been in nursing school for the past two years and so she has been a little negligent in paying attention to what is going on in her City. It is easy to get complacent when you don’t see problems and it looks like things are humming along and things look peaceful, but as it turns out, things in our town are not peaceful, and in great danger of losing some of the City’s most prized assets, which are the City employees. She said we are in danger of losing them because our Board of Aldermen is about to price them right out of their jobs by expecting them to carry an unreasonable burden when it comes to their health insurance. She likes a bargain as much as the next person but there are a few good things that she will pay top dollar for, good shoes, good sheets, good mattresses and good City services. She said: “I do not want to live in a bargain basement town with employees fleeing left and right because they can’t afford to work here.” She doesn’t want a police department where her tax dollars are used to train police officers who will soon leave for greener pastures to work for a municipality that has much better benefits than Manchester. She doesn’t want a shortage of public works folks when her streets need plowing or need a pothole fixed. She doesn’t want City Parks Programs to implode because all of the people who work there will be forced to look for employment elsewhere in order to keep a roof over their heads and have enough money to raise their children. She said she can’t imagine the Board of Aldermen want that either but that is exactly what is going to happen if things don’t change around here. Ms. Smith stated when she looks around this room, the Board sees statistics and numbers, but she sees people, she sees long time employees who work long hours to make Manchester a great City. She sees people who make this place a wonderful place to live, with services second to none. She said many of the people she sees behind the scenes volunteering for events like Breakfast with Santa, Shop with a Cop, Halloween Festival and many more. She said these folks don’t just work for Manchester; they are Manchester. They may or may not live here, but they are as much a part of the City as any of us here tonight. They are parents and they are grandparents and sons and they are daughters just like you, and they have a right to be paid fairly for their hard work, just like you. A tiny raise is not going to offset a huge insurance premium increase. Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 6  Ms. Smith stated if they need more money next year, don’t take this out of their employees hides, take it out of hers. Last year she paid $97.98 in personal property taxes and real estate taxes to the City of Manchester, which is a whopping $8.16 a month, but guess what she doesn’t pay a darn thing for trash service and she can’t figure out why. She said to charge her and other residents $10 a month for trash pickup. She has taken things to the dump before and $10 is way cheaper and a lot less hassle. With around 6,500 households receiving trash service in Manchester that is $700,000 a year; problem solved. She said the aldermen may hear from a few disgruntled residents, but they will get over it, faced with taking their trash to the dump or moving to a “bargain basement city”, and she bets they stay put to enjoy the outstanding police protection, the beautiful parks, great City Hall and the stellar public works services. She said that come next April, the aldermen are still going to get their vote. She said when they sit down next week and look at the budget numbers, she hopes they remember the faces behind those numbers and remember they are the people who keep Manchester running smoothly. Ms. Smith asked that the aldermen please do the right thing by treating employees fairly. Mayor Willson commented that this is one of the most poignant meetings that the Board of Aldermen has had recently, where not only the citizens, but also the employees came up and expressed their concerns and questions, and it is duly noted. He said he appreciates the turnout and we will see what happens. He thanked everyone for coming and expressed appreciation for all the comments and time. 6. REPORTS FROM THE MAYOR a. Mayoral Report Mayor Willson reported that he and City Administrator Hixson met with Parkway School District administrators on September 21; also on the same day, they attended the West County Chamber of Commerce luncheon. He reported that on September 23, there was a very interesting luncheon where some of the City staff volunteered to serve lunch for the 240 workers and staff at Lafayette Industries. He said that Callier’s provided the food, but City staff served lunch, Ruth Baker, Colleen Massey-Skaggs, Andy Hixson, and Dave Tuberty participated. Mayor Willson reported that on September 23, the last concert in the park for this year was held, and there was the best crowd and turnout for an evening in the park. On Saturday morning, Stephanie and staff, were at the pavilion, had breakfast for Clean Stream and in the clean-up effort, four dump truck loads of trash came out of the streams, the creeks, and the work was mostly done by Cub Scout and Boy Scout troops. They had a great turnout; and staff did a wonderful job. The Mayor reported that on September 24, the Legion Hall 208 held an ice cream social, a fundraiser for Ballwin Officer Flamion, for which he gave credit to Sharon Owens. He said City staff provided baskets for the silent auction. He said they sold every basket, and there were 78 of them, and it was really a nice event. Mayor Willson said that since Alderman Clement wasn’t present at the last Planning and Zoning meeting, he gave a report. He said there was a request for a Special Use Permit for Jasmine Spa., and that was the first meeting for Melanie Rippetoe, the City’s new Planning and Zoning Director. Mayor Willson reminded everyone of the document shredding event this Saturday from 9 – 11 a.m. at Schroeder Park for Manchester residents only. There is a CERT graduation and ArtsFest this weekend at the Paul Schroeder Park. Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 7 7. REPORTS FROM THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR a. List of Paid Bills (Warrant dates of September 18 – September 30, 2016) There were no questions. 8. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES a. Manchester Arts Alderman Stevens reported that plans are beginning and underway for the Lafayette Industries Concert. She said the plans are also underway to continue the art display that is in the Court room. b. Planning and Zoning Commission Alderman Clement stated that what the Mayor didn’t share was that the Special Use Permit was approved by the Commission and will come before the Board on November 7. c. Homecoming Committee Alderman Ottenad stated they did not have a meeting. 9. ACTION ON OLD BILLS a. AN ORDINANCE CONTRACTING FOR DISPATCHING SERVICES WITH THE CITY OF BALLWIN Alderman Ottenad wanted to explain that the reason for the substitute Bill is because the first Bill that she read was supposed to be for a five-year contract, but the dates that were given made it a six-year contract, so those are the only things that were changed in this Bill. Alderman Ottenad read Substitute Bill # 16-2275, entitled: “AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY WITH THE CITY OF BALLWIN RELATING TO THE PROVIDING OF POLICE COMMUNICATION SERVICES FOR THE CITY OF MANCHESTER”, by title only. Alderman Ottenad made the motion that Substitute Bill # 16-2275 become Ordinance # 16- 2159. The motion was seconded by Alderman Clement. A poll of the Board showed: Alderman Stevens – aye Alderman Hamill – aye Alderman Diehl – absent Alderman Baumann – aye Alderman Ottenad – aye Alderman Clement – aye Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 8  Mayor Willson announced the motion passed 5 – 0, with no objections and one alderman absent. 10. INTRODUCTION OF NEW BILLS a. RESOLUTION CONTRACTING FOR SIDEWALK ELEVATION CORRECTION AND REPAIR PROJECT Alderman Stevens read Proposed Resolution # 16-0573, entitled: “A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING THE BID OF LIFT RITE, INC. IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED THIRTY- SEVEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-TWO DOLLARS ($37,442.00) FOR THE 2016 CONCRETE SIDEWALK SLAB ELEVATION CORRECTION PROJECT IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT THEREFOR”, by title only. Alderman Stevens made the motion for approval of Resolution # 16-0573. The motion was seconded by Alderman Clement and carried by a vote of 5-0, without objection, and one alderman absent. b. RESOLUTION ACCEPTING GRANT FROM THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION FOR TRIM GRANT FOR TREE ORDINANCE DEVELOPMENT Alderman Clement read Proposed Resolution # 16-0574, entitled: “A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING A TREE RESOURCE IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE (TRIM) GRANT FROM THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED SIX THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE DOLLARS ($6,399.00) FOR PROPER REIMBURSABLE COSTS INCURRED TO COMPLETE A TREE ORDINANCE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT THEREFOR”, by title only Alderman Clement asked Director Ruck to explain. Director of Public Works Bob Ruck explained that it is a follow up to the right-of-way tree inventory that was taken, and it was found that we do not have an Ordinance or Resolution in place for tree protection, even on private property, and this is one of the items for an Ordinance development. Director Ruck stated that Alderman Clement has been active also, and they are going to make it comprehensive to address trees not just in the street right-of-way, but throughout the City to manage the tree forest in the City of Manchester. Alderman Clement made the motion for approval of Resolution # 16-0574. The motion was seconded by Alderman Hamill and carried by a vote of 5-0, without objection, and one alderman absent. c. RESOLUTION ACCEPTING SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH DIAL ARCHITECTS FOR STUDY OF EXTERIOR CITY HALL BUILDING Alderman Baumann read Proposed Resolution # 16-0575 entitled: “A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CITY OF MANCHESTER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH DAVID W. DIAL ARCHITECTS, P.C. IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 9 EXCEED TEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($10,500.00) TO PROVIDE THE CITY WITH ARCHITECTURAL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE CITY HALL EXTERIOR BUILDING AND BALCONY PROJECT IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER”, by title only. Alderman Baumann made the motion for approval of Resolution # 16-0575. The motion was seconded by Alderman Clement and carried by a vote of 5-0, without objection, and one alderman absent. 11. MISCELLANEOUS a. Comments from the Public Mr. Chris Winters, 512 Cardinal Drive, stated he also did some calculations as to what he pays in taxes, and it appears his taxes are going up .10%; which is probably $5 a year. He said he lives in a more-than-modest home, and they pay $140 a year. He said he can’t beat $11.88 a month for all the services he gets. He said as a citizen, he wanted to know if there is anything he can do to encourage friends and neighbors to make it easier for the Board to make a decision to charge $10 a month for trash. Certainly, considering where other monies can come from, trash seems to be the solution. Mr. Winters stated as far as employees go, you get what you pay for, and if you don’t pay, you lose them, and he hates to lose them. Mayor Willson stated that Academy Sports is going to have their “soft opening” on October 14. He advised that Academy Sports will actually open a week after their “soft opening”. 12. ADJOURNMENT At 7:51 p.m., there being no further business, Alderman Clement made the motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Alderman Hamill and carried by a vote of 5-0, without objection. Mayor Willson thanked everyone for their attendance and their comments. The meeting adjourned at 7:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Ruth E. Baker, MMC/MPCC City Clerk Note: This is a journal of the Board of Aldermen meeting October 3, 2016 (summary); not a verbatim transcript. If a recording of the meeting is desired, please contact City Hall. Regular Board of Aldermen 10/03/2016 Page 10