Board of Aldermen Meeting

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF TWIN OAKS, TWIN OAKS TOWN HALL ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2024 Mayor Russ Fortune called the meeting of the Twin Oaks Board of Aldermen to order at 6:30 p.m. Roll Call was taken: In Attendance: • Alderman Lisa Eisenhauer-absent • Alderman Tim Stoeckl • Alderman Joe Krewson • Mayor Russ Fortune • Alderman Dennis Whitmore Also Present: • April Milne, City Clerk • Paul Rost, City Attorney • David Watson, Financial Consultant Permanent records are kept of all minutes and ordinances. Each ordinance is read a minimum of two times by title, unless otherwise noted. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Mayor Russ Fortune asked for a motion to approve the Agenda. • Motion: To approve the agenda. Moved by: Alderman Joe Krewson Seconded by: Alderman Tim Stoeckl Vote: Three yea and one absent. CITIZEN COMMENTS No citizen comments. APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Fortune asked for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda consisting of the Regular Meeting Minutes from November 6, 2024, Closed Session Minutes from November 6, 2024, Closed Session Minutes from November 14, 2024, the Bills list from November 2, 2024 to November 15, 2024 and the Credit Card Statement for October. • Motion: To approve the consent agenda. Moved by: Alderman Krewson City of Twin Oaks-Board of Aldermen-Regular Meeting Minutes–November 20, 2024 Page 1 of 5  Seconded by: Alderman Dennis Whitmore Vote: Three yea and one absent. REPORT OF COMMITTEES/COMMISSION/CONTRACTORS Police Report: Office Wehner report on September’s police activity, reviewing radio calls, written reports, traffic stops, crimes and auto accidents. The notable point was his discussion of online fraud, specifically deceptive sales practices, which he described as challenging to track and increasingly prevalent. Park Committee: Park Chairman, Jim Crawford reviewed the Park Committee’s recent activities. The Committee is reviewing a survey aimed at assessing community activity and usage of Twin Oaks Park. He mentioned that updates to the park’s electrical infrastructure were reviewed. He stated that the committee has finalized the event for the 2025 calendar with at least one event scheduled per month. Notable new additions include: January’s S’mores evening at City Hall, March’s St. Patrick’s event and November’s First annual Twin Oaks Pet Parade in the Park. He concluded with Winter Lighting updates, stating that the park lights will be installed on Saturday, November 23 and the Committee will be meeting on the following Monday to finalize decorations in preparation for the December 1st Lighting Ceremony. October Financial Report: Financial Consultant, Dave Watson presented the Financial Statement for the period ending October 31, 2024, to the Board. He stated that the City’s maintains a strong financial position, with a balance exceeding two million dollars. He reviewed category specific changes and confirmed that the City’s finances are on budget. OLD BUSINESS Insurance Claim Update: Public Works Director, John Williams reported on the roofing assessments conducted for hail damage at City Hall and 50 Crescent Ave. He informed the Board that a company needed to be selected to proceed with the insurance claim. After reviewing the assessments, the Board chose Xpert Xteriors to carry out the repairs. • Motion: To approve Xpert Xteriors for hail damage repairs. Moved by: Alderman Stoeckl Seconded by: Alderman Whitmore Vote: Three yea and one absent The repair work on the Twin Oaks Truck was reviewed by Mr. Williams, who praised the quality as excellent. He presented two options to the Board for consideration regarding broken equipment. He reviewed costs to repair the current 20-year-old leaf blower or purchase a new one. After reviewing the costs, the Board decided it wasn’t cost-effective to repair such old equipment. The Board instructed Mr. Williams to proceed with purchasing a new leaf blower. City of Twin Oaks-Board of Aldermen-Regular Meeting Minutes–November 20, 2024 Page 2 of 5  NEW BUSINESS Resolution 2024-18: A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A THIRD AMENDED AGREEMEN WITH HARVEY’S SERIVICE, INC., FOR MOWING SERVICES City Clerk Milne read Resolution 2024-18. The Board acknowledged and briefly discussed Harvey’s years of service and the quality of their work. The consensus was reached that everyone was satisfied with their performance and express a desire to continue working with Harvey’s moving forward. • Motion: To approve Resolution 2024-18 Moved by: Alderman Stoeckl Seconded by: Alderman Krewson Vote: Three yea and one absent. Resolution 2024-19: A RESOLUTION APPROVING AND AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE ANN AGREEMENT WITH OMNI TREE SERVICE, INC. FOR ON-CALL EMERGENCY TREE SERVICES. City Clerk Milne read Resolution 2024-19. She stated that the City issued a request for bids but received only one response. The sole bid came from Omni Tree service, a company with a history of providing emergency tree services for the City. City Clerk Milne noted that the costs for Omni Tree Service’s work have increased only minimally compared to previous years. • Motion: To approve Resolution 2024-19 Moved by: Alderman Whitmore Seconded by: Alderman Krewson Vote: Three yea and one absent 2025 Budget Review: Financial Consultant, David Watson reviewed Twin Oaks 2025 Budget. He provided a thorough analysis, offering clarity and insights into the financial planning and adjustments for the upcoming year. The draft for 2025 takes a conservative approach on both revenue and expenditures forecasts, reflection a 3% increase from 2024. Mr. Watson used graphs, bar charts, and pie charts to present trends and historical data on the Fund Balance, Revenue, Expenditures, Sales Tax Trends and Sale and Use Tax History. He reviewed the rising costs in expenditures driven by increasing costs for sanitation and snow removal services. He reviewed all categories line items in depth, highlighting both the newly created and combined categories. He explained that the redesigned budget format, including accounting charts, was introduced to improve understanding and streamline future financial reviews. He stated that a Public Hearing is set for December 4, 2024 Board Meeting to approve the 2025 budget. Mr. Watson concluded that, overall, the City’s finances are in a great place. City of Twin Oaks-Board of Aldermen-Regular Meeting Minutes–November 20, 2024 Page 3 of 5  DISCUSSION ITEMS Meramec Station Road Project-STP/TAP Grant Application: City Clerk Milne reviewed the firms that were consulted for improving Meramec Station Road. She presented the firm GBA to the Board for consideration, emphasizing there strong alignment with the Board’s pedestrian- focused interests. She stated that GBA has the potential to secure funding through one of two programs: the Surface Transportation Program (STP) or the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). The projected expense for design and grant preparation is estimated between $15,000 and $20,000. Discussion ensued and the Board agreed to proceed with GBA for the project’s design and grant application phase. • Motion: To move forward with the engaging GBA for the Meramec Station Rd Project Moved by: Alderman Krewson Seconded by: Alderman Stoeckl Vote: Three yea and one absent ATTORNEY’S REPORT City Attorney, Paul Rost will be reviewing upcoming contract with GBA. CITY CLERK’S REPORT City Clerk Milne referred the Board to the written report and provided a summary of its contents. She has been gathering bids for cleaning and additional park landscaping services for 2025. Assistant Clerk, Paula Dries has been researching gift ideas for volunteers in preparation of the Appreciation Dinner. City Clerk Milne met with a contractor who confirmed that proceeding with milling and overlay could extend the road’s lifespan by an additional 10 years. She delivered a presentation on the Twin Oaks map plan to the Boundary Commission. She has enrolled the City in the TIPS cooperative purchasing agreement, ensuring access to competitive pricing for government purchases. City Clerk Milne continued by reviewing the upcoming December events and summarizing key project updates. Crescent Ave. Improvements are progressing toward completion, with the ribbon cutting event now scheduled for December 2nd. Boly Lane Entrance is finalizing plans with BFA, with bid document currently being prepared. Park Lighting Upgrades continue with discussion with Voss about the lighting plan, with a phased approach under consideration based on the pending cost estimates. MAYOR & ALDERMEN COMMENTS Alderman Krewson: Expressed his thanks to the Board for the construction and completion of the Crescent Ave. Sidewalk. He also suggested organizing a fun run to commemorate and celebrate the new sidewalk. City of Twin Oaks-Board of Aldermen-Regular Meeting Minutes–November 20, 2024 Page 4 of 5 Alderman Whitmore: Expressed concerns about excessive signage in residential yards. He also spoke about trailers being parked at intersections for extended periods of time and concerns of obstructing visibility. He continued with a complaint from a non-resident about the menu costs at a local restaurant. FINAL CITIZEN COMMENTS No final citizen comments. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business Mayor Fortune asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion: To adjourn the meeting Moved by: Alderman Krewson Seconded by: Alderman Stoeckl Vote: All in favor, none opposed. The regular meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m. Drafted By: Paula Dries Assistant City Clerk Date of Approval: ATTEST: ________________________ _____________________________ April Milne Russ Fortune, City Clerk Mayor, Board of Aldermen City of Twin Oaks-Board of Aldermen-Regular Meeting Minutes–November 20, 2024 Page 5 of 5