Board of Aldermen Meeting

Meeting Minutes CITY OF WILLARD BOARD OF ALDERMEN REGULAR MEETING August 26, 2024 6:00 P.M. Staff Present: City Administrator Wesley Young; Planning & Zoning Commission Director Mike Ruesch; CFO Carolyn Halverson; City Clerk Janice Gargus; City Attorney Nate Dally; Interim Public Works Director Troy Hoffman Public Present: Rick Wilson; Mark Lancaster The tentative agenda of this meeting includes: PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Troy Smith led the Pledge of Allegiance Call the meeting to order. Mayor Troy Smith called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. and asked the City Clerk to do a Roll Call 1. Roll Call The City Clerk conducted the Roll Call Present: Mayor Troy Smith, Alderman Casey Biellier, Alderman David Keene, Alderman Joyce Lancaster, Alderman Scott Swatosh, Alderman Carol Wilson 2. Agenda Amendments/Approval of Agenda Mayor Smith asked for a motion to approve the agenda. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Keene to approve the agenda as is. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 3. Consent Agenda: Mayor Smith asked for a motion to approve the consent agenda as published. Motion was made by Alderman Keene and seconded by Alderman Biellier to approve the consent agenda as published. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson “A Consent Agenda allows the Board of Aldermen to consider and approve routine items of business without discussion. Any member of the Board of Aldermen, the City Staff or the Public may request removal of any item from the Consent Agenda and request that it be considered under the Regular Agenda if discussion or debate of the item is desired. Items not removed from the Consent Agenda will stand approved upon motion by any Board member, second and unanimous vote to “approve the Consent Agenda as published or modified.” a. Minutes from the Regular Meeting August 12, 2024 b. July Financial Summaries c. July Financial Statements d. July/August Outstanding Invoices, Checks and Draft Paid Invoices e. July Check Register 08/26/2024 BOA Meeting Agenda Page 1  f. July Utility Adjustments Report 4. Current Outstanding Invoices, Draft and Check Paid Invoices for July/August 2024. Wes Young explained the payment to Apptegy and the Lowes refund. Alderman Biellier asked if the CFO can start specifying which automobile the expenses refer to. Carolyn Halverson responded saying that yes, she will specify the individual automobile expenses in the future. Mayor Smith asked for a motion to approve the Current Outstanding Invoices, Draft and Check Paid Invoices for July/August 2024. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Lancaster to approve the Current Outstanding Invoices, Draft and Check Paid Invoices for July/August 2024 as is. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 5. Citizen Input None 6. Approve Appointments to the Park Advisory Board and/or Tree Board a. Vanessa Keene b. Josh O’Connor c. Michael Smith Mayor Smith asked if anyone had any objections to appointing these three applicants to the Park Advisory Board or Tree Board. Parks Director Jason Knight said the Park Advisory Board is only in need of one more member and suggested appointing Vanessa Keene to the Park Advisory Board and appointing Josh O’Connor and Michael Smith to the Tree Board. Due to Alderman David Keene being the husband of Vanessa Keene, Wes Young reminded the board that Alderman Keene would have to abstain from the vote. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Lancaster to appoint Vanessa Keene to the Park Advisory Board. Motion carried with a 4-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Lancaster, Swatosh Wilson/Abstain: Alderman Keene Motion was made by Alderman Lancaster and seconded by Alderman Biellier to appoint Josh O’Connor and Michael Smith to the Tree Board. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson. 7. Public Hearing for the General Levy/Annual Tax a. Public Notice There was no one present from the public to ask questions. Carolyn Halverson explained to the Board of Aldermen that the tax percentage rates did not change from last year and are still the same. The only difference is the assessed valuation. The projected total revenue for both general revenue and parks was $327,497 for last year, and $344,369 for this year. 8. Ordinance Providing for the General Levy and Imposition of Annual Tax for General Municipal Purposes for the Year 2024 and for Imposition of Annual Tax for Parks (2nd Read) a. Exhibit A: Memorandum/Scott Fitzpatrick – Missouri State Auditor b. Exhibit B: Signed Pro Forma Summary Page – General Revenue c. Exhibit C: Pro Forma Form A Pages 1-2 – General Revenue d. Exhibit D: Signed Pro Forma Summary Page – Parks & Recreation e. Exhibit E: Pro Forma Form A Pages 1-2 – Parks & Recreation 08/26/2024 BOA Meeting Agenda Page 2  f. Exhibit F: Pro Forma Informational Data Pages 1-2 g. Exhibit G: Notice of 2024 Aggregate Assessed Valuation Mayor Smith asked for a motion to approve the Ordinance Providing for the General Levy and Imposition of Annual Tax for General Municipal Purposes for the Year 2024 and for Imposition of Annual Tax for Parks. Motion was made by Alderman Keene and seconded by Alderman Biellier to approve the Ordinance Providing for the General Levy and Imposition of Annual Tax for General Municipal Purposes for the Year 2024 and for Imposition of Annual Tax for Parks. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 9. Ordinance for Accepting the Proposal by Arrow for High Speed Internet/VOIP Phone Service and for Starlink Services, LLC to be used as a back up to Provide Phone & Internet Services for the City of Willard Department Buildings and Authorizing the Mayor to Execute All Necessary Documents on Behalf of the City of Willard (1st Read) a. Exhibit A: Service Order Form/Master Service Agreement for Arrow High Speed Internet/VOIP Phone Service (Bid #1) b. Exhibit B: Starlink No Contract Monthly Charges (Bid #2) c. Exhibit C: Current Environment Stats vs. Tier One & Tier 2 Recommended Environments d. Exhibit D: Proposed Services Stats Basic Service Internet & Phones e. Exhibit E: Current Services Stats Basic Services Internet & Phone, plus back up for all but Public Works f. Exhibit F: Proposal/Bid from Granite Government Solutions (Bid #3) Carolyn Halverson explained what this is for, and that Jeremy Evans/IT is going to give complete details. Jeremy said he worked with Tier 1 Solutions to get bids from various providers, which also included Granite/ISP in Florida. Jeremy is proposing we go with Arrow. He gave some reasons why, including that the internet speed will bump up. This will also happen with the Public Works building. We currently have back up services and Tier 1 recommended Mediacom. Jeremy instead recommends Starlink. Starlink will work if fiber lines are accidentally cut and will prevent outages. Phone system will be the same. Starlink is cheaper. There is a three-year contract with no rises in cost during the three years. Granite was about $400 per month more expensive with lower speeds. Carolyn pointed out the pages in the middle of the packet item with the detailed costs. She stated that the vote will be on the bid only as she’s waiting for an updated contract that will have some minor requested changes. She also said the cost is $120 per location. Alderman Biellier asked if there is a waiting period for Starlink to which Jeremy replied no and indicated it will be shipped as soon as we place our order. This is the first read so we won’t vote until the next meeting, and we will have the contract updates by then. Mayor Smith asked for a motion to accept the bids on the condition that the contract doesn’t change, which will be voted on at the next meeting. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Lancaster to accept the bids on the condition that the contract doesn’t change. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson. 10. Ordinance Code of Ethics to Establish a Procedure to Disclose Potential Conflicts of Interest and Substantial Interests for Certain Officials (2nd Read) Mayor Smith asked if there were any questions and if not for a motion to approve the Ordinance Code of Ethics to Establish a Procedure to Disclose Potential Conflicts of Interest and Substantial Interests for Certain Officials. Motion was made by Alderman Keene and seconded by Alderman Lancaster to approve the Ordinance Code of Ethics to Establish a Procedure to 08/26/2024 BOA Meeting Agenda Page 3  Disclose Potential Conflicts of Inters for Certain Officials. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson. 11. Ordinance to Amend Section 115.060 of the Code of Ordinances to Establish How Compensation will be set for all Elected Officials, Appointed Officers, and Employees (2nd Read) Mayor Smith asked if there were any questions and if not for a motion to approve the Ordinance to Amend Section 115.060 of the Code of Ordinances to Establish How Compensation will be set for all Elected Officials, Appointed Officers, and Employees. Motion was made by Alderman Lancaster and seconded by Alderman Keene to approve the Ordinance to Amend Section 115.060 of the Code of Ordinances to Establish How Compensation will be set for all Elected Officials, Appointed Officers, and Employees. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 12. Proposal for Joining TIPS Government Purchasing Co-op and Acquiring a Pre-Owned School Bus from American Bus Jason Knight explained the target here is to help with the kids wait list for the Willard Schools Tiger Tales Program and this is a proposal for an after-school program with the city. Jason said the problem is that we don’t have transportation because our bus is in the shop and needs brakes before addressing the engine problems. If we purchase a bus through this program, they will finance it for four years with one annual payment. We just need to join TIPS to have the option to purchase a bus. Jason said we are currently paying for insurance on the bus we have so that expense is already factored in. He stated that the current bus will probably end up as surplus because it’s a 2006 and needs $4000 in repairs. Mayor Smith said that the school district is decreasing in the number of students attending and asked Jason if the Tiger Tales program can handle all the students, what happens to the city’s program. Jason stated that if there is no need for the after-school program we will have the bus for our summer camp programs. He said we could look at selling the bus or pay for it with other programs. He also said there is no 2024 budget impact other than insurance and fuel. Alderman Swatosh asked what’s the cost to operate the program. Jasion stated that if at capacity, monthly revenue will be $13,000 + and expenses will be $11,000+. Mayor Smith asked who determines where the kids on the wait list will go and Jason explained that the school offers their program first to the kids on the wait list and then the city. He also said there is an application, and we will approve it or deny it. Alderman asked if there’s a multi-family members discount to which Jason replied no. Mayor Smith and Alderman Biellier both stated that they think it sounds like a great program. Alderman Lancaster wants to see what it looks like at the end of the year with utilities, building maintenance, etc., being figured in. Mayor Smith stated that we can do a cost analysis report at that time. Mayor Smith asked for a motion to approve the Proposal for Joining TIPS Government Purchasing Co-op and Acquiring a Pre-Owned School Bus from American Bus. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Wilson to approve the Proposal for Joining TIPS Government Purchasing Co-op and Acquiring a Pre-Owned School Bus from American Bus. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson. After the motion was voted on, Alderman Lancaster suggested a free or low-cost government food program to Jason. She stated she will provide him with the information needed to check into it. 13. Proposal to Consider Construction of a 6’ Sidewalk Along Jackson Street Mayor Smith wants the Board of Aldermen to consider the sidewalk from where it is now and to extend it. He said there are currently several challenges i.e. after school the kids are crossing in the 08/26/2024 BOA Meeting Agenda Page 4  ditches into the parking lots and the high school kids who drive are driving in the same areas and it’s a safety issue. If a sidewalk is there it will allow the kids to stay on the sidewalk instead of crossing into areas that are unsafe. He said there is an issue of connectivity to Miller Road but if this sidewalk gets completed, next year we can work on connecting to the Prairie View shopping center and that would add accessibility so that anyone can walk up to Jackson Street to the restaurant, shops, etc. Wes Young said the money is here to get this started now and the next section in 2025 but we need engineering work to be done first and then we must encumber the money into the budget. Engineering, solicit bids, approve bids. There was a lot of discussion and questions from the board about the current Jackson Street work to be done and how this would tie into that. There was also discussion about being able to add park benches, flowers, lighting, etc. Alderman Swatosh also asked about tying it into the Meadows, but Wes stated that can’t be done because we have government funding for that area, and it doesn’t include Jackson Street. City Attorney Nate Dally will check to see if that’s possible, but he doesn’t think it’s possible. Steve Bodenhamer says it won’t work for phase one but will work for phase two. Alderman Biellier says she likes the Gillespie quote because it’s more in detail and very specific. Trevor Hoffman stated that Gillespie met with him at the sight and asked a lot of good questions and was very interested in coming up with a proposal that will work nicely. Wes said the proposal is just a guideline. Alderman Biellier expressed concerns about the rain filling the ditches due to not having anywhere to run off and then it might require the ditches to need to be dredged. Mike Ruesch said this will not happen because this isn’t ditches, it’s a full- blown storm drain, and the water will not be held there or pool on the street or sidewalks. Mayor Smith asked for a motion to approve the Proposal to Consider Construction of a 6’ Sidewalk Along Jackson Street. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Lancaster to approve the Proposal to Consider Construction of a 6’ Sidewalk Along Jackson Street. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 14. Proposal to Add the Agenda Management Software by CivicPlus Wes Young said he included enough information in the packet to summarize it. He stated it will get the agenda out without hiccups and citizens can access the agenda at home and can also watch the meeting video and be referred to the paper copy at the exact place where it’s referring to, and it goes with our website. He stated the cost is similar to our current website. He said the annual subscription fee is $5300. And, he said it will also tie in with our calendar and be a more professional look and more put together. He also said the City Clerk can type the minutes in the program. Mayor Smith asked how far back we can go back with uploading prior meeting information and Wes said that if the PDF files are compatible, we should be able to go back quite far. Mayor Smith asked for a motion to approve the Proposal to Add the Agenda Management Software by CivicPlus. Motion was made by Alderman Lancaster and seconded by Alderman Wilson to approve the Proposal to Add the Agenda Management Software by CivicPlus. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson. 15. Approval of the 410 South Main Variance Mike Ruesch started by saying the 8.15.24 Board of Adjustments meeting went well. He then explained that due to some hard work by the engineers, there is a proposal for the city. He stated there are three residences on the property and that Engineer Rick Wilson is here if he’s needed to explain anything. He stated that the Fire Department was consulted, and they are on board with compliance and safety guidelines. Mike explained that this variance will allow for splitting the lot into three different lots and the Board of Adjustments approves. He also states that this meets our zoning standards, and the only issues are setbacks and no road frontage on one of the lots. Mike 08/26/2024 BOA Meeting Agenda Page 5  said the Board of Adjustments didn’t just approve it on a whim. He said they found that with the information presented and the fire department’s approval due to compliance, the Board of Adjustments did not find any reason not to approve it. Mayor Smith asked for a motion for Approval of the 410 South Main Variance. Motion was made by Alderman Keene and seconded by Alderman Biellier for Approval of the 410 South Main Variance. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson. 16. City Administrator Remarks Wes Young said that Public Works has started clearing out some drenches, but one of the issues was the homeowner’s drainage not draining properly. Mayor Smith asked about the timeline for Southview and Trevor Hoffman said late October to early November. Wes stated that the sealed bids were opened, and the first bid was not considered because things were omitted. Wes said that water and sewer rates will be going up and the rates were determined by using Great Rates.com. He said the rates will not go up too much, however customers outside of the city limits will pay a little more. He said deferred maintenance is a killer and we have to make sure there are enough funds to take care of the water towers. Wes will email each of the board members a copy of the analysis and he will also put it on the website. He said the next step is a public hearing. Wes gave props to Jason for doing the Pump Track Forum tomorrow and wants to encourage others to show up for support. Jason said that at the last meeting there were approximately 60-65 signatures received. Wes explained how he would like to have a bill credit put into play where one random customer would have a possible $100 applied to their bill. 17. New Business Mike Ruesch stated that the underpass project was turned in and grants were approved to help pay for 80%. 18. Unfinished Business None 19. Recess Open Session Mayor Smith asked for a motion to recess the open session. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Keene to recess the open session at 7:20 p.m. Motion carried with a 5- 0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 20. Open Closed Session Pursuant to RSMO Section 610.021 #(1) Legal Mayor Smith asked for a motion to open the closed session. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Keene to open the closed session at 7:22 p.m. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 21. Call the Meeting to Order Mayor Smith opened the meeting at 7:25 p.m. and asked the City Clerk to conduct the Roll Call 22. Roll Call The City Clerk conducted the Roll Call Present: Mayor Troy Smith, Alderman Casey Biellier, Alderman David Keene, Alderman Joyce Lancaster, Alderman Scott Swatosh, Alderman Carol Wilson 08/26/2024 BOA Meeting Agenda Page 6  23. Close the Closed Session and Reconvene the Open Session Mayor Smith asked for a motion to Close the Closed Session and Reconvene the Open Session. Motion was made by Alderman Lancaster and seconded by Alderman Biellier to Close the Closed Session and Reconvene the Open Session at 7:29 p.m. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson 24. Adjourn Meeting Mayor Smith asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion was made by Alderman Biellier and seconded by Alderman Wilson to adjourn the meeting at 7:31 p.m. Motion carried with a 5-0 vote. Voting aye: Aldermen Biellier, Keene, Lancaster, Swatosh, Wilson Janice Gargus City Clerk 08/26/2024 BOA Meeting Agenda Page 7