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Mayor insists the police chief be given better office space

By Robert Vanderbrugen/Democrat News

Saturday, May 03, 2008

The Fredericktown City Council met Monday evening (4-28-08) for a work session and Full Council.

They also held two public hearings regarding the application for a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Grant to purchase siren equipment for emergency use in the City of Fredericktown and a USDA Rural Development Grant to develop a preliminary engineering report for upgrades to the sewer system.

During the work session, Attorney Tom Ludwig presented some details about the new Missouri statute bringing the cable TV systems under the regulations of the Public Service Commission. (http://www.psc.mo.gov/) The cable system administration was formerly under the control of the individual cities. The 5 percent video service provider fee the cable company pays Fredericktown will continue. This fee allows access to the Right of Way the city has. The agreement was adopted at Full Council.

The council also talked about procedures for handling complaints or grievances from employees. City Administrator Michael O’Gara said he wants the Board of Aldermen to be the final arbitrator of grievances and not him, he said. O’Gara said he has written up procedures in other cities for handling similar situations, the manager or city administrator were steps one and two and the Full Council was step three in the process. Ward I Alderman Brandon Hale said he wanted to make it clear there would be no repercussions against an employee at any step in the process for raising an issue. The aldermen chose to re-write the communication document to clarify the language of the document.

The aldermen agreed to the resolution implementing the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS).

“While most emergency situations are handled locally, when there's a major incident help may be needed from other jurisdictions, the state and the federal government. NIMS was developed so responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines can work together better to respond to natural disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. NIMS benefits include a unified approach to incident management; standard command and management structures; and emphasis on preparedness, mutual aid and resource management.”

http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/

The council approved the routine listing of checking accounts for the city at Full Council and also passed an ordinance correcting the scrivener’s errors in ordinance 08-19 previously passed.

An  agreement between the City and Pam Smith was passed at Full Council with discussions held in the work session. She will provide the Jaycee Ball Park concessions for the summer of 2008 during softball season scheduled Monday through Friday evenings and on special events. Additional details are available to the public regarding the agreement upon request. A copy is at the Democrat News.

The council adjourned the work session. Mayor Danny Kemp then opened up the public hearings from 6 PM to 6:24 PM. No comments were heard regarding either USDA Grant requests.

The Full Council meeting was called to order by Mayor Kemp. He had a retirement plaque to present to Ed Banes for 28 years of service to the City of Fredericktown. However, Banes was not present to accept the plaque.

Following the plaque presentation, the aldermen heard the audit report ending on the fiscal year of 9-30-07 which was presented by the accounting firm of Thurman, Shinn and Company in Farmington.  Shinn said the city received a clean audit report this year and they did a good job of budgeting. He went into detailed financial categories for the aldermen and provided an opportunity for question after the report. The aldermen made a motion to accept the audit report, and it passed.

Mayor Danny Kemp pointed out the upcoming  Azalea Festival which will be held May 2nd-May 4th in Fredericktown. He also asked the public to join him at the dedication of the opening of the Civil War Museum at 12:30 on May 4, 2008. The museum is located at 156 S. Main St. in Fredericktown (next to the Vision Center). The Battle of Fredericktown Civil War Highway Marker dedication will be held at 1 PM on Saturday, May 3 about one mile south of the Courthouse along business 67. Everyone is encouraged to come out for the events Kemp said.

Kemp also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Coordinator had come to city hall to help with information on how to file a request for reimbursement with FEMA. Information is available at City hall for anyone who has damage from the recent flooding. Ward II Alderman Rick Polete said he knows there are people who have had damage in their basements due to the flooding and he encourages then to get the information they need to file a claim.

The Council accepted the re-appointment of City Clerk Barbara Stevens, Deputy Municipal Court Clerk Theresa Harbison and the services of law firm Ludwig and Boner, L.C. including attorney Kim Moore.

City Administrator Michael O’Gara presented his report stating he attended a meeting at the Fredericktown and Madison County Chamber of Commerce, the Plan of Action Committee which is addressing the I and I filtration problem within the city and the Transportation Advisory Committee. He also attended the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission (SEMORP) meeting about solid waste management. O’Gara said the money saved from the grant used to purchase recycling bags and other materials can be used toward other needs in the recycling center the city has according to SEMORP.

In remarks from the General Public, President of Modern Day Vets (MDV) Ron Grindstaff spoke before the aldermen about a  burglary last Sunday at the bar. Grindstaff said he expected more from the officer responding. However, in a follow-up interview Lieutenant John Ashby said the department followed normal procedures in this situation and in fact, Ashby said, “We do care.” A large amount of cash was stolen and a report on the burglary was taken. Police are conducting an investigation, Therefore, no further comments could be discussed. Anyone with information can call the Fredericktown Police Department at 783-3660. Grindstaff also said he was being charged for trash service he was not using and wanted the council to stop the billing. The aldermen said they will look at the request at the next work session.

Parks and Recreation Board President Tara Hale asked the aldermen if the park board would be allowed to have any remaining funds, up to the $12,500 the City agreed to already, from the Memorial Park bathroom project. Council agreed. Hale said a lot of volunteers took part in this project and it was close to being finished. she added, this was truly a “community project.” Ward II Alderman Rick Polete expressed his appreciation to all the  volunteers.

The longest discussion held at Full Council Monday was the office of City Marshal. Ward II Alderman Sie Merriman Sr. read several Missouri Revised Statutes to the aldermen regarding the office of the city marshal and the office of police chief. Some of the statutes detailed discipline procedures the city could take regarding police officers, including the chief of police. The statutes  call for the office of city marshal to be elected by a vote of the people. They also state the city marshal shall be the chief of police. RSMO Chaper 85 section 85.551.

Merriman Sr. said it was not his intention to say the former mayor or attorney Moore provided poor information to the Council, only that there was more information he wanted to share with the other aldermen regarding their options for handling problems with the city marshal/chief of police if the need was apparent. The council had previously voted on an ordinance re-defining the duties of the city marshal, which had been changed after the former chief retired from office. The changes increased the scope of responsibilities the city marshal has. Ward I Alderman Paul Fritch and Ward III Alderman Mark Tripp said they voted for the ordinance and stood by their vote. Ward II Alderman Rick Polete and Merriman Sr. said they wanted to revisit the ordinance and consider some changes. The City had created an office for the newly elected City marshal John Wright in the old parks and recreation area in the back of City Hall. Kemp called the parks and recreation office “inappropriate.” Objections to the officer’s office were heard at the meeting and the council agreed, with the insistence of Kemp, to move Wright into the office which the former chief of police held. They also agreed to provide  Wright with a uniform and new badge commensurate with his office. Kemp said Wright was elected by the vote of the people and he (Wright) deserves a chance to serve the public. The ordinance was to be reviewed.

In response to the EPA corrective action agreement between the City and the EPA, a Plan of Action was presented to the aldermen which will be submitted to the EPA dealing with the city’s I and I problem (Infiltration and inflow; Storm water heading into the waste water system). The plan was voted on and passed. The next step is for the EPA to look over the plan and decide if it is acceptable.

Finance Director Chris Wienecke asked the aldermen to consider hiring another person to help with the utility billing department. Wienecke said the department is understaffed and other employees have been called upon to help the department meet the demands of utility billing. She has also been working nights and weekends  according to O’Gara. Currently, only two employees work in the department along with Wienecke. The Council ddebated about the problem. Tripp said he would consider hiring someone, but wanted a detailed report on what the department has done and still needs to do. Polete said he would like to see more research, but might consider a floater position for the City. Ward I Alderman Brandon Hale said he doesn’t believe the City has the revenue to fund the salary for that position. Electric department manager Don Wasson said he has one vacant position in his department. His department can function without it and that could allow for a salaried position in the utility department. Wasson was asked by the aldermen if such a situation were approved, would his department find themselves limited or delayed in responding to outages at businesses and the City in general. Wasson said he didn’t believe the vacant position would be a problem for the electrical department and that other city employees could be called upon in circumstances that were unexpected, if need be. Hale said he did not want the position re-allocated because the City is in the process of selling the utility department and if that goes through, there would not be a salaried position in the electric department anymore. Kemp said he would visit the utility department and look closely at just what they need, and report his findings back to the aldermen.

Hale also commended Wasson for his budgeting of tree trimming costs from Brown’s Tree Service. By trimming the trees in advance of storms, a lot of damage and downed power lines are averted.

Aldermen considered a motion to sell some of the timber around City Lake and voted it down.

Hale said the City has no formal city administrator review process (although they have one for employees). The process request was scheduled for the next work session.

In remarks of Personal Privilege:

Hale said the Town Square Project  was nearly finished and the public is invited to come and take a look, it looks very very nice.

Polete said he was appreciative of the public input and would like to see more people attending the meetings and offering their thoughts and opinions.

The Parks and Recreation Board President Tara Hale said they expect to have the Memorial Pool opened by Memorial Day, May 26. However, they need more life guards. They are asking for life guards with experience especially. Call 783-3683 if interested.

Tripp pointed out some burglaries were occurring in Ward III recently. He advised residents to keep their doors locked and do not let anyone in they don’t know. In some instances the burglar asks to use the restroom and then steals medications from the home. If anyone sees any suspicious activity, don’t hesitate to call the police department. 783-3660. In an emergency call 911.

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