Desloge Board appoints city attorney and treasurer 

By Stephanie Kim, Editor

The Desloge Board of Aldermen met last week for their monthly meeting at Desloge City Hall.

The city attorney was sworn in during the June meeting. Photo by Stephanie Kim

The public comment portion of the meeting began with comments made by resident Rusty Parker, who presented the board with “a formal notice of [his] intention to follow lawsuit, alleging bias and discrimination.” The board was given a copy of his notice, which pertains to the city’s fence height ordinance/code.

Other public comments made concerned individual road concerns, as well as potholes, water problems, and one resident thanked the city for their work on the roads.

“I want to thank everyone of you who put in the time and effort, because it has really made a difference,” said resident Tim Aubuchon.

Mayor Pete Pasternak appointed Nathan Bollinger as the city attorney, with Scott Reid as the assistant city attorney. The board approved, and the oath was given.

The board then appointed several people to the citizens’ boards and commissions, including Park, Public Works, Library Board, Planning and Zoning, and Board of Adjustment. Ginger Williams was also appointed and approved as the new city treasurer. Williams was given the oath of office after approval.

Mayor Pasternak raised concerns about Department Head Reports, saying, “If you look at city code, at chapter 105 it talks about the order of business, the Department Head Report. The second to last thing before adjournment is the department head reports…” Currently, the city makes these reports available to the public, but they are not done during the meetings. The mayor proposed a schedule for the department heads to give small updates during the monthly meetings to increase transparency and make residents more aware.

The city treasurer was appointed and sworn in. Stephanie Kim

Discussion also took place about Highley Lane and making the road two-way. Many agreed with the proposal of making it a two-way street, and it was agreed that a sign should be ordered.

The Use Tax was also discussed during the meeting, and possible uses of the tax for Desloge. City Administrator Stephanie Daffron said, “The Use Tax has been passed at the state level, and lots of cities have passed this tax already. This tax is for when you order things online and you get charged a city tax. The city of Desloge does not at this time have that tax. We know in our near future we’re going to need a new pool, and we’re also wanting to build a new police department for our police officers.”

Mayor Pasternak later commented, “We need to be clear about ballot language on that, too. The board can’t just vote to do this; it has to go to voters. So the people would be deciding. You’re never going to hear me advocate for a tax; I’m going to say that’s your decision. But it would add revenue for the city, like Stephanie said, the pool is deteriorating, and the police department has some issues there.”

Other approvals 

Firework City and American Promotional Events firework sales were approved.

The board approved $15,000 to the water department for the roundabout project.

The Desloge Board meets every month for its meetings at City Hall in Desloge, 7 p.m., where special meetings are also held.

Stephanie Kim is the editor of the Daily Journal ​​and Farmington Press. She can be reached at skim@dailyjournalonline.com.