City of Clarkson Valley Missouri

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Meeting of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Clarkson Valley at City Hall (Fru-Con Center), August 7, 2007.
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The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. A roll call was taken with the following results:

PRESENT	Ward	ABSENT
Mayor Scott Douglass
Alderperson Susan Shea	Ward 1
	Ward 1	Alderperson Jim Meyer
Alderperson Honora Schiller	Ward 2
Alderperson Wendell Sittser	Ward 2
Alderperson Scott Schultz	Ward 3
Alderperson Paul Young	Ward 3

Alderperson Schultz made a motion to correct the Minutes of July 10 to reverse the record of vote taken for passage of the 2007-2008 Budget. The outcome of the vote did not change, however. Alderperson Sittser seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with an affirmative result and the motion was declared passed. A motion was then made by Alderperson Schultz to accept the Minutes as amended. Alderperson Sittser seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with an affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.

Mr. Jack Hauser, a resident of Kehrs Mill Trails spoke about the electric signal at Kehrs Mill Road and Clarkson; inquired about the Linda Vista Property; and the draining of one of Kehrs Mill Trails Subdivision lakes.

Mary Swearingen, a resident of Clarkson Farm Subdivision, spoke of the noises coming from construction taking place at Fountains Plaza, which is the old CitiMortgage property in Ellisville. She wanted it put on record that construction begins at 6:20 a.m. and is not supposed to begin until 7:00 a.m.

Mayor Douglass explained we would hold a public hearing at 8:00 p.m. to discuss the tax levy.

St. Louis County Police Report: Captain Corless of the St. Louis County Police handed out the July Police Report. He explained that in West County, the majority of crimes are of opportunity. He reminded those present that closing garage doors, locking cars, etc, deter these types of crimes.

Court Report: The total amount collected for traffic fines and court costs for the month of July 2007 was $13,612.50.

Explanation of MSD Letter Received by Residents of St. Louis County: Mayor Douglass said he spoke to several people at MSD and found that even though a news station reported that Forest Hills Country Club grounds would hold no less than ten signs indicating potentially contaminated water, there is only one place located in Clarkson Valley in which a sign will be placed. It appears, he said, there would be no other additional signs.

Policy Change Regarding Lateral Sewer Repairs: Mayor Douglass said some cities have been dealing with problems of reoccurring lateral sewer breaks. After speaking with several cities and how they handle these situations, he found a solution might be to have the lateral line camera scoped after the break is fixed to make sure the line is clear all the way through. A copy of the Lateral Sewer Repair Procedures list was in the Board Member's packet. There were no objections to adding the new procedure.

Financial Disclosure: Mayor Douglass said this month he would take a look at the January through December 2007 books. If it is determined we'll surpass $1 million dollars, we'll have to pass an ordinance before September 15.

Porta-Potties - Revisited: Mayor Douglass said he had a chance to review the ordinance on temporary non-sewered sanitation units and informed the Alderpersons that because the ordinance does not indicate where the units can or cannot be placed, he would like to have it administratively added to the building permit application. There were no objections. He is also going to speak with the building commissioner about the language added to the application, which states the location must be approved by the Building Commissioner.

No Parking - Forest Hills Ridge Ct.: Mayor Douglass reminded the Board that due to a large construction project at the Campbell's residence on Forest Hills Ridge Ct., they requested special dispensation from tickets to vehicles parked on Forest Hills Ridge Ct. When drafting a resolution to officially request this dispensation, it was determined an ordinance was never passed prohibiting parking on the street (previously known at Kehrs Mill Road and Forest Hills Ridge Rd.). When the codification company was notified, they said it could be considered an administrative error and they would add it to the code.

New Court Facilities: Mayor Douglass said he attended court on July 25 to observe the new location for Clarkson Valley's court and he feels the facility at the Clarkson Wilson Centre works out well. He also said that while he was there, Mark Farner made his court appearance. The Judge gave him one month in which to get the pool fenced or plans submitted along with a signed contract for the work.

Setting Tax Rate: City Clerk, Michele McMahon, read the Notice of Public Hearing. Mayor Douglass explained the City was authorized to collect 10.3 cents per $100 valuation for real estate, which is over 2-1/2 cents lower per $100 valuation than we were able to collect last year. Mayor Douglass went on to explain how the Hancock Amendment works along with reassessments of property and how the City happens to be back at the 10 cent level, which is where it was in 1992. Jack Hauser stated there appears to be reluctance to go to the voters asking for an increase.

New Decks and Deck Replacements - Requiring Sealed Plans: Alderperson Schiller said she looked into the policies of other municipalities and their requirements for accepting drawings. What she found is other municipalities have a larger staff available to review the drawings and that is why in most cases they don't require an architectural or engineer's seal. She asked that if the members of the Board were interested in having further research done, to please contact her.

Library: Alderperson Schiller said the represented the city at the library this past month. St. Louis County Library contracted for the services of a consulting company to find how patrons can better utilize the libraries.

Occupancy Permits: Alderperson Sittser stated he and Alderperson Schultz were asked last month by Mayor Douglass to review the possibility of performing occupancy inspections and issuing occupancy permits. He said he reviewed policies of nine municipalities and found that only two perform occupancy inspections - Ballwin and Ellisville. He named the seven other cities contacted that do not perform these inspections, which are Chesterfield, Clayton, Creve Coeur, Des Peres, Ladue, Town & Country and Wildwood. After he and Alderperson Schultz reviewed this information, they asked that it be tabled for possible review at a later date.

Mosquito Larvaciding and Adulticiding: Alderperson Shea said she had a chance to look at the St. Louis County Vector Control's spreadsheet listing the larvaciding spots done semi-weekly and did not see where the Kehrs Mill Trails lakes were larvacided. She also had a question about adulticiding schedules. Mayor Douglass said we could make a call about the possibility of having the lakes larvacided.

Golf Carts: Alderperson Schultz said he received a letter from a resident of his subdivision and member of Forest Hills Country Club, Mr. Paul Wunderlich, who founded the Healthcare Advisory Panel in St. Louis and for 21 years was CEO of the St. Luke's Health Corporation where he established a head trauma center. In his letter, he encourages owners of private golf carts to mandate that their children wear helmets when riding on these carts. Alderperson Schultz concluded by saying there continues to be a concern with children riding on carts.

New Signs for the Golf Course: Alderperson Schultz said he drove around the course with the general manager of Forest Hills to look at all locations for the requested signage. He said only two signs would be visible to residents of Clarkson Valley and the Trustees had no problem with the sign request.

Dumpsters: Alderperson Schultz reported that numerous renovations are occurring in Forest Hills Subdivision that require dumpsters. One of the dumpsters became an issue when someone called about it, but it should in fact be a non-issue. The house that is being worked on has always been a disaster and looks better now than it ever has -- even with the dumpster.

Pillars and Monuments: It was mentioned that a Board of Adjustment Hearing was slated for August 15 at which time the request from a resident to consider a variance for his monument would be discussed. It was suggested that Alderpersons take a look at the property and the monument to give their opinion on whether they want to regulate these monuments or not. Alderperson Schiller suggested that an article be written in the newsmagazine that lighted pillars are considered structures which require a building permit and in most cases a variance from the Board of Adjustment if located beyond building lines.

BILL NO. 0367 – AN ORDINANCE LEVYING AND ESTABLISHING THE ANNUAL RATE OF TAXES ON ALL RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE, AGRICULTURAL REAL ESTATE, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY IN THE CITY OF CLARKSON VALLEY TO BE COLLECTED AND USED FOR MUNICIPAL PURPOSES IN THE CITY OF CLARKSON VALLEY, MISSOURI, FOR THE YEAR JULY 1, 2007 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2008.

A motion was made by Alderperson Shea to discuss and pass Bill No. 0367. Alderperson Schultz seconded the motion. Mayor Scott Douglass read Bill No. 0367 for the first time. Alderperson Schiller asked how the school districts could raise their rates without going to the voters? Mayor Douglass stated they have not reached the ceiling on taxation. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0367 for the second time. A roll call vote was taken, with the following results. Ayes: Schiller, Schultz, Shea, Sittser and Young. There were no Nays. Whereby, Mayor Douglass declared Bill No. 0367 as having passed and is now considered Ordinance No. 07-14.

Forest Hills Country Club - Request for Signage: Alderperson Schultz made a motion to accept the request for the golf course signage. Alderperson Shea seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was considered as having passed.

Audit: Alderperson Shea made a motion, seconded by Alderperson Sittser to have invoices in the amount of $82,483.88 approved for payment. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.

Alderperson Shea made a motion for the Board of Aldermen of Clarkson Valley to adjourn. Alderperson Schultz seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

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ATTEST: Michele McMahon, City Clerk

Minutes of August 2007 Meeting Board of Aldermen

Minutes of August 2007 Meeting
Board of Aldermen