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), July 3, 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
Alderperson Jim Meyer	Ward 1
Alderperson Honora Schiller	Ward 2
Alderperson Wendell Sittser	Ward 2
Alderperson Scott Schultz	Ward 3
Alderperson Paul Young	Ward 3

Mayor Douglass announced that City Attorney. Patrick Butler was not able to attend explaining that Patrick was in an accident and has been hospitalized for the past week and one-half.

Alderperson Shea made a motion to accept the Minutes. Alderperson Schultz seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with an affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.

Ballwin Police Report/St. Louis County Police Report: Captain Corless of the St. Louis County Police explained that Ballwin presented the June Police Report to him. There were no questions. He then explained that Board Members had in front of them, a copy of the first week of July’s Police Report from St. Louis County. He was asked to explain, “Self initiated assignments”, “Intent to sell marijuana”; “Moving” traffic citations opposed to “Nonmoving”, etc. Alderperson Shea asked if the reports could contain the location of both traffic accidents and assaults as she is frequently asked about this information from constituents, to which Captain Corless agreed.

A motion was made by Alderperson Shea to remove Bill No. 0363 Alarm System Ordinance under New Business from the Agenda. Alderperson Meyer seconded the motion. Mayor Douglass explained there were several conflicting portions contained in St. Louis County’s ordinance that we would not want to replicate. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative response.

Mayor Douglass asked the Board to rearrange the agenda to allow officers to attend to other duties. Alderperson Schultz made a motion to switch the two items on the agenda pertaining to St. Louis County Police. Alderperson Meyer seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative response.

Before the Bills were presented, Lt. Berra mentioned Fru-Con is loaning them the front windowed office which will allow them to place a few desks, fax machine, copier and phone equipment. They are extremely pleased with Fru-Con’s generosity and wanted the public to know.

BILL NO. 0364 – AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR OF CLARKSON VALLEY, MISSOURI ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, TO ENTER AN AGREEMENT WITH THE ST. LOUIS COUNTY JUSTICE CENTER TO HOUSE INMATES FOR CLARKSON VALLEY.

Alderperson Sittser made a motion to discuss and pass Bill No. 0364. Alderperson Shea seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0364 the first time. Lt. Berra explained that when an individual is arrested in Clarkson Valley they are taken to the Justice Center and there, they are fingerprinted and booked. He said it is standard practice that all municipalities under contract with St. Louis County Police are requested to pass this ordinance. Several questions were asked of the Lt.; one being what happens to cars when one is picked up for DUI? The response was that every attempt is made to contact a family member to pick up the vehicle; however, if that was not possible, the cars are normally taken to D&L in Valley Park. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0364 the second time. There was no further discussion. A roll call vote was taken with the following result: Yeas: Meyer, Schiller, Schultz, Shea, Sittser and Young. There were no Nays. Whereby, Mayor Douglass declared Bill No. 0364 as having passed and is now considered Ordinance No. 07-11.

BILL NO. 0365 – AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR OF CLARKSON VALLEY, MISSOURI ON BEHALF OF THE CITY, TO ENTER AN AGREEMENT WITH ST. LOUIS COUNTY TO SUBLEASE COURT ROOM SPACE FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARKSON VALLEY.

Alderperson Meyer made a motion to discuss and pass Bill No. 0365. Alderperson Shea seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0365 the first time. The City Clerk noted that St. Louis County passed the ordinance allowing Clarkson Valley to use the Court House premises and is now considered Ordinance No. 23,288,2007, which is to be incorporated into Bill No. 0365. There was no further discussion. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0365 the second time. A roll call vote was taken with the following response: Yeas: Meyer, Schiller, Schultz, Shea, Sittser and Young. There were no Nays. Whereby, Mayor Douglass declared Bill No. 0365 as having passed and is now considered Ordinance No. 07-12.

Mayor Douglass thanked the officers for attending tonight’s meeting and resumed the regular agenda.

Court Report: The total amount collected for traffic fines and court costs for the month of June 2007 was $12,486.50.

Budget Update: Mayor Douglass again thanked Alderperson Schultz and the City Clerk for their help with the budget.

Discovery Group: Mayor Douglass said he spoke with the Discovery Group again last month and they are repeating the same story. They believe the project will get under way soon. Mayor Douglass told those present that he advised them the building permit expired and whenever they are ready, a new one will have to be filed.

Pet Care and Home Improvements: Mayor Douglass said if residents continue to do home improvements without building permits, we would fine them. The same goes with pet nuisance calls.

Clarkson Farm’s Request for Speed Bumps: Mayor Douglass said a trustee of Clarkson Farm called about mention being made at their annual subdivision meeting the week before that vehicles have been speeding on the main street in Clarkson Farm. Because there is a family with young children on the first curve as you ingress the neighborhood, the residents were wondering about the possibility of speed bumps? NPO (Neighborhood Policing Officer) Thom Taylor, said he attempted to call the trustee, but there appeared to be a family illness and she had not returned his call as yet. He is going to tell her about the possibility of installing a Stealth Radar Unit that can be mounted on a pole or tree. This will indicate speeders, count cars, give times of day, etc. “At that point, we will know if a problem exists and will know how to deal with it.” Everyone agreed that speed bumps pose a particular problem to emergency equipment.

Group Home Update: Mayor Douglass spoke with the real estate agent for the consecrated ladies in the Manors of Clarkson Valley Subdivision. He said the group would move out of their current house by August 15. They were scheduled to move on the first but they experienced problems with their next lease.

New and Improved Delivery Service for Packets: Alderperson Schultz thanked the Officer for delivering their packets. Everyone concurred this was exceptional service.

Golf Cart Complaints: Alderperson Schultz said the new golf cart ordinance passed last year is great, however, there appears to be a problem with youngsters riding on the back of the carts within the subdivision. These are privately owned carts and the ordinance doesn’t address this issue. He said the Board Members of Forest Hills Country Club are also concerned. He suggested perhaps we could add helmets as being mandatory. He asked Mayor Douglass if police could stop the carts and give them verbal warnings. Mention was also made that children riding scooters should be given warnings. The final comment being that we don’t want to harass, but they need to be informed that it’s against the law.

Those “Dear” Deer are at it again: Alderperson Shea said she received a phone call from a past member of the Wildlife Committee about an aggressive deer at her home in the Kehrswood Subdivision. The deer attacked this person’s dog and it snorted at her… all to the point that she was truly concerned. This resident called Erin Shank with the Missouri Department of Conservation and was told the deer was probably protecting its doe. She said an option would be to put the deer down, however, that would leave an orphan doe.

Status Report from West St. Louis County Deer Taskforce: Alderperson Shea shared the statistics of the past year from the taskforce. Basically, the only two municipalities that have passed new ordinances regarding hunting are Clarkson Valley and Chesterfield. Ballwin passed the no feeding of certain wildlife ordinance that Chesterfield and Clarkson Valley passed. The taskforce has stated that ideally, all municipalities should pass the same ordinances.

Soundwall: Alderperson Sittser was interested in receiving information on the soundwalls, mentioning the report he received showing decibel levels after the resurfacing. Mayor Douglass said he read it, too, but had trouble spotting the addresses on the previous report. He reported there was still no comment from the Circuit Court of Appeal, further stating, “They were unbelievably silent”. He expects to receive a written decree.

Median Plantings on Clarkson Road in the City of Chesterfield: Alderperson Schiller said she received a phone call from a resident of Clarkson Valley very upset with the traffic flow problems occurring with maintenance of the plantings along Clarkson Road. This resident apparently was so upset, he made numerous phone calls; including one to John Nations, the Mayor of Chesterfield. His suggestion was to place the schedule of maintenance into the Suburban Journal so people could be forewarned of impending traffic problems. Mayor Douglass read the response he received from an e-mail he sent the City of Chesterfield asking if such a schedule was available, which stated there was no such schedule. Maintenance depended on a number of things, including weather. It not only involved the Public Works Department, but also contracted labor and equipment. All agreed, however, that something reasonable might be able to take place regarding the traffic flow problems this routine maintenance causes.

Requirement for Architectural or Engineer’s Seals on Plans Submitted for Building Permits: Alderperson Schiller said she is interested in researching what other municipalities require when plans for smaller sized decks are submitted. Alderperson Shea agreed and stated she would also be interested.

Portable Non-Sewered Unit on Chippenham Moved: Alderperson Schiller thanked Mayor Douglass for seeing to it that a certain porta-potty was moved. Mayor Douglass interjected that this was a good point. He feels the City needs to revisit and review the ordinances we have in place regarding these portable units and the placement thereof.

Drainage from New Construction: Alderperson Schiller addressed the issue of the additional drainage that comes from new construction, asking if the City needs to look at this? It was determined MSD does not get involved with new construction, other than sanitation sewers and it would be a good idea to become involved.

17 Chippenham – Revisited: One Alderperson related that the building permit for 17 Chippenham had expired and asked what the City intends to do? Mayor Douglass said the Building Commissioner has to review the permit and the construction to see if due diligence has taken place. A question was then asked about a survey marker that was inadvertently removed by a sub-contractor locating wiring to an electric box which now, by the neighbor’s allegation, negates the property lines of 17 Chippenham and when is a new survey going to take place? Mayor Douglass explained that a letter was sent to Eugene Mlezcko explaining the City is not responsible. The City Clerk was directed to send a copy of the letter to all Alderpersons. Its Attorney informed the City that this is a civil matter between neighbors and the city should not become involved. An Alderperson then asked why is the City Attorney involved in this matter – and why not the Prosecuting Attorney? Mayor Douglass responded when you read the letter, you will understand.

Plant a Tree, a Shrub or a Bush: Alderperson Young said he received several calls from residents of the Clarkson Farm Subdivision who back up to the “Fountains” project. They are requesting the City to plant trees on the property lines abutting the old Citi-Mortgage property. Mayor Douglass informed those present the Planner from Ellisville said the project calls for a stretch 10’ north of the retention pond to be planted with deciduous and evergreen trees.

2007-2008 Budget: Mayor Douglass explained a few changes to the previously Drafted Budgets, which included a reduction in Board Meeting Costs due to St. Louis County Police manning the front desk on the night of Board Meetings; the Court Costs increasing due to a salary increase for the Judge and Prosecuting Attorney; and the increase of Rejis costs to include $277 additional per month. Alderperson Schiller made a motion to not modify Court Costs with a Judge and Prosecuting Attorney’s salary increase. The motion was seconded by Alderperson Shea, who said, “We are in the red – and they are not requesting an increase”. A roll call vote was taken for the motion to not include a salary increase in the Court Costs with the following result: Yeas: Meyer, Schiller and Shea. Nays: Schultz, Sittser and Young. Because this was a tie vote, Mayor Douglass was called to vote, to which he responded negatively. The Court Costs will reflect a $50 salary increase for both the Judge and the Prosecuting Attorney.

Alderperson Meyer asked what the chance might be for going to one time per week sanitation pickup in order to bring the budget expenses more in line with that of the revenue? Mayor Douglass explained that our trash contract is up in October and at that time, we can address that issue.

A motion was made by Alderperson Schultz to accept the 3rd Draft of the 2007-2008 Budget. Alderperson Sittser seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken with the following result: Yeas: Schultz, Sittser and Young. Nays: Meyer, Schiller and Shea. Because this was a tie vote, Mayor Douglass was called to vote, to which he responded affirmatively and the Budget was considered passed.

BILL NO. 0366 – AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING A CONTRACT WITH ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI, FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL SERVICES AND AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE MAYOR OF THE CITY AND THE CITY CLERK TO EXECUTE SAME ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF CLARKSON VALLEY.

Alderperson Shea made a motion to discuss and pass Bill No. 0366. Alderperson Sittser seconded the motion. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0366 the first time. It was explained that adulticiding is not routinely done without first City Hall receiving a complaint. Larvaciding is done every other week to the retention ponds, lakes, gullies and creeks – wherever water accumulates. Even the wetlands area at Marquette is larvacided. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0366 the second time. A roll call vote was taken with the following response: Yeas: Meyer, Schiller, Schultz, Shea, Sittser and Young. There were no Nays. Whereby, Mayor Douglass declared Bill No. 0366 as having passed and is now considered Ordinance No. 07-13.

New Planning and Zoning Commission Members: Mayor Douglass called attention to the packets, stating that Board Members had Gregg Bogosian’s biography, but because Jack Hauser had been out of town, they did not receive his information in time. Alderperson Shea made a motion to accept Jack Hauser’s information and include him in the Planning and Zoning Member consideration. Alderperson Meyer seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous, affirmative result. Alderperson Shea commented that it was wonderful the Commission is now comprised of two doctors – both Bogosian and Hauser have Ph.D.’s. A motion was then made by Alderperson Shea to accept the two Members as presented. Alderperson Meyer seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and everyone congratulated Mr. Hauser. Mayor Douglass explained that Mr. Bogosian would have liked to be present, but was unable to attend.

Audit: Alderperson Sittser made a motion, seconded by Alderperson Meyer to have invoices in the amount of $87,100.29 approved for payment. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed. Alderperson Shea requested that a fruit basket be sent to Patrick Butler, seconded by Alderperson Schultz. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous, affirmative result.

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ATTEST: Michele McMahon, City Clerk

Minutes of July 2007 Meeting Board of Aldermen

Minutes of July 2007 Meeting
Board of Aldermen