RECORD OF PROCEEDING
Meeting of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Clarkson Valley, February 6, 2024
Mayor McNamara led everyone with the Pledge of Allegiance.
A roll call for the meeting was taken with the following result:
PRESENT Ward ABSENT
Mayor Sue McNamara
Alderman Andrew Low (via Zoom) Ward 1
Alderman Jeff Schweig Ward 1
Alderman Honora Schiller Ward 2
Alderman Brock MacDonald Ward 2
Alderman Lin Midyett Ward 3 Alderman Gregg Bogosian
Also in Attendance:
City Attorney: Patrick Butler (via Zoom)
City Clerk: Michele McMahon
Alderman Midyett made the Motion to accept the Agenda which was seconded by Alderman Schweig. A voice vote was taken to approve the Agenda and the motion passed.
Mayor McNamara announced there will be no Closed Hearing tonight.
Alderman Schiller made a motion to waive the reading and accept the Minutes of the January 9, 2024, and January 17, 2024, meetings as posted. The motion was seconded by Alderman Schweig. A voice vote was taken to approve the motion and it passed.
REMARKS, PETITIONS AND COMPLAINTS
Valerie Denton who serves as Forest Hills Club Estates President of Trustees reported that there were videos of people prowling vehicles in her subdivision. Lt. Connelly warned that these people were dangerous, and some were carrying guns. Mayor McNamara reported that we will send an email to all residents to inform them of the situation and advise them to lock their car doors, remove key fobs and valuable items, and close garage doors at night. Do not confront these people. She also suggested that residents with home security cameras register them with the police department to assist in future investigations.
REPORTS
Chesterfield Police Report
Lt. Connelly gave the January Police Report.
Mayor’s Report
Court Report: The amount collected from fines for the month of January was $4,144.38.
Additional Space May be Available for City Hall: Mayor McNamara reported that there might be an extra room available at City Hall and that a proposal was being worked on.
Grants Available for Electronic Recycling and Paper Shredding Event: There are grants available for electronic recycling and paper shredding and the City hoped to participate in an event of their own. The City of Winchester has been doing this for the past few years and their residents are very happy with it. This program is through St. Louis County who underwrites these grants. It is a drive-through event and there is no date set at this time. Hopefully it can be hosted in the parking lot at this building.
Building Permit Fee Increase Two weeks ago, we drafted six ordinances establishing a new building permit fee schedule and liquor license fee schedule. This change simplifies the way we charge for the building permits in a manner like most of the St. Louis municipalities charge for their permit fees. There is a basic fee for the application and then it is structured to $6.50 per $1,000 valuation of the project. She concluded by saying this is a good thing as we’re updating all facets as much as possible.
Liquor License Fee Increase: For the past fifty years we’ve charged $75 for a liquor license where liquor license fees in the State of Missouri can be as high as $1,000. The license fee will now cost $650 which is lower than most municipalities but only slightly lower than those municipalities with private clubs, and we will now be closer to par.
Outdated Codes: This month, Mayor McNamara stated she would like to begin reviewing outdated codes and either update them or eliminate them. To this extent, she said, she spoke briefly to Alderman Low about the Holiday Lighting ordinance which gives a specific deadline of installation and removal dates. The problem with this is that things have changed since this code was written almost fifty years ago and now we decorate for all holidays, including all year long with Portofino lights. We need to either modify these codes when they list outdated specific information such as dates – or rescind them altogether.
Vacancies on the Board of Adjustment and the Planning & Zoning Commission: Mayor McNamara said she is hoping to fill two vacancies each on both the Board of Adjustment and the Planning & Zoning Commission. The Board of Adjustment needs someone from Ward 3 and another volunteer from either Ward 2 or Ward 3. The Planning & Zoning Commission requires a member from Ward 3 and another volunteer from any of the three Wards. She requested that the Aldermen representing those Wards make a few recommendations soon, but especially Ward 3.
Headshots of Mayor and Aldermen: The Mayor wants to take headshots of the Aldermen to be displayed on the City Hall website and in City Hall. She is looking for a photographer who can take the pictures. The estimated cost for a day’s work for eight people is $1,200. She has requested the attendees to suggest a photographer for this job.
Identifying and Structuring the Budget: The Mayor does not want to fall behind the eight-ball like last year which was due to the election. She has asked Aldermen Midyett, Bogosian, and Schweig to assist with this and has scheduled a meeting for tomorrow. Concurrent to this meeting, she would also like to identify and discuss what we will need to do to find a likely candidate to assist the City Administrator and who will eventually learn the duties she currently performs. This process will take some time, and they need to identify the criteria for hiring this person and provide the benefits and compensation to make a viable offer.
IT and Web Management: Mayor McNamara reported she received a few names for IT and Web Management, two were recommended by Forest Hills Country Club and those look to be good candidates. Alderman Low has been in contact with them, and we hope to learn more next month.
Trustee Meeting: The City is considering holding another Trustee Meeting. These meetings give the City representatives an opportunity to meet the Trustees face-to-face, to get to know them and to hear any questions or concerns they may have. Dates for the meeting are currently being considered.
ARPA Update – Kingspointe Sidewalk: The ARPA Committee has approved the request for ARPA money for the Kingspointe sidewalk project. However, all subdivisions need to submit a request for an extension if they cannot begin the project within three months. Kingspointe has requested an extension and is currently working on providing additional details to the ARPA Committee. The Mayor has been working with St. Louis County Highway Department, Stephanie Streeter, who the Mayor said is delightful to work with and should prove to be helpful to Kingspointe.
Manchester’s Meeting of the Board of Aldermen: The Mayor attended Manchester’s Meeting last night and like most of the cities she’s visited, they hold a Working Session prior to holding the Board Meeting. She would like to see us implement a Working Session also as it will help expedite our meetings.
Aldermanic Reports
Cyber Insurance: Alderman Midyett reported that he is still working on the cyber insurance quotes and should have the final bid from Travelers. There were some questions that were asked, and Andrew is working on responding to those. He said we should have a package for everybody to review shortly.
IT Management Company: Alderman Low reported that he has received additional quotes from IT Management companies, and they are waiting to address the Board in a future meeting. He also worked with the insurance broker, David Layton to answer his questions as mentioned by Alderman Midyett, and we should be able to receive that third quote soon.
City Attorney Report:
The City Attorney, Patrick Butler, reported virtually that all is good in the City and he had no report.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
City Hall Security: Mayor McNamara discussed the issue of City Hall security and the need for heavy security measures to ensure the office staff’s safety. She requested Alderman MacDonald’s assistance in this regard, and if the spatial modifications work out, she has some good ideas to make City Hall safer, and all costs should be covered by ARPA funds.
NEW BUSINESS
Tree Protection: Mayor McNamara discussed the potential introduction of a tree replacement ordinance like those in other cities, where if trees are removed, they must be replaced. She asked for feedback on this matter since there is currently no ordinance in place and emphasized the importance of considering tree preservation. She asked the Aldermen to take home the 33-page packet in their binders containing just some of the cities whose codes on tree replacement were pulled together and said she would like to further discuss this next month.
Clarkson Valley’s Logo: Mayor McNamara continues to work on the logo for the City. Everyone’s packet contained the latest sketches of logos and the Mayor reported that she recently received the name of someone who could submit three to five comps, black and white designs with our input and this would include revisions. Then she would create two to three color versions of the approved logo, including “camera-ready art”. Being camera-ready is what we would need to take to the printer for stationery, business cards, ‘Welcome Signs’, decals for street signs, etc. This person would do all this for approximately $1,500 to $2,000. It would be a little less than that if it happened faster. Her rate is $100 per hour.
Also attached to the packet is St. Louis County’s new logo as an example. This new logo for the County cost $90,000 and ours will not cost that. She also had a new logo celebrating the 60th anniversary of Forest Hills Country Club. They took the original 1964 logo, updated it at a cost of $500. I am quoting this to you, she said, so you have a frame of reference when we’re discussing this. She then went through the numbered pages contained in their packet with the different designs. The City of Chesterfield logo was also mentioned and although the logo has not changed, they are digitizing it – same logo but with a much higher resolution – cost $5,000. She said she welcomes input from the Aldermen to get their thoughts.
Alderman Schiller said she thinks we should keep the existing, current logo. The person who submitted this from the old Lafayette High School (now Crestview) got $50 for that and gave the money to the Art Department to buy supplies and I think that’s a very good history. Mayor McNamara said this logo is 36 years old and she sees nothing wrong with updating this ‘dated’ logo and further stated that any other application will require it ‘built’ and someone will have to go through the process of making this usable. The vector files do not exist, and Adobe is probably not the most effective program to use at this point. She also pointed out that one of the trees in all the artwork supplied tonight was done by a student who would be paid $500 because it requires a buyout of the tree icon, but this would also have to be ‘built’ requiring additional monies. Mayor McNamara concluded by saying that she would like everyone to think about this and give her your input by no later than next month.
Audit: Alderman Schiller made a motion to approve the payment of invoices for $82,610.51 seconded by Alderman Midyett. A voice vote was taken to approve the audit with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.
Alderman Midyett made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Alderman Schweig. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed. The Regular Meeting of the Board of Aldermen adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
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Sue McNamara, Mayor
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ATTEST: Michele McMahon, City Administrator/City Clerk