RECORD OF PROCEEDING
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Meeting of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Clarkson Valley, July 5, 2022
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The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
A roll call for the meeting was taken with the following result:
PRESENT Ward ABSENT
Mayor Scott Douglass
Alderperson Jim Meyer (via Zoom) Ward 1
Alderperson Sue McNamara Ward 1
Alderperson Honora Schiller Ward 2
Alderperson Julie Blanner Ward 2
Alderperson Lin Midyett Ward 3
Alderperson Gregg Bogosian Ward 3
Also in Attendance:
City Attorney: Patrick Butler
City Clerk: Michele McMahon
Alderpersons McNamara and Blanner were both sworn-in and they received congratulations and appreciation from all.
The City Attorney was asked to clarify on the legalities for alderpersons to attend these in-person meetings via telephone and/or Zoom, to which Mr. Butler said that alderpersons could attend and vote but they cannot be considered part of the quorum. He said since there were five Board Members in attendance tonight, this was legal and above-board.
Alderperson Schiller made a motion to accept the June 2022 Minutes. Alderperson Blanner seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken to accept the Minutes with an affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.
REMARKS, PETITIONS AND COMPLAINTS
There were no remarks, petitions, or complaints.
REPORTS
Chesterfield Police Report
Lt. Connelly gave the June Police Report.
Mayor’s Report
Court Report: Mayor Douglass said the amount received in June 2022 for court receipts was $2,607.42.
Volunteer Positions Open – Planning & Zoning and Architectural Review: Mayor Douglass mentioned the City is currently looking for a person to fill a vacancy on the P&Z Commission, and we also need to appoint a chairman for that commission. Additionally, the Architectural Review Board needs someone to fill Mike Altepeter’s position, who retired May 30th after doing this for the City since January 2000. He reviewed approximately thirty plans per year. Mayor Douglass asked the Board Members to please mention anyone who they feel could fill these two positions.
HB 1662: Mayor Douglass reported that House Bill 1662 passed both the state house and senate and is waiting for the Governor’s signature. He explained there are two problems with this bifurcated Bill. This law removes the ability for cities and homeowners’ associations to legislate the operation of home businesses within their jurisdictions. The second issue is this Bill prohibits subdivisions from prohibiting solar energy panels on the roofs. He said the City mailed a letter to Governor Parson requesting that he veto this Bill. Alderperson Bogosian stated he has been following this closely and the Governor just signed it into law today. Disappointment reined.
Rent: Mayor Douglass stated he has been in touch with the city hall building management and reported they are in the process of working towards finalizing our requests for upgrades, especially regarding the request for non-transparent shades in the police substation. Eyecare Partners Real Estate Division is also working on the legal contract for our tenancy.
Sidewalk Update: Mayor Douglass reported he finally heard back from St. Louis County Highway Department regarding our request to partner for sidewalks along Kehrs Mill Road. They stated they do not have the money to go half on the project which has a preliminary cost of $325,000. The State also said they had no money to share with us for projects on Clarkson Road.
Code Enforcement Officer: Mayor Douglass mentioned that everyone should have received the job description for what had previously been discussed to fulfil the duties of our Code Enforcement Officer. He further stated that if everyone is onboard with this, we will try it on a trial basis. Alderperson McNamara said with this description, there are too many chances for housing issue follow-ups to fall through the cracks. Alderperson Meyer asked if we received a bid from Chesterfield to which Mayor Douglass said we have not requested one. Alderperson Blanner asked that there be further discussion for the City to be proactive instead of reactive to actively search for violations. Discussion ensued with several issues jointly agreed upon: The current building commissioner, Jack Schenck, could not do this on a part-time basis; and they would like this enforcement officer to address the resident in-person with the housing issue. This official would be wearing an official shirt with a seal and carry credentials, and the second attempt would be via official notification. Discussion then turned to what other cities do with their code enforcement. Mayor Douglass concluded by saying this topic will be on next month’s agenda and we will call other cities this month to determine how they conduct their code enforcement.
Alderpersons’ Reports
Westhampton Water Main Upgrade: Alderperson Midyett mentioned that Westhampton was in the process of getting new water lines installed and asked if there was any feedback to which Mayor Douglass said we would investigate the matter. The City Clerk stated the City received only one complaint and that was for a contractor’s truck partially blocking her driveway whereby the trash was missed two weeks in a row.
Switching Banks: Alderperson Bogosian mentioned the change of banks under consideration and said this will be discussed later during this meeting.
City Attorney’s Report
The City Attorney, Patrick Butler, said it was all good in the City.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
BILL NO. 0515 – AN ORDINANCE DELETING AND ADDING A NEW TITLE 1: GOVERNMENT CODE; ARTICLE IV. PURCHASES; SECTION 130.080. PURCHASES BY THE CITY SETTING THE PURCHASING LIMITS TO THE PURCHASING POLICY FOR THE CITY OF CLARKSON VALLEY, ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI.
A motion was made by Alderperson Meyer and seconded by Alderperson Schiller to discuss and pass Bill No. 0515. The City Clerk read Bill No. 0515 for the first time. There was no further discussion. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0515 the second time. A roll call vote was taken, with the following results. Ayes: Blanner, Bogosian, McNamara, Meyer, Midyett, and Schiller. There were no Nays. Whereby, Mayor Douglass declared Bill No. 0515 as having passed and is now Ordinance No. 22-07.
NEW BUSINESS
President of the Board of Aldermen: Alderperson Schiller made a motion to nominate Alderperson Lin Midyett as President of the Board, stating he has done a good job since January. Alderperson Blanner seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and Mayor Douglass declared it approved and passed. Mayor Douglass declared Alderperson Midyett as the Board President and everyone thanked and congratulated him.
Approval of Appointments: Mayor Douglass referred to the Appointment Schedule placed in their packets. Alderperson Blanner made a motion to approve the appointments as stated on the Agenda, seconded by Alderperson Midyett. These include Planning and Zoning (1 year term) Honora Schiller and for Planning and Zoning (4 year term), we reappoint John Cloute. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and Mayor Douglass declared it approved and passed. Alderperson Bogosian asked the City Attorney about the statutory regulations regarding the number of Alderpersons allowed to serve on the Planning & Zoning Commission to which Mr. Butler responded that only one member could serve.
Alderperson Schiller made a motion to reappoint the City Clerk, Michele McMahon, seconded by Alderperson McNamara. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and Mayor Douglass declared it approved and passed.
2022-2023 Budget Approval: Alderperson Bogosian made a motion to discuss and pass the Budget, seconded by Alderperson Midyett. Mayor Douglass said that he is meeting with the bank representative this Friday and he would double-check the numbers for the interest income. He also said he was leery of what will happen if the economy goes down and concluded by saying we will keep the belt tight and that we do have reserves. A voice vote was taken to approve the 2022-2023 Budget with a unanimous affirmative result and Mayor Douglass thanked everyone.
Request for Solar Speed Sign in Kehrs Mill Estates Subdivision: Mayor Douglass said he looked up the last time we purchased a speed indicator sign and four years ago the cost was $4,000; this one is $3,900. This sign is moveable, he said, and could be used by other subdivision. Alderperson Blanner mentioned that if these funds are coming from the ARPA money, should we see what all the subdivisions want and how we should best spend the money? She also suggested that perhaps these signs should be cohesive, and they should all be the same. There was further discussion about the sign’s location (resident approved sign to be on their property) and if the sign tracks and maintains speeds and time of day information (it does not – flash only). Alderperson McNamara made a motion to approve the purchase of the speed tracker sign, seconded by Alderperson Midyett. A roll call vote was taken with the following result: Ayes: McNamara, Meyer, Midyett and Schiller. Nays: Blanner and Bogosian. Whereby, Mayor Douglass declared the request from Kehrs Mill Estates for a speed tracker sign was approved for purchase.
Forest Hills Club Estates Request for Reimbursement for Subdivision Signage: Mayor Douglass mentioned there is an invoice submitted by Forest Hills Club Estates asking the City to reimburse for the two SLOW signs the subdivision purchased and installed this year. A motion was made by Alderperson McNamara, seconded by Alderperson Meyer to discuss and reimburse the amount of $2,490.97. A roll call vote was taken with the following result: Ayes: Meyer, McNamara and Midyett. Nays: Blanner, Bogosian, and Schiller. According to Robert’s Rules, in instances like this Mayor Douglass is allowed a vote to break the tie, and he voted in the affirmative. Whereby it was determined the City will reimburse Forest Hills Club Estates for the cost of the signs. It was duly noted that this subdivision should check the cost involved in the installation, if this happens again.
Spending ARPA Money: Alderperson Midyett asked if anyone has talked about how the City is going to allocate ARPA funds to the subdivisions? Further discussion took place with Alderpersons saying we should figure this out before we begin offering public funds, whereupon Patrick Butler mentioned that streetlights will not work with the allowable ARPA spending. Mayor Douglass stated that Government Services is an allowed way to spend ARPA money and Alderperson Bogosian asked if that would include street signs.
BILL NO. 0516 – AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE SECOND YEAR OF THE CONTRACT FOR COLLECTION OF RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE, RECYCLABLES, COMPOSTABLES AND AUTHORIZING AND DIRECTING THE MAYOR AND CITY CLERK TO EXTEND SAME ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF CLARKSON VALLEY, ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI.
A motion was made by Alderperson Blanner to discuss and pass Bill No. 0516. Alderperson McNamara seconded the motion. The City Clerk read Bill No. 0516 for the first time. There was no discussion. Mayor Douglass read Bill No. 0516 the second time. A roll call vote was taken with the following results. Ayes: Blanner, Bogosian, McNamara, Meyer, Midyett, and Schiller. There were no Nays. Mayor Douglass declared Bill No. 0516 as having passed and is now Ordinance No. 22-08.
Change of Banking Institution: Alderperson Bogosian said he and the mayor had spoken by phone with Chief Investment Officer Bruce Ring in the Missouri Treasurer’s Office. Mr. Ring explained that municipalities without an investment policy could only invest in Treasury Bills and Certificates of Deposit. The yield on two-year Treasury Bills has been in the range of 3.1% to 3.4% in recent weeks. Mr. Ring advised that the best approach is to use independent brokers to purchase Treasury Bills. With an investment policy in place, a municipality is permitted to invest in any financial instrument that the state of Missouri can invest in, which would offer more investment options and a more diversified portfolio. For this approach, Mr. Ring advised the use of an independent Investment Officer; such services are available from various investment officer firms. Alderperson Bogosian concluded by saying the State has a template for an investment policy at its website. Mayor Douglass said the key to this change is security and the second is liquidity; then we will look at a broker. Alderperson Midyett made a motion to move the City’s bank accounts to Carrollton Bank, seconded by Alderperson Bogosian. A voice vote was taken with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.
Audit: Alderperson Bogosian made a motion to approve payment of invoices in the amount of $78,189.03 seconded by Alderperson Midyett. A voice vote was taken to approve the audit with a unanimous affirmative result and the motion was declared passed.
Alderperson Meyer made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Alderperson Blanner. 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 8:05 p.m.
Scott Douglass, Mayor
ATTEST: Michele McMahon, City Clerk