Regular Meeting

BOARD OF ALDERMEN

CITY OF PARKVILLE, MISSOURI

September 18, 2001

CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Pro Tem Marvin J. Ferguson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. in the absence of Mayor William M. Quitmeier.

Ward 1 Alderman Jack Friedman - present

Ward 1 Alderman Charlie Poole - arrived at 7:12 (LATE WITH PRIOR NOTICE)

Ward 2 Alderman David McCoy - present

Ward 2 Alderman Dave Rittman - ABSENT WITH PRIOR NOTICE

Ward 3 Alderman Marvin Ferguson - present

Ward 3 Alderman Linda Arnold - present (LEFT AT 7:30 WITH PRIOR NOTICE)

Ward 4 Alderman Frank McCoy - present

Ward 4 Alderman Marc Sportsman - present

ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Pat Hawver

Municipal Judge Sandra Ferguson (Parks Committee acting director)

Police Chief Bill Hudson

Director of Public Works Jeff Rupp

Superintendent of Streets Alan Schank

Michael and Jan Gunn for The Greens on Crooked Road

Nate Friedman and Jonathon Cantrell with gift for American Red Cross

Kris Smither for Park Hill South High School

Chris D. Locke for Cross-Logic Cyclo-Cross Challenge

Helene Balmir, Park University police intern

Tom Hutsler

MEDIA PRESENT: Nancy Jack

Ed Gault and Shan Johnson for Channel 2

At the request of Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson, those present stood and saluted the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. He said Mayor Quitmeier was out of the city that evening, so he would preside over the meeting.

Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson said these two boys made cookies and candy and sold them at the Farmers Market the previous Saturday to raise money for the relief effort being made by the American Red Cross in the wake of the terrorist attacks. They raised $741.36. It will go with the other money being collected at Parkville City Hall for delivery to the Red Cross through the Park Hill School District. He mentioned the candlelight vigil being held September 25^th, at Park Hill High School football stadium.

Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson thanked the boys, and those present gave them a round of applause. Mr. Ferguson said the City had already begun to receive donations, including $300 from Café Cedar and $100 from JeHad Saleh. (NOTE: Total as of Friday, 9/19/01, was $1,711.36.) Flyers were posted in store windows, and there is a message on Channel 2.

Mrs. Smither said that date is a Saturday. The parade will start at 10 a.m. from 63^rd down Main Street into the parking lot. This is an every-other-year event in Parkville, with the parade in Riverside in the years between. She had already spoken with Chief Hudson about the parade.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE PARK HILL SOUTH HOMECOMING PARADE OCTOBER 6^th; ALDERMAN ARNOLD SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

Alderman referred to a request from Linda Doubenmier, copies of which were in their packets, for this banner to be hung.

ALDERMAN ARNOLD MOVED TO APPROVE HANGING OF THE BANNER FOR THE ART FAIR, TO BE HELD OCTOBER 13-14, FROM OCTOBER 6^th THROUGH 14^th; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

Mr. Gunn noted this property of about four acres was received into the City of Parkville by voluntary annexation about two years ago and was rezoned from County zoning to B-4, Planned Business. Both the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Board of Aldermen approved the preliminary plan. P&Z went on to approve the final plat with the provision that Mr. Gunn was to get a traffic study, and the results of that were to be studied and approved or disapproved by the Board of Aldermen. The Gunns' company, North Star, also agreed not to seek access onto Tom Watson Parkway (Highway 45) from this property. North Star, The National, and Mr. Hawver met with the traffic engineer. North Star and The National agreed on September 13^th to share the cost of the turn lane on Crooked Road.

The plan is a 30,000 square foot mixed use plan, consistent with B-4 zoning. Architecture and landscaping are consistent with those of The National. He estimated the sales tax from the center at $15,000 annually. Mr. Hawver said he would guess the sales tax revenue would be five times that. The traffic study concluded that traffic signals and lane widening would be warranted when this center and The National are both completely built out. Actually, he said, the study says that the need for the improvements is not warranted by just the shopping center, but the combination of The National and the shopping center.

ALDERMAN POOLE ARRIVED AT 7:12 p.m.

Mr. Hawver said that portion of Tom Watson Parkway (Highway 45) will be widened sometime in the next few years, and MoDOT has already indicated there will be major improvements at that intersection. It's a foregone conclusion, he said, that any kind of improvements made now to the highway will be wiped out by that new construction. He recommended the left-turn lane on North Crooked Road. The National and North Star have committed to funding the street widening and left turn lane on Crooked Road now, putting that money in escrow with the City of Parkville. Mr. Hawver said there is no need for an ordinance, but any development plan needs to be approved by the Board by motion.

Mr. Friedman asked if the highway department continues to put this work off for many years, is North Star prepared to do this anyway? Mr. Gunn said yes. He said the need for the widening and signals on Highway 45 won't be in place until his project is about 50% built out, at least.

Mr. Poole asked about a buffer zone between the property owners behind The Greens on Crooked Road, reminding Mr. Gunn those owners came to City Hall when the property was annexed and expressed concern about the development. Mr. Gunn said he planted juniper trees a year or so before he annexed the property into Parkville, and now some of them are 14' tall or more. However, the owners don't want their view of The National obscured, so no taller buffer is contemplated.

Mr. Sportsman asked if MoDOT plans to put a traffic signal there. Mr. Hawver said there is no way of telling that now. They would like to align North and South Crooked Roads, which are offset, and that would be a major project. He believes they would put in a signal there, but there's no commitment. They did say there would be significant grading work done there. Mr. Sportsman said it does raise some safety issues.

Mr. Gunn said in light of these possibilities, any money spent now on improving Crooked Road at that intersection would be wasted.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE FINAL PLAN SUBMITTED BY NORTH STAR FOR THE GREENS ON CROOKED ROAD; ALDERMAN FRANK McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 7-0.

Mr. Locke said he would like to use this event to raise money to hold bicycle rodeos, to promote bicycling, and to promote Parkville and its businesses. Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson asked if he had appeared before the Parks Committee. Mr. Hawver said the Parks Committee wanted staff to obtain more information. We did, he said, and presented it to the Board of Aldermen. More information was requested, and that is why Mr. Locke was present tonight. Mr. Poole said there would be a Parks Committee meeting next Monday night. Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson said he knows there is concern on the part of the Parks Committee, especially if the ground is muddy. Judge Ferguson, acting director of the Parks Committee, asked Mr. Locke when he needed his answer in order to get his arrangements made. Mr. Locke said October 4^th. There was discussion about a bond for any damage to the trail. Mr. Hawver said he thought a deposit would be preferable. He would leave the exact amount to the Park Committee.

ALDERMAN DAVE McCOY MOVED TO APPROVE THE CROSS-LOGIC CYCLO-CROSS CHALLENGE CONTINGENT UPON APPROVAL BY THE PARKS COMMITTEE; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 7-0.

Chief Hudson introduced Ms. Balmir, who will be assisting Detective Ron Canaday, and said she is very competent, intelligent and personable, and she speaks three languages. Ms. Balmir said she was looking forward to working with Det. Canaday and the Parkville Police Department. Mr. Friedman said it is a good department, and we're really proud of it. Aldermen welcomed her to the staff.

ALDERMAN ARNOLD LEFT AT 7:30.

ALDERMAN DAVID McCOY MOVED TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 4^th AS PUBLISHED; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson read a proclamation recognizing the historical significance of the indigenous cultures who, many years ago, occupied the land now known as Frank Vaydik Park.

ALDERMAN POOLE MOVED TO AUTHORIZE MAYOR PRO TEM FERGUSON TO SIGN THE PROCLAMATION; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

VACATION OF 3^rd STREET. Mr. Hawver said the City has received a petition to vacate 3^rd Street east of East Street. There will be a public hearing at the next Board meeting. Details are enclosed in the city administrator's report, attached to these minutes.

PROPOSED REORGANIZATION OF CITY DEPARTMENTS: Mr. Hawver went over the details of his proposed reorganization and its financial impact. The impact would be approximately $43,800 in this year's budget, to be taken out of the emergency reserve fund, and $57,800 in the 2002 operating budget.

FINANCE DEPARTMENT. The impact figure for this year includes the cost of the software ($31,000) to be purchased by the Finance Department. He said they are convinced it's the best out there for cities of our size. It will allow our city collector to do all financial reports and free up the treasurer to do budget and financial analyses and projects. Our treasurer will continue to do our investments which he is doing a great job with. Presently there is a redundancy of work between the treasurer and collector.

Alderman Dave McCoy has looked into the software chosen for the department, Mr. Hawver said.

PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT. The maintenance of parks has been done by the Streets Department until now. The reorganization will officially create a Parks and Recreation Department, which will not be under the Street Department. Ed Gault will step into the superintendent position for the Parks and Recreation Department.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. The title of this department has been questioned, Mr. Hawver said, but almost every city has a community development department. Besides the director, this department will include the two building inspectors. The director may be a planner or an engineer; he will review plats, etc.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/ASSISTANT TO THE CITY CLERK. This position was considered for part-time status, but it has been decided to continue the position as full-time after some very good feedback. Park intern Justin Kuder has resigned; he has been an invaluable student worker. The new administrative assistant/assistant to the city clerk would assume most of the duties our previous administrative assistant performed, and train to replace Barbara Lance at some point and to be a backup for her. She will also do the minutes for the Planning & Zoning Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustments.

Mr. Hawver requested a motion approving the reorganization, including the cost of the new software. Mr. David McCoy asked if the provider could meet the time requirement? Mr. Hawver said he would include that in the contract. Mr. Sportsman asked if the training costs, etc., could go higher than proposed, and Mr. Hawver said no, the provider has guaranteed the figures are maximum costs, and may come in considerably lower. Mr. Sportsman asked if we could get an outline of their training program, and Mr. Hawver said they e-mailed him a sample of the materials. Mainly, he said, they come in and train for several days. They connect with our programs on the internet so the collector can call them if she has a problem and they can get on their computer and fix it without coming into town.

Mr. Sportsman asked if that technical support will continue indefinitely or if it is an annual agreement. Mr. Hawver said it is an annual agreement; he thinks the cost is $4,300 per year. Mr. Poole asked about the subtraction of $2,400 from the total. Mr. Hawver said he asked them to give him his best price, and they took $2,400 out of the travel allowance.

Mr. Hawver will advertise for the two positions - director of community development and administrative assistant/assistant to the city clerk. He will not advertise salaries but wait to see what qualifications applications have. Mr. Sportsman asked about the salary for the newly created position of parks and recreation department superintendent. Mr. Hawver said the salary increase for Mr. Gault would be immediate and would not greatly impact the budget.

Mr. Hawver explained the need for a Parks and Recreation Department by saying the old Park Board was in a self-proclaimed maintenance mode. The new committee is very aggressive and in a development mode. New grant money is out there. The new superintendent will attend Park Committee meetings, and work, especially during winter months, toward obtaining grants. He will oversee the park crew independently instead of their being under the Street Department, and the Street Department can focus more on maintaining the streets rather than mowing grass. Mr. Gault will be a working superintendent and his duties will include mowing. He will be a working superintendent. He may also be called upon to do some snow plowing. He will have an office in the old sewer plant office opposite the Farmers Market. He'll be working on park development issues. During the winter months his workers will go back and work with the Street Department. We're falling behind on street maintenance. Mr. David McCoy said since we're not adding a person how does street maintenance get more done? Mr. Hawver said we need a new street department employee; that request will be made in the 2002 budget - we promised that during the discussions leading up to the annexation election. Mr. Friedman said he liked the idea of having someone whose sole position is to take care of the park.

ALDERMAN SPORTSMAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE REORGANIZATION PLAN; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

Mr. David McCoy said he wanted the computer program provider to guarantee we'll be up and running by the first of the year - he wants some language in the contract.

Chief Hudson said aldermen had his report. Last week's tragedy put a damper on things - it's been really quiet around here. Mr. Sportsman said two people showed incredible valor in fishing people out of the river. There was discussion at the time of honoring them. Chief Hudson said he had already submitted their names to the Red Cross for lifesaving awards. He is just waiting to hear from the Red Cross.

FARMERS MARKET: Mr. Friedman said there are still people down there selling. Cold-weather products are coming in now. He was pleased to see the ordinance to put gutters on the market, and expressed the wish we could get up there and patch some of those holes. The subject of asbestos was discussed, and Mr. Hawver said he has a report saying the roof is safe as long as we don't disturb it.

FINANCIAL: Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson reviewed the Treasurer's Report for August. It looks like the sales tax income is about $50,000 short. We have about $598,000 to spend over the next four months, and we need to make every effort not to exceed the budgetary amounts.

ALDERMAN POOLE MOVED TO APPROVE THE AUGUST FINANCIAL REPORT; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

NATURE SANCTUARY: Mr. David McCoy said there will be a stream team water quality test next weekend. Mr. Friedman said they were planning this year's "Halloween Extravaganza." Anybody who wants to assist please call Nature Sanctuary Director Jim Reed or City Hall and leave your name and number. (The event is a family night held shortly before Halloween - it features hot dogs, soda pop and ghost stories at the Jeannette Robbins Meeting Place.)

PARKS COMMITTEE: Mr. Poole said there would be a meeting the following Monday. He thanked Mr. Rupp, saying new park projects were moving along very nicely. Mr. Friedman asked Mr. Rupp to check with the asphalt contractor working on park projects to see what he could do about asphalting the sidewalk areas along the Highway 9 bridge over the White Alloe. Mr. Rupp will work on it.

PLANNING AND ZONING: Mayor Pro Tem Ferguson said there would be a meeting Tuesday, October 9^th, at 5:30 p.m. to consider (1) a request for rezoning a tract of land on Tom Watson Parkway just west of Melody from residential to B-4, planned business, (2) a request for rezoning a tract of land just north of City Hall from R-4 to B-4, and (3) for a lot split on Highway 9 for the sports facility.

TREE BOARD: Mr. Frank McCoy said they were to have a meeting next week; it has been cancelled.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT BILL 1992, TO INCREASE COURT COSTS FOR THE CRIME VICTIMS FUND AND TO ASSESS A FEE AGAINST THOSE CONVICTED OF INTOXICATION-RELATED OFFENSES, BE APPROVED FOR FIRST READING; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT BILL 1992 BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT BILL 1992 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE 1977; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

Above bill was posted 9/14/01.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT BILL C/A 35, CONTRACTING WITH WILLIAMS INSULATION FOR THE INSTALLATION OF GUTTERS AND DOWNSPOUTS AT THE FARMERS MARKET AND THE TRAIN DEPOT; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THT BILL C/A 35 BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT BILL C/A 35 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE C/A 35; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

Above bill was posted 9/13/01.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THT BILL A-678, TO PAY LISTED SALARIES AND ACCOUNTS, BE APPROVED FOR FIRST READING; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT BILL A-678 BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.

ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT BILL A-678 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE A-678; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

Above bill was posted 9/14/01.

REDISTRICTING: An update on redistricting had been provided in packets by the city clerk (it is attached). She explained the need to take a census next year, the sequence of events in taking the census and the subsequent redistricting, and pointed out that it would take many months to complete. The Election Board has to have the new ward lines at least two months before candidates file for the 2003 April election. Mr. Sportsman asked if we would just do the census to see if redistricting is needed and stop there. Mrs. Lance said no, it is apparent that ward lines need to be redrawn. Mr. Friedman asked if the cost for the census and redistricting would be included in the 2002 budget; Mr. Hawver said the cost is negligible because the clerk does them.

TIME-WARNER CABLE RATE ADJUSTMENTS: A letter was in aldermen's packets telling about the new rates for subscribers.

MISSOURI MUNICIPAL LEAGUE MEETING: Mr. Hawver recounted some of the issues covered at this meeting last week. He and Mrs. Arnold and Mrs. Lance attended.

PARKING ON MAIN STREET: Mr. Poole asked again about the parking spaces at the corner on the east side of Main Street south of First. He asked if he could find ten parking spaces near downtown would the Board reconsider removing these parking spaces, which are hazardous to traffic? Mr. Hawver will meet with him.

ALDERMAN SPORTSMAN MOVED TO ADJOURN; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 6-0.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.

Submitted by ___________________________________________

City Clerk Barbara J. Lance - September 21, 2001