These minutes should be considered a draft until
approved by the Board of Aldermen at the meeting of May 17, 2005.
Regular Meeting
BOARD OF ALDERMEN
CITY OF PARKVILLE, MISSOURI
ALDERMAN POOLE MOVED TO ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS REAL ESTATE AND LITIGATION UNDER AUTHORITY OF RSMo 610.021 (1) AND (2), ALDERMAN ARNOLD SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED.
AT APPROXIMATELY 7:06 P.M., ALDERMAN MCCOY MOVED TO RETURN TO OPEN SESSION; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED.
The regular board meeting started at approximately 7:07 p.m. following a Work Session to discuss city hall renovation and an Executive Session scheduled to discuss real estate, litigation and personnel under authority of RSMo 610.021(1),(2) and (3). Please note the minutes for the work session are separate from these minutes and they reflect that Alderman Sportsman was absent on this date with prior notice.
ALSO
PRESENT: City Administrator Joe Turner
Police
Chief Bill Hudson
Community
Development Director Sean Ackerson
Public
Works Director Jeff Rupp
Dan
Koch, Project Manager
City
Attorney Jack Campbell
Assistant City Clerk
Claudia Willhite
City
Clerk Barbara Lance
William
Quitmeier, Al McCormick, Ron Ortiz
Tom Hutsler, Virginia
Ground, Paul Gault,
The
Reverend Brian Ellison, Noelani Francis
Winnie
Wang, Mike Butcher, Harry Sievers
Boy
Scout Will Pertowski
Boy
Scout Hunter Gould
MEDIA
PRESENT: Joe Gleason for Channel 2
Nancy
Jack and Mark Vasto for The Luminary
Kim
Bui for KC Star
Bill
O’Malley for Platte Landmark
BOY
SCOUTS
Boy Scout Will Pertowski came to the podium to introduce himself and stated he was attending for his communications merit badge. Boy Scout Hunter Gould of Troop 288 said he was there for his communications and citizenship in the community badge.
ALDERMAN ATKINSON
MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE APRIL 5, 2005 BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING AS
PUBLISHED; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Ordinance Re Canvass of April 5th Election
ALDERMAN FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL
2209, AN ORDINANCE CANVASSING THE ELECTION RETURNS OF
THE APRIL 5, 2005, MUNICIPAL ELECTION, BE APPROVED
FOR FIRST READING, ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL 2209 BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO SECOND
READING; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL 2209 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE
2189; ALDERMAN ATKINSON SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL VOTE; MOTION CARRIED
7-0.
Bill
2209 was posted on 04/16/05.
Oath of Office Administered by City Clerk
City Clerk Barbara Lance administered the oath of office to newly elected Ward 1 Alderman Deborah Butcher and re-elected Ward 2 Alderman Dave Rittman and Ward 3 Alderman Marvin Ferguson. Ward 4 Alderman Marc Sportsman was unable to attend this meeting and will take his oath of office at a later date.
Mayor Dusenbery extended a special thank you to Alderman Poole for all the years of dedication and service he has given to the city; applause and a standing ovation followed. Alderman Poole said it was his pleasure and he left his seat to join the audience while newly elected Alderman Butcher took her seat on the board.
The mayor said that due to the high citizen interest level of agenda item 5C regarding Municipal Election 2005, she would like to begin the Mayor’s report with this item. She then proceeded to read her letter to the Board of Aldermen, which she said was drafted with the assistance of others. (Note: This memo, along with all other written material related to Agenda Item 5C that was submitted for review at this board meeting, is attached to the official minutes on file.)
The mayor said she wanted to say a few words before reading the letter and she asked everyone to realize why they were there. We all love this city, she said, and we’re all very passionate about this city and sometimes passion gets in the way of judgment. She said she knew that some people disagree with her opinion on this and she respected that. She also asked anyone feeling compelled to shout out from the back of the room to please step out and think about what they want to say before returning because there should be no reason for this meeting to get out of control. She stressed that this is not what we want the City of Parkville to be about because there are so many positive issues that we’re working on that we need to come out as one on. She then read the attached letter aloud.
After reading the letter, she referred the board to the other documents in their packets related to this issue including a copy of the open letter that four current and two past Planning Commission members signed and the cover letter that was attached to it. She then asked the board for direction on what should be the consequences for the Planning Commission members who signed the open letter and how can the city prevent similar situations in the future. The mayor then read the following proposed options she had noted in her memo to the board:
1) Draft a letter to each Planning Commissioner and require each member to take a class in Ethics and Planning and Zoning
2) Request resignation of all Planning Commissioners who signed the “Open Letter”
3) Request resignation of all the current Planning Commission members and restructure the Planning Commission
4) As the Board otherwise sees appropriate
The mayor explained that what she meant about possibly restructuring the Planning Commission was that three or four years ago they went from nine to eleven members and perhaps it should be considered to return to nine members assigned by wards. She then stressed that this is just a suggestion for consideration and not an issue or an order; it’s just a suggestion.
The mayor said she wanted next to open discussion by the board and then to the public. What she would like, she said was to keep the discussion focused on the issue at hand which was this advertisement sent out to citizens in Ward 1 and not to go off on a “he said - she said” direction. She then asked the board what was their view on the issue, reminding them that they (the board) had the vote.
Alderman Friedman said he did not interpret the events the way the mayor did and he said he did not see a breach of ethics there. He said that he believes it is the duty of every citizen to act if they find this situation; we’re getting in a situation in this country where people campaigning wait until the last minute to put out stuff that requires other citizens to act quickly to counteract information that is untrue. So a group of people with a different set of ideas and information may need to put a situation straight. He said, he’d seen it happen other times in this county that people wait until the last minute to put out something, making it almost impossible to overshadow it.
Mayor Dusenbery said that this was one of those pieces going out at the last minute.
Alderman Friedman said no, this was in response to something and it did not say it was supporting anyone but it did say that it was counteracting a statement made by another candidate.
Mayor Dusenbery said she was most concerned about all of this because some people, who have served and honored our city on the Planning and Zoning Commission when they signed this, had no idea a cover letter was going to be attached and used as an advertisement for a candidate. Several of them, she said, did not know how their signatures were going to be used. This cover letter, she said is what makes this something that should be questioned because it did come out and support just one candidate. She asked for other board comments.
Alderman Rittman said he would limit his comments to just the relationship of the Planning Commission and the final piece, not the election as a hole. He said you have two candidates who have both worked very hard and he added that he’d had the pleasure of working with both of them over the past years. He said that nothing that happens here tonight is going to change the outcome of the election; nor is this about that. He added that the voters have spoken and he looks forward to working with Deborah Butcher over the next period of time. He stated that he did feel the process in question did violate the Planning Commission bylaws, specifically Paragraph F10 and there are, he said, a number of other significant concerns.
Alderman Rittman said it is most unfortunate that we have to do this because Parkville is in an area of growth and healing; we want to move forward and focus on goals but we all took an oath as you heard tonight. With that, he said, comes the fiduciary responsibility to act on the process in terms of what happened, to be sure it doesn’t happen again. He said one piece that particularly disturbed him was the hand-written note making reference to two other Planning and Zoning members, Marvin Ferguson and Charlie Kutz, indicating that they were not in town so they couldn’t sign the document. Alderman Rittman said Mr. Kutz personally told him that he was never called although he was in town working all day but he wouldn’t have signed it anyway because it was in violation of the Planning Commission bylaws. Mr. Rittman said these are some very serious concerns in terms of process. He then asked Alderman Ferguson his thoughts.
Alderman Ferguson said he wouldn’t have signed it even if he’d been asked because the minutes speak for themselves. He said the minutes could have been included without the signatures of the people involved and the appearance of impropriety was the worst part of it. Mr. Ferguson recommended each of the board might have a session with the city attorney to review the bylaws and how they’re supposed to function so this doesn’t happen again.
The mayor said it had been brought to her attention by several people that perhaps all board members who serve city hall, including the Board of Aldermen, should take part in an ethics lesson. She also said she wants to see fair elections in the future - not saying that there was anything unfair with this - but that it seemed to pull some innocent people in and some of those people that signed didn’t know there was going to be a cover letter attached to it.
Alderman Rittman said he wanted to point out that the documents at hand were distributed at the polls with certain portions allegedly yellow-highlighted further adding to the illusion of an elected city official providing that information to the voters as they walk through the polls. This is of particular concern when you consider that there were only 16 votes, representing a swing of 8 people. The goal here tonight, he said, is to make a difference for the community so this never happens again.
Alderman McCoy asked the board to remember that they worked very hard a year ago to get attendance at a special class on how to perform as a commissioner and alderman. He said even with a month and a half to two months advance notice they were unable to get everyone to attend so he has concerns about being able to get everyone to attend.
Mayor Dusenbery said attendance for the training session would go on record then and it will be taken into consideration at reappointment time.
Alderman Arnold asked for clarification that the mayor did not mean the former class already held.
The mayor said no, that she meant “starting from scratch” with the brand new ethics class and failure to attend will be a consideration for not reappointing.
Alderman Friedman suggested that an alternate date should be set for anyone who can’t make the first date due to work scheduling.
The mayor agreed but said two options should be flexible enough. She went on to say that Planning and Zoning is an advisory committee whose job it is to look at things in black and white while following our statutes and zoning and then make an educated decision, without politics. She said we (the board) are an elected political body but Planning and Zoning has a different mission and set of rules.
Alderman Atkinson said that he’d had the honor of serving previously on the Planning and Zoning board with Chairman McCormick and others and they are doing an excellent job and it would be a disservice to the City if the Planning and Zoning Commission members who signed were lost.
The mayor said that would only happen if they chose to resign.
Alderman Atkinson said that he sees it as a political battle for a position on the Board of Aldermen and he doesn’t believe that any of them would do it again.
The mayor agreed and said she was talking more about education for the board and the commission and a lesson in ethics wouldn’t hurt anyone. She asked how the board felt about the idea of a workshop.
Alderman Friedman said he had no problem with the idea.
Alderman Rittman said there are other factors to this issue that need to be discussed and it’s perhaps best to approach by dividing into categories. He said he had asked the City Attorney if it could be handled in Executive Session due to the sensitivity of the issue and the answer was no, so as difficult as this is, it must be covered now in open session. Mr. Rittman said we seem to have two levels – Planning Commissioners who feel they didn’t see all the facts or in the case of Al McCormick, who signed a piece of blank piece of paper with text but no other items – it’s all in your packets. He added that you have one particular individual who didn’t sign it but who paid for it. This individual, he said, had access to the bylaws and documents, one of which is the staff report of 2002 that stated Dave Williams was the owner of the property.
The mayor interjected that she did not want to go into “He said, she said”.
Alderman Rittman said he wanted to start with a recommendation that Jim Sfetko and Al McCormick receive a letter of reprimand and that they attend a mandatory ethics training session and that they be obligated to use those “learnings” and skill sets in any future meetings.
The mayor asked why Jim Sfetko was included in this.
Alderman Rittman said he was including Jim because he is the Campaign Treasurer for the Butcher campaign and a current member of the Planning Commission, whose name is on the bottom of the document as the person who paid for the mailing.
Alderman Arnold sad she thought that all campaign advertising is required to say who paid for it.
Alderman Rittman said the point is you had a violation of Paragraph F10 of the Planning Commission bylaws and Jim is identified on the document as the one who paid for it.
Alderman McCoy seconded the motion.
Alderman Butcher said she knows that the mayor doesn’t want to hear “he said, she said” but she believes the citizens in our community have a vested interest in this so we need to hear from them. She said after she hears from the community she definitely has a number of issues she’d like to address to the board respectively. Some discussion ensued on this. Alderman Butcher then asked for clarification on when there would be public discussion if a motion has already been made and seconded.
Alderman Rittman said we have a process issue whether we’re going to have a public hearing or not. The mayor said this is not a public hearing. Alderman Rittman went on to say that the board is just fulfilling its obligation to act in a fiduciary manner as representatives.
The mayor asked the board if it wouldn’t be all right to hear from the citizens who came to speak. There were no objections. She then said it would be all right to hear comments from the audience as long as everyone remains calm and civil and focused on the issue. She also noted that we all have to work together on so many issues so it makes no sense to cause enemies this evening. She then asked anyone wanting to speak to give the Assistant City Clerk a name card and she reminded everyone that we have tons of other city business to get accomplished so please keep to the point and focus on the issue.
William Quitmeier, current member of the Parkville Planning and Zoning Commission and former mayor of Parkville, commented that Mayor Dusenbery said earlier in the meeting that everyone that goes before the Planning Commission deserves an unbiased fair shake and he feels that should apply to everyone who goes before the Board of Aldermen as well. Mr. Quitmeier said that he was very offended by the conclusions some of the board has made. He said that in the light of the ethics violation accusation, he contacted the City Attorney Jack Campbell who confirmed that there was no violation of the open meetings Sunshine Law and that no city money was used for the mailing. He said, according to Mike Green of the Missouri Ethics Commission, who said he could not talk specifically because he might hear an appeal, if we did not use city money then there was no violation of Missouri Ethics. Mr. Quitmeier said he also discussed this issue with Stuart Haynes of the Missouri Municipal League; and he confirmed there was no violation of the open meetings law, absolutely none. And, he said, if we did not spend city money then it was not a violation and this fact is absent from the report by the mayor; we have First Amendment Rights under the US Constitution – those are so pure. You guys keep talking about (Paragraph) F10; he said, but F10 is for a perspective idea; it says clearly that Planning and Zoning Commission members and staff members must insure that the presentation of information on behalf of any party to the Planning Commission occurs only at a scheduled hearing of the Planning Commission. So, he said, what they are talking about is that we as Planning Commission members are not supposed to make up our minds on an issue prior to the public hearing. We cannot express our opinion about an issue prior to it coming before us. We cannot hear private input of opinions on that, because we have to be a fair arbitrator of the evidence after we’ve heard it. The trouble is, he said, Alderman Rittman and Alderman McCoy, who are both supporters of Tom Hutsler, you never even called me to ask my opinion on it. You never wanted my side of the story and I think you’ve disqualified yourselves if there is any public hearing because you’ve already made up your minds without hearing from us. We know we didn’t violate any state law or any Parkville law because this says we’re not supposed to discuss perspective meetings. You might have paragraph 6 of that F – to avoid appearance of conflict of interest and impropriety, Planning and Zoning members who may receive some private benefit from a public planning decision must not participate in that. We had nothing to benefit, he said, we were trying to set the record straight regarding untruths said about a meeting three years ago. Not a perspective meeting, he stressed but a meeting from three years ago and some candidate’s supporter who was saying at the very last minute that their candidate came and thwarted an effort to build a tower. The minutes, he said, as Alderman Ferguson noted, bear that out, so what we’ve done is told the truth about a meeting held 3 years ago that is not a violation of Missouri Ethics or Missouri Sunshine Law and not a violation of the ordinances. Mr. Quitmeier said that he took offense that his ethics are being called into question by judgments of people. He commended Mayor Dusenbery for being “very gracious to talk to me several times, so you did inquire about that” but he said that Aldermen Rittman and McCoy, who made and seconded the motion tonight, should be disqualified from any public hearing if there is one. In closing, he began to say something about Alderman Rittman and McCoy being supporters of Tom Hutsler but Mayor Dusenbery cut him off to say that we are not going to do that. Mr. Quitmeier then thanked the board for their time.
Mayor Dusenbery said that it is was not the open letter at issue tonight, but what was attached to the letter that is in question because that is what gave the appearance of impropriety. We have to remain neutral, she said; the planning and zoning board needs to remain neutral. She warned the audience once again that there should be no shouting from the back of the room and only those who come to the podium can speak to the board. She then asked the clerk to be responsible for calling the order of names to address the board from the podium so there would not appear to be favoritism on her part.
Dave Williams said that he did not receive a copy of the last letter sent out by the Butcher campaign and throughout the whole campaign one of his business partners was blamed for trying to put in a cell tower. He said that he owns the property and the application for the cell tower had his name on it. As he proceeded to say more about the cell tower application, Mayor Dusenbery asked Mr. Williams to please keep to the issue. Mr. Williams resumed his explanation of details of the cell tower application in 2002, stating that this is the issue because people throughout the campaign people have been making comments without consulting him. Mayor Dusenbery tried several times to redirect Mr. Williams’ discussion. When he began to talk about another cell tower, the mayor asked him to sit down.
Penny Sharp said she initially came only to thank Charlie Poole for his 14 years of dedication and service to Parkville and to congratulate Deborah Butcher on her new alderman seat. She said it seems that something she wrote is the issue here. And it’s something, she said, in all honesty, although Jim’s name was on it, was written by her. She said she paid the three dollars to get it printed and she paid for the postage to mail it out. She said she didn’t know if this makes any difference, but she wanted everyone to know. She added that Mr. Hutsler had called her to say that he wasn’t the developer requesting the cell tower and he was opposed to it. Mrs. Sharp said she told him that she did not say that he was. She added that Mr. Hutsler said that she was misrepresenting and maligning him and she answered that she did not mention his name. She said he also told her that he opposed the cell towers on that night but many remember differently.
Mayor Dusenbery asked Mrs. Sharp if she would keep to the topic.
She then said O.K. and directed her next remark to Mr. Rittman saying that he put out a host of materials to bolster his position that something wrong occurred. She then stated that many, including her, had not seen all the materials sent out. The mayor again reminded her that we must stick to the single piece of advertisement that is at issue. She agreed and then offered to turn to another element. She said she did want the record to show that of all the mailings sent out none of them were illegal and although some of them were nasty and mean, the record should show that you all received a copy of them so you can see what happened and what instigated this whole thing. Mrs. Sharp then read a quote by the mayor in her letter to the board, which states that it is inappropriate for any member or committee of the city to use their authority to endorse or appear to endorse a candidate. She then read Mr. Rittman’s quote from the Luminary stating that the city needs to be neutral in the election process; she read: “we have to give the appearance of being neutral, not just conforming to the letter of the law; we took an oath”. Mrs. Sharp then said that mistakes have been made by other people that appear far more biased than the letter signed by a few Planning Commissioners. Mrs. Sharp then read from minutes of the February 15th Board of Aldermen meeting in which Mayor Dusenbery invited Pauli Kendrick to come to the podium to introduce Fred Sanchez who was running for a seat on the Park Hill School Board.
Mrs. Sharp said she just wanted to know why is it that this is not wrong.
Mayor Dusenbery said that’s because Barbara Lance asked me to do that. She then asked Mrs. Sharp not to do what she was doing. “O.K.”, Mayor Dusenbery said, “I was just trying to do something that my city clerk asked.”
The room became loud with multiple discussions and comments from all areas of the room and Chief Hudson stood up to introduce himself and advise all persons in attendance to follow the mayor’s instruction to speak one at a time only and from the podium only. He reminded everyone that as the Jewel of the Northland they should behave as a city that others strive to emulate.
Mrs. Sharp said she just wanted to know why is it that this is not a mistake in the same manner. If the board is supposed to remain neutral, why is a candidate allowed to stand up here and say vote for me, she asked.
Mayor Dusenbery said that anyone else running for that school board election could have come forward to do that so there was no bias there. It was suggested to her in a note before the meeting that Mr. Sanchez was going to be in the audience and Pauli Kendrick who was a friend to many of us here was going to introduce him. It was more of a favor, she said.
Mrs. Sharp said it was a misstep, a mistake, just as some of these other things are. She ended her comments with an expression of appreciation for the dedication and service that the board members give, at times under difficult circumstances like this. She said she hoped to see the community work together without being disrespectful to each other and work together for positive results because what the board does here is going to impact the future for generations to come.
Ron Ortiz, a former Planning Commissioner said that he shares Mr. Quitmeier’s ire over how this travesty has been handled. He said that Mr. Rittman and Mr. McCoy should be ashamed for not asking them their side of the story before jumping to conclusions. He thanked the board for allowing him to read his brief prepared statement. He said he remembered when we understood that growth and commerce could be positive when done in a manner befitting all of the people of Parkville and not decision-making that favors a select few at the expense of what makes this city great. He said he remembered people trying to build up the community instead of tearing it down. He noted that the energies being wasted on this issue could be better applied elsewhere. He challenged the board to look at why they are here and to work for a legacy we can all be proud of.
Al McCormick said he was not there to discuss political position but to talk to the board briefly. He noted that the board has voted him in as Chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously several times and he has appreciated that position. He said he was there to tell the board that he feels his name is on a document that it should not be on and he regrets that. Chairman McCormick stressed that he was there to speak on his behalf alone as one of the leaders they had chosen and he said he planned to visit with Mr. Hutsler some time in the future. He directed the board to his letter in their packets and said that whatever action the board decides to take, he will follow and respect.
Tom Hutsler said that it was difficult to speak without a prepared statement but in the best interest of the community he felt we should move off of this issue and onto the business of running our city. He noted that we’ve gone through some tough times in the past couple of months, and tonight. Mr. Hutsler said that on election night he wished congratulations to Deborah Butcher on her victory and he meant that. What’s happened the past four weeks, he said, none of us can change; whether someone wanted a cell tower or not is immaterial. Those citizens who attended tonight are showing their concern for Parkville he said and he commended them for that. He then suggested that in the best interest of the city, Alderman Butcher and our other elected officials, we should move on. He said he just spoke with Mr. McCormick and he looked forward to working with him in the future. He said he also knew that Mr. Ortiz had resigned as a Planning Commission member and he would like to see him put back on the board, if that’s possible. He said he knew that we can’t right the trouble of the past few weeks but we can move forward and as Chief Hudson reminded everyone earlier, “We are the jewel of the Northland”. He noted that he lost by 16 votes and was willing to live with that, adding that if he had lost by one vote would have been worse. He thanked everyone and said he hoped this helped clear things up.
Frank McCoy introduced himself as a present Planning Commission since leaving his post as former alderman for Ward 4. He said he wanted to remind everyone that he has tried to get the topic of ethics on the agenda for sometime now. He suggested we should all take a hard look at our ethics and requested an open discussion on the topic.
Alderman Deborah Butcher said she wanted to clarify an earlier statement made by Alderman Rittman for everyone in the room that she did not give Chairman McCormick a blank piece of paper to sign. Mrs. Butcher said she wanted to speak directly to the issue of the letter. She added that she agreed with Alderman Friedman that this last minute ugly campaigning is wrong. She said that what she did was a reaction to three pieces of untrue pieces of information that went out a few days before the end of the election. She said when her campaign committee recognized that the cell tower would become a campaign issue; they agreed the most reasonable thing to do was to verify it with the minutes.
Mayor Dusenbery interjected that she just wanted to say Alderman Ferguson had a great point, “You could have used the minutes without dragging these people’s signature into it.”
Alderman Butcher said that was where she was exactly where she was going and asked that she be allowed to discuss this since she is where all of this responsibility ends up. Mrs. Butcher said that all of you who received information during the campaign know lengthy multiple pages are not read. She said that every single one of the current commissioners who signed the letter clearly understood in her mind that the letter would be used in a downtown meeting and told them if she didn’t need to use it to clarify the issue, she would never use it. She went on to say that so many issues were brought up during the campaign and as they were busy responding to beat a deadline, a mistake was made. Mayor Dusenbery asked Alderman Butcher to read what the notes said. She read “Marvin Ferguson and Charlie Kutz could not sign because they were out of town”. She said that it was her working copy with hen scratch notes on it that was sent out in error and for that she wanted to apologize to Alderman Ferguson. The mayor asked Mrs. Butcher if she really tried to contact the two gentlemen. Alderman Butcher answered that she did not think that was the issue because she did not intend to send that out to the public.
Tom Hutsler said he wanted to make two brief points. He said those at the April 2002 Planning Commission meeting know not one person there that evening was in favor of a cell tower. He said that Deborah Butcher did speak against the cell tower as well as two or three other people from the Bluffs; a lot of people were there and no one wanted the cell tower. Mr. Hutsler said he didn’t want to look at a cell tower in his backyard either. He stressed that with so many issues on the city’s task list now he wanted to restate his position that it is in the best interest of the city that we leave this issue and move forward now, resolving it amicably for everyone.
Alderman Rittman offered to withdraw his earlier motion and restate it after this discussion. Alderman McCoy withdrew his second to that motion. Mr. Rittman said he wanted to start by saying Al McCormick has been with us many years and no one is more dedicated. Mr. Rittman said he doesn’t know Jim but knows Penny well through prior work on Christmas on the River and respects her opinion though it differs from his.
Mayor Dusenbery asked if anyone has trouble with the idea of proceeding with arrangements for an ethics class that both groups, the Board of Aldermen and the Planning and Zoning Board would participate in. She also asked Sean Ackerson to take responsibility for making the arrangements. Mr. Ackerson agreed.
ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT THE CITY WILL PUT IN PLACE MANDATORY INFORMATIONAL SEMINARS DIRECTED AT OUR CITY COMMITTEE POSITIONS INDIVIDUALLY, SUCH AS THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN, THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AND THE COMMUNITY LAND AND RECREATION BOARD, TO INFORM
PARTICIPANTS
ON ETHICS OF BEING AN ELECTED, APPOINTED AND EMPLOYED CITY OFFICIAL SPECIFIC TO
THE GROUP THE PARTICIPANT SERVES IN; ALDERMAN FERGUSON SECONDED; ALL AYE.
MOTION PASSED 7-0.
ALDERMAN RITTMAN MOVED THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY JACK CAMPBELL IS INSTRUCTED TO DRAFT UP FOR BOARD REVIEW, AN ETHICS DIRECTIVE FOR ORDINANCE THAT WILL ADDRESS THE CONCERNS DISCUSSED AT THIS MEETING IN REGARD TO POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH THE STATE OF MISSOURI AND ITS VARIOUS STATUTES AND CODES THEREOF; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION PASSED 7-0.
There was discussion regarding the many different opinions that have been heard in the last week and tonight regarding definitions of what is in the Planning and Zoning bylaws.
ALDERMAN RITTMAN MOVED TO THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY JACK CAMPBELL IS INSTRUCTED TO DRAFT AN OPINION LETTER THAT WILL PROVIDE COMMENTS AND SPECIFIC DEFINITIONS AND DIRECTIVES REGARDING THE BYLAWS FOR THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AS IT RELATES TO WHAT A COMMISSIONER CAN AND CAN NOT DO RELATED TO ELECTIONS WHILE SERVING ON THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION PASSED 7-0.
There was discussion on what a loss it would be to the city and the Planning Commission if Ron Ortiz does not rescind his resignation to the Planning Commission.
ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT THE BOARD REFUSE PLANNING COMMISSIONER RON ORTIZ’S RESIGNATION IN THE HOPE THAT HE WILL RESCIND HIS RECENT RESIGNATION; ALDERMAN ATKINSON SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION PASSED 7-0.
Community Land & Recreation Board Member Nomination
The mayor explained that since winning the election for Ward 1 alderman, Alderman Deborah Butcher is vacating her position on the Community Land and Recreation Board. The mayor nominated Mary Martin of 801A West Street to fill the resulting vacancy.
Emergency Services Update
The mayor announced that Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust (MAST) will make a presentation to the board at the May 3rd meeting. She said that the Northland Regional Ambulance District (NORAD) is expected to present at the second board meeting in May. She also said that she has worked with Platte County Commissioner Betty Knight to establish an ambulance district and a request has been made to waive the “contiguous policy” requirement so that we have negotiation power. She may be asking for a letter from the board regarding the ambulance district plan.
Planning Commission Appointments for 2005
ALDERMAN
MCCOY MADE A MOTION TO POSTPONE ANY ACTION REGARDING THE PLANNING COMMISSION
APPOINTMENTS FOR 2005 TO A FUTURE BOARD MEETING AND TO POSTPONE ANY DISCUSSION
OF POSSIBLY CHANGING THE NUMBER ON THE PLANNING COMMISSIONERS ON THE PLANNING
AND ZONING BOARD; ALDERMAN RITTMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED 7-0
Policy
Report on Releasing of Checks
City Administrator Joe Turner reviewed his
policy report covering options for addressing concerns regarding the city’s
check releasing policy.
ALDERMAN McCOY MOVED TO APPROVE THAT THE CITY SHALL NOT ISSUE OR RELEASE ANY CHECKS UNTIL THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN APPROVES THE CHECK ON A BILL-PAYING ORDINANCE, UNLESS THE CHECK IS FOR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING LISTED ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES: ELECTRIC BILL, GAS BILL, VEHICLE GAS BILL, WATER BILL, PHONE BILL, CELL PHONE BILL, PAGER BILL, INTERNET/CHANNEL 2 BILL; ALDERMAN FERGUSON SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Memo
to Board re Brenda Hansel
Mayor Dusenbery read two staff memos that were drafted at City Administrator’s request, one from Jeff Rupp and one from Cindy Liberty, (copies are attached to the official minutes). These memos provide some history on the chain of events related to the Brenda Hansel accident claim. The mayor then explained that she inherited the Brenda Hansel accident folder upon taking office and after the new city administrator was hired they had several discussions regarding this. The mayor said she felt the city had let this woman down and the action of a check going to Brenda Hansel was goodwill and was not wrong. We fixed the problem of the street, she said, but did nothing to come to the aid of this poor woman who had been injured. She added that no one in City Hall wanted to even turn in this poor woman’s insurance claim until it was handed over to her. When it came time to request the check, the mayor said she had a nice conversation with Alderman Ferguson who felt in the long run, as an attorney, we were just settling this case and asking her to sign a release. Policy, she said, allows the City Administrator and Mayor up to $5,000 they are at liberty to relinquish. She said she did not feel anything was mishandled here and she did not blame Joe Turner or Justin Kuder; it was what we needed to do for goodwill for our citizens.
Alderman Arnold said she was offended when the mayor said our own employees did not want to do anything about this. It was a changing of the guard, Mrs. Arnold said, and whoever might have become mayor would have had this wind up on their desk and to tell us that no one wanted to do anything about this and you saved us, is wrong to all of our employees. They were trying to go the right way. Perhaps Ms. Hansel did deserve this, but we have no police report, Alderman Arnold said, and she stressed that her concern is that it showed up on the bill-paying ordinance at the last meeting only to find out it had already been given to Ms. Hansel three weeks prior. Mrs. Arnold said she would like to be told about such situations and she has mentioned to the board before that they all need to be involved in knowing what is going on. Then she asked if it was so important, why nothing was said about it to the board. Mrs. Arnold then asked Jeff Rupp for clarification on how many times he had contacted the insurance company. She said when the city decides to pay an insurance claim that is denied by our insurance company, we all need to know about it.
The mayor asked Jeff Rupp to let the city attorney answer Mrs. Arnold’s question. City Attorney Jack Campbell said this accident happened December 4, 2003 and it should have been submitted to the insurance company by the City Administrator at or near the time of the accident. How much this denial means, he said, is questionable because the insurance company has the date of incident as May 11, 2004 and they didn’t conduct any investigation regarding it because they had no information to go on. Some cities, he added, have such claims filed by the public works department so there may not always be an actual police report. He suggested that other than to set some policies in place, which has been done, so this won’t be a problem again, there really isn’t much more to say.
Alderman Arnold said she just wanted to make the record correct and do it right the next time. She said when Mr. Ferguson was given three checks to sign – two utility checks and one Brenda Hansel check and afterwards putting it on the bill-paying ordinance; that’s what’s bothering me. She said what she is stating is that she wanted it out in public and on record.
Alderman Rittman said that he supports the mayor in getting the release signed because in his business experience that is a critical piece in dealing with accidents that occur on your business property. He added that we (the board) should have been informed but it’s now resolved; the release is signed and it could have been so much more. He also recommended that the claim be resubmitted to the insurance company.
Chief Hudson said he wanted to state in Ms. Liberty’s defense that when we lost our insurance coordinator, she stepped up and took it over as she has many times, and in many situations, before because she is an excellent employee. He explained that Ms. Liberty received the claim four months after the fact with no documentation whatsoever and she appropriately asked him for direction on how to proceed. He said he wanted to point out that it wasn’t that she didn’t want to help anyone; it was that she didn’t have anything to help anyone with. Chief Hudson said that since he has no authority to pay bills, he advised her to take it to the Interim Mayor. He added that Pat Hawver was gone at that time and there was no city administrator. He said the police department normally does process police reports for such injuries.
Alderman Atkinson said he understood Mr. Rittman’s position and getting the release of liability is good, no question, but as an insurance professional he feels if our insurance company denied it, we have no business paying medical claims. Joe Turner has fixed the policy, he said, so that’s not a problem and he expressed hope that the board will not be in this position in the future; we pay a lot of premium dollars to our insurance company to defend us if we do catch suit so we need to consider each situation on its merits.
Mayor Dusenbery agreed that each situation should be looked at individually. She said the fact that it was a cross between two administrations had a lot to do with how things happened.
Former Alderman Charlie Poole said he wanted to point out that it was 2003 when this accident happened and a year and a half later, it gets paid and he had no knowledge of this bill at any time. There was a medical issue and a possible lawsuit to this city, he said, and there should have been board discussion on it; it should never have been paid the way it was paid. A year and a half later, he said, “She has never approached the city, that I know of” or said anything to anyone to ask if she could have her money. So, he said, I have to ask how she came to talk to anyone on this board or this mayor to say, “I’d like to have my money.” Mr. Poole asked if she talked to anyone there on the board to ask that question.
Mayor Dusenbery said she received a call from Brenda Hansel because she knew we had her file because she gave it to us; so she asked where we stood and said that all she had left was $900 worth of bills.
Alderman Arnold asked if this was after she became mayor.
The mayor answered yes that it was after she was elected. The mayor said we sat on this for a long time not hearing from her so when we did get a phone call asking what was going on and what the city could do for her, she discussed it with Joe Turner and decided to put it down as goodwill.
Charlie Poole said he thinks it’s nice to have goodwill and he understands it but when we have the issues we have and we spend close to $1,000 for something we don’t have to, it was done wrong; it was inappropriate and it has a funny air about it.
Mayor Dusenbery said that’s exactly why she wanted this read out loud because it doesn’t have a smell; it’s all honesty: a woman fell down in our street and we’re handling it. We fixed the road, she said, but nobody wanted to take responsibility to take care of this poor woman’s medical bills; and you know she’s a citizen of Parkville and we should treat our citizens better than that.
Alderman Atkinson said that is the last message you want to send out – that if you fall in Parkville and the insurance denies it, we’ll pay your medical bill. He stressed again that is the last message you want to send out.
The mayor said unless you would have brought this up and made an issue of it
Alderman Arnold said we couldn’t because we didn’t know about it.
Mr. Poole said that was his point; no one knew about it and Alderman Ferguson only learned of it when he was asked to sign the check.
Alderman Rittman said that he supported the mayor in getting the release signed because it was a process issue and now the city has no liability. We’ve changed the city policy now and the message has been received that the board should have known about it but at the same token, it’s been handled and the city no longer has that liability. He said he agreed with Alderman Atkinson that we should to look at each case individually.
Alderman McCoy said it’s already been pointed out that the mayor and city administrator have the authority to settle things or spend up to $5,000 so if we want to pick any particular instance and say no, they should have come to us, then we need to change that policy or we’ll see everything coming before the board.
Parkville resident, Virginia Ground, came to the podium, to thank the mayor for this act of good will that was extended to Brenda Hansel. Mrs. Ground said she wanted to remind the board that Ms. Hansel answered phone for our volunteer fire department for many years and was conscientious in her duties to make sure the phones were covered before she would leave to go anywhere. She added that Ms. Hansel’s father served as the Chief of the Volunteer Fire Department without pay for many years.
Memo re Roundabout Tour April 27th
Mr. Turner explained that there would be a lot of added traffic and activity at the roundabout on 45 Hwy by the National on April 27th. He referred the board to the information in their packets regarding the study of roundabouts being conducted by the Kansas Department of Transportation.
C/A
Bill to Approve Contract with First National Merchant Solutions
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT C/A BILL 142, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE CONTRACT
PURCHASE AND PARKVILLE MUNICIPAL COURT USE OF A CREDIT/DEBIT CARD MACHINE FROM
FIRST NATIONAL MERCHANT SOLUTIONS, BE APPROVED FOR FIRST READING BY TITLE ONLY;
ALDERMAN ARNOLD SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT C/A BILL 142 BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO
SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN ARNOLD SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION
CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 142 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME
ORDINANCE C/A 142; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL VOTE; MOTION
CARRIED 7-0.
C/A BILL142 was posted on 4/16/05.
Request for Direction re City Credit Card
Collector Justin Kuder
reviewed the policy report seeking approval from the board to proceed with
securing a city credit card for city-related purchases made by staff. He described examples of many recurring
situations where city employees have to use their own credit cards for work-related
expenses and necessary purchases.
ALDERMAN ATKINSON MOVED TO APPROVE THE REQUEST TO SECURE A CITY CREDIT CARD FROM A LOCAL BANK; ALDERMAN ARNOLD SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Request for Direction re Changing Phone Rate Structure
w/SWB and for Naming SBC as Long Distance Provider
Mr. Kuder explained that an average savings of approximately $175 per month could be achieved by following staff and Financial Committee recommendation to change the telephone rate plan structure from Local Metered Rates to the Custom Biz Saver Plan. Mr. Kuder also explained how naming SBC as the city’s long distance provider, utilizing the Business Domestic Saver Solutions plan could result in an additional monthly savings of $57 beginning in May 2005. The board commended Mr. Kuder for the initiative he demonstrated to research this possible way for the city to save some money.
ALDERMAN FERGUSON MOVED TO APPROVE THE REQUEST TO CHANGE THE CITY’S PHONE RATE STRUCTURE AS RECOMMENDED AND TO APPROVE NAMING SBC AS LONG DISTANCE PROVIDER; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Community Development Director Sean Ackerson explained that due to the anticipated length of tonight’s meeting, some last minute requests had been received to table certain community development agenda items. Consequently, items 7A and 7B regarding the 6th Plat of Parkville Commons and vacation of certain sanitary and utility easements have been tabled until the next board meeting.
There also was a request from POPNA to table review of their request for a moratorium on development until the May 3rd meeting. Mayor Dusenbery noted that there are many pieces involved with this request so to fully weigh the feasibility of this, she requested that a work session be scheduled before the next board meeting.
Request for approval of a sign permit for Parkville
Presbyterian Church
The Reverend Brian Ellison from Parkville Presbyterian Church was available with Noelani Francis from Mantel Teter Architects to answer any questions the board had regarding the request from the church for approval for a proposed sign for a permitted non-residential use in a residential district. Following brief discussion, a motion to approve was made.
ALDERMAN RITTMAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE REQUEST FOR SIGN APPROVAL AS SUBMITTED; ALDERMAN ARNOLD SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Request for approval of a change in use from retail to
office in a B-4 PCD for Parkville Animal Wellness at the Greens at Crooked Road
Mr. Ackerson reviewed the policy report regarding this request from Parkville Animal Wellness for a change in use from retail to office in a B-4 Planned Commercial District. He explained that the location will be 6444 and 6446 NW Crooked Road and the request is made to allow for an animal wellness center. Based on the submitted application and supporting information, he said, staff recommends approval of the proposed change in use subject to required noise and odor mitigation and issuance of all required permits and licenses.
ALDERMAN RITTMAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE REQUEST FOR A CHANGE USE FROM RETAIL TO OFFICE IN A B-4 PCD, WITH STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED; ALDERMAN FERGUSON SECONDED; ALL AYE. MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
C/A
Bill to Approve A Contract with Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation
ALDERMAN FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 143, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING A CONTRACT WITH BUCHER, WILLIS & RATLIFF CORPORATION FOR PLANNING SERVICES FOR PHASE II OF THE PARKVILLE MASTER PLAN UPDATE, BE APPROVED FOR FIRST READING; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 143, BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 143 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE C/A 143; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL VOTE; MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
Bill
C/A 1 43 was posted on 4/16/05.
Master Plan
Update
Mr. Ackerson provided a brief Master Plan update and asked for the board’s feedback about holding the next Master Plan Workshop on May 10th following the 5:30 p.m. Planning Commission meeting. He said that since the agenda is anticipated to be light, they could expect the workshop to begin by 7 p.m. and end by 9:00.
PUBLIC
WORKS
Public
Works Director Jeff Rupp reviewed his policy report to the board on serious
erosion
problems and subsequent emergency repairs
necessary in the Rush Creek area.
Following brief discussion, the following ordinances were passed.
C/A
Bill to Approve A Contract with JMAR Underground Construction
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 144, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO
ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH JMAR UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION, BE APPROVED FOR
FIRST READING; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 144, BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO
SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION
CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 144 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE
C/A 144; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL VOTE; MOTION
CARRIED 7-0.
Bill
C/A 1 44 was posted on 4/16/05.
C/A
Bill to Approve a Contract with Brush Reduction Services
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 145, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO
ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH JMAR UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION, BE APPROVED FOR
FIRST READING; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 145, BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO
SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 145 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE
C/A 145; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL VOTE; MOTION CARRIED
7-0.
Bill
C/A 1 45 was posted on 4/16/05.
C/A Bill to Approve An Agreement
with Platte County Public Water Supply District 1 to Provide Metered Water
Service to the Main Waste Water Treatment Plant.
Mr. Rupp then reviewed
his policy report regarding the Agreement with Platte County Public Water
Supply District 1. Brief discussion
followed.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 146, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT WITH
THE PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY DISTRICT NO. 1 OF PLATTE COUNTY, MISSOURI, TO PROVIDE
METERED WATER SERVICE TO THE MAIN WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT, BE APPROVED
FOR FIRST READING; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 146, BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO
SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN ARNOLD SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION
CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL C/A 146 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME ORDINANCE
C/A 146; ALDERMAN McCOY SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL VOTE; MOTION CARRIED
7-0.
Bill
C/A 1 46 was posted on 4/16/05.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
REPORT
Chief Bill Hudson said that his
report was in the packets. The board
thanked Chief Hudson for his intervention earlier in the meeting to help keep
order in the room.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE A-764
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL A-764, TO PAY LISTED SALARIES AND ACCOUNTS, BE
APPROVED FOR FIRST READING; ALDERMAN RITTMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL A-764 BE APPROVED ON FIRST READING AND PASSED TO
SECOND READING BY TITLE ONLY; ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION
CARRIED.
ALDERMAN
FERGUSON MOVED THAT BILL A-764 BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING TO BECOME
ORDINANCE A-764; ALDERMAN POOLE SECONDED; ALL AYE BY ROLL CALL VOTE; MOTION
CARRIED 7-0.
Bill
A-764 was posted on4/16/05.
COMMITTEE
REPORTS
Ad hoc Ambulance Committee – The mayor reported that on March 22nd, a Regional Mayors meeting was held at Nick and Jakes Restaurant at Parkville Commons and a representative from MAST was there to give a Regional Ambulance Service Update.
Chamber of Commerce/Events – Mrs. Butcher said Parkville Mini Golf is hosting the First Annual Parkville Uphill Challenge Golf Tournament on Thursday, April 21st, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. and April 22 from 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 the Chamber’s Business over Breakfast will be held at Papa Frank’s Restaurant.
Channel 2 and Website – Mr. Atkinson reported that Channel 2 staff are busy getting the bugs worked out on the new computer recently purchased to help meet master plan goals.
Financial Report – Mr. Ferguson referred the board to the Financial Report for February 2005.
Brief discussion followed during which the balance sheet was reviewed and expenses now being processed on an accrual basis.
ALDERMAN FERGUSON MOVED TO APPROVE THE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2005 AS SUBMITTED; ALDERMAN RITTMAN SECONDED; ALL AYE; MOTION PASSED 7-0.
Main Street Parkville – No report.
MARC Smoke-free Communities issue – No report.
Nature Sanctuary - Mr. McCoy reported that on April 16th, Jim Reed led a Wildflower hike with 9 participants and held a Work Day on April 9th. This Work Day was shared with ten National Honor Students from Park Hill South, their sponsor and seven Parkville Nature Sanctuary Committee members. Among other accomplishments, together they cut and chipped honeysuckle along the PawPaw Trail; built a fence around the back part of the entrance garden and cleaned out the Butterfly Garden.
Community Land and Recreation Board – Mrs. Arnold thanked Pam Edwards for the great spread of homemade treats she provided for the Arbor Day Celebration and Bonnie Green for the daffodils planted. Mrs. Arnold was asked if this new board will be responsible for the banner approvals in the future and she said they will.
Planning – Mr. Ferguson said the Planning Commission met last Tuesday night and that was covered in the Community Development report.
ADJOURNMENT
ALDERMAN FRIEDMAN MOVED THAT THE MEETING ADJOURN; ALDERMAN RITTMAN SECONDED, ALL AYES; MOTION CARRIED 7-0.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:23 p.m.
Submitted by: _____________________________________
Assistant City Clerk Claudia Willhite, 5/12/05