Hamilton passes six ordinances; purchases new police car
The Hamilton Board of Aldermen met for their regular session on Wednesday. All members were present including Mayor Gilliam, City Administrator, Jean Van Iperen and the city’s attorney, Robert Cowherd.
During public participation, Roxanna Barnett approached the council to gain their approval to reroute a ditch that was causing a problem with where her gas meter was located. The water runs down and stops at her ditch because it cannot drain properly due to the flow being controlled by her neighbor. Mayor Gilliam said he thought that was a civil matter and that the city could not do anything about it. After a lengthy discussion, the mayor said that the city administrator would discuss the situation with the attorney and figure out what could be done.
Former Police Chief Ron Faulkner was up next and spoke to the council. He began by saying, “As elected officials, you generally hold yourself at a little higher standard than the ordinary citizen. When you have a problem with someone and you bypass your police department and try to handle that yourself, it does nothing but create issues.” Faulkner was referring to a situation at a residence south of Alderwoman Kavanaugh’s house, where a young man was there visiting his girlfriend. Alderwoman Kavanaugh apparently started following him around in her vehicle. In her defense Kavanaugh said she was only trying to get his license plate number and that the young man was being rude and using foul language towards her. Faulkner went on to say, “When you see a suspicious person or vehicle, who should you call?”, directing the question to current Chief of Police, John Maples who agreed the police department should have been called.
Lastly, Gary Whitmer complained about a sewer backup problem. He said that he had contacted the city about the problem several times. Whitmer said former administrator Dale Wallace said he would take care of it. In July of last year his yard was flagged for a new back flow preventer and he had been mowing around those flags ever since, and he is still waiting for the back flow preventer. Whitmer went on to say that after this last rain, he had water gushing out of the stool downstairs and he fought the water for three hours, adding that his drywall had been ruined. Mayor Gilliam said that currently the city administrator is looking for a new person to put in the preventers, when they find someone, they will get his problem taken care of.
Police Chief John Maples gave the police report. Maples said the department has been busy interviewing candidates for the position of officer. Maples said the department is applying for the local law enforcement block grant and possibly could get up to $10,000 to spend towards the equipment the department needs for officer safety. They also applied for a grant to purchase firearms and some other equipment they need. They have been looking at changing uniforms and going to a full Class B. They have talked to the St. Joseph Police Dept. who said they were willing to give them all their old uniforms. A new patrol car has been ordered and it should arrive in the next couple of weeks. Maples said the department has been utilizing its Facebook page to better communicate with the public, keeping them informed on what is going on. Maples said that when they find lost or stolen animals, those are put on the Facebook page and they have had good success getting the pets back to their owners. They also publicize events and news releases and the site makes it easier for citizens to report anonymously if they wish.
City Administrator gave a report on the street department. She said Great Plains was back in town to work on the water lines, so the public works people were busy working with them on Samuel St. and smoothing down some dirt piles. In July the city sent out 50 intents for shutoffs and ended up shutting off only two for non-payment. The crew has also been out filling pot holes, and with the heavy rains, they have been spending a lot of time cleaning out culverts and ditches.
Van Iperen gave the People Services report. She said the city did get a warning letter concerning sludge removal from the water plant. People Services drafted and sent a response letter of how they will treat sludge in the future and provided the reporting required. There was a phase loss at the water plant but it didn’t cause any significant damage. They applied copper sulfate to the leak to control the algae growth. The maintenance budget with People Services is currently over as a result of unexpected repairs. The service is in the process of fixing electrical cables on the northeast lagoon that were damaged during mowing which will be paid by them.
Van Iperen said that Allen Gentry has 11 people he has not yet notified on the second phase of the water project. He has 70 easements that have not been signed. Lights are being placed on the north side of Penney Park, and they should be finished in time for JC Penney Days in September. The new slide was installed at the city park with funds from the Health Department grant. In reference to the broken swing set, Van Iperen said there was a flaw in the design, and it’s possible the city may be able to get that fixed for free. The city is currently getting the basketball hoop reset that was leaning over as a result of cracked and broken concrete. The city has sent a request for qualifications for engineering of the streets and they have received replies from several firms that were interested.
The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce is requesting that ER Penney Drive be closed after the farmer’s market on Friday through all day Saturday the weekend of JC Penney Days. They also want Bird St. from the alley in front of the post office to the stop sign on Ardinger, in front of Ninja Moose, closed from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. The chamber also has approval from MoDOT to close Davis Street from the 4-way stop to just past ER Penney Dr. so the main street will be closed from 6 a.m.- 5 p.m.
The city has decided not to renew their contract with Cintas. Van Iperen said the city is looking at cleaning their own rugs to save money.
The following ordinances were passed by council:
Ordinance #1608 – To review and approve restricted smoking and tobacco usage in and around the city of Hamilton buildings, vehicles and park facilities. From last month, the ordinance was amended to include police vehicles.
Ordinance # 1609 – An ordinance of the city of Hamilton to establish a procedure to disclose potential conflicts of interest for certain municipal officials (passed every year and sent by the clerk to the Ethics Commission by Sept. 15).
Ordinance #1610 – An ordinance amending Chapter 75 of the city code by adding restrictions on the use of skate boards, coasters, bicycles, roller skates and similar devices in certain areas. Jim Luther said there should be something in the ordinance stating where they can or cannot ride. Alderman Trosper said the restricted area would be from School Street to CC blacktop.
Ordinance #1611 – An ordinance adding a section to Chapter 75 of the city code relating to litter and illegal dumping and setting an effective date. This ordinance was to focus on the dumpster at the recycling area. Van Iperen said the city had identified some people that had been dumping and had the police contact them, but the city didn’t have an ordinance to ticket them with, so this ordinance should allow that. The city is working on a sign that clarifies what items can be left for pickup.
Ordinance #1612 – An ordinance amending certain provisions of the city of Hamilton code to comply with Missouri Senate Bill #572 relating to ordinance violations, penalties and court procedures. Whereas Senate Bill #572 effective Aug. 28, 2016, was enacted and signed into law as a municipal court reform measure and it requires certain changes to the Hamilton city code and whereas the Board of Aldermen desire to implement these changes to correspond with the effective date of Senate Bill 572. City Attorney, Robert Cowherd, clarified that the State passed this law regulating what the city can charge for violations to restrict cities from trying to make revenue through fines.
Ordinance #1613 – An ordinance authorizing the city of Hamilton to enter into an agreement with Caldwell County Missouri and the Caldwell County Collector for the collection of real and personal property taxes levied by the City of Hamilton. The county collector will now be collecting Hamilton’s taxes along with the county taxes. The city of Hamilton will be responsible for their current delinquencies.
