SIKESTON — The City of Sikeston will no longer be the “parent agency” for the SEMO Regional Bomb Team.
In 2006, three vehicles assigned to the SEMO Regional Bomb Team were titled through the City of Sikeston, with the condition that Sikeston provide any costs associated with maintenance.
With the state having its own bomb team, and Sikeston predominately funding the bomb team itself, former mayor Steven Burch and current DPS Chief Jim McMillen agreed that the costs were more than the benefit.
In 2019, McMillen began working with Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff to discuss transferring the team to one of them. In February 2021, Cape Girardeau Chief Wes Blair agreed to become the “parent agency” for the SEMO Regional Bomb Team and Sikeston is no longer involved in this program.
“(The SEMO Bomb Team) will still respond if we need their services,” McMillen said during Monday’s Sikeston City Council meeting. He added the state also has a bomb team that would respond as well.
While Sikeston was the “parent agency,” McMillen told Council they averaged one call per year in the Sikeston, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff cities.
“A majority of the calls were out in the county areas,” McMillen said, adding Sikeston was paying for gas, employees times and maintenance on vehicles that originated in 2006 and were only getting older.
While McMillen couldn’t give an exact number of the cost savings, he did say it just didn’t make sense for Sikeston to keep it.
Councilman Brian Self added they were also insuring the vehicles and now could get rid of the liability code.
Council voted unanimously to declare the SEMO Regional Bomb Team vehicles surplus property and officially approved the transition to the City of Cape Girardeau.
In other action Monday, Council:
• Appointed councilman Vest Baker to serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission.
• Appointed Austin Curtis to serve on the SEMO University-Sikeston Campus Advisory Council.
• Authorized City staff to open a new municipal court division bank account to be in compliance with Show-Me Courts.
• Heard the first reading of a bill that would establish a $7 surcharge fee to go to the Statewide Court Automation Fund. If passed the ordinance has an effective date of Dec. 1, 2021, however the fee will not be withheld on court cases until the city is live on Show-Me Courts. The Office of State Court Administrators is advising the city it will be at the end of the year before they will be live.
• Approved a bill rezoning 623 E. Kathleen from “R-4” two-family/duplex to “C-3” highway commercial.
• Repealed the Sheriff’s Retirement Fund Surcharge of $3 that was assessed following a conviction or plea of guilty in all cases involving the violation of a municipal ordinance or traffic law. The city ceased collection of the fee after it was deemed unconstitutional on July 1.
• Approved the annexation of a tract of land located at the existing US Highway 61 right-of-way south of the city limits, containing approximately 71.37 acres for the Sikeston BMU Water Treatment Plant that is being built.
• Council and City staff were asked about the ARPA funds that were given to the city. Sikeston City Manager J.D. Douglass said he was attending a seminar in Dexter on Thursday that would help explain more how the funds can be spent as the defined rules continue to change. Mayor Greg Turnbow said he hoped before the end of the year they would have a some idea of how the money would be used in our community.
Douglass said there is no rush to spend the money and Turnbow added that we would hate to spend the money now and find out they have to pay it back.
• Heard from Laura Lane, who owns GypsySoul Jewelry and More in Sikeston. Lane was unhappy with her BMU bill and how it continued to increase though her usage was down. Lane said she had hired an electrician who said the meters aren’t right while BMU employees that have checked the meters say they are correct. Lane said when her breakers are off it shows she is still using electricity.
“My electric bill is more than my lease,” Lane said also voicing her displeasure with customer service at BMU. “Everything I do pulls my ampage down, but my bills go up.”
Turnbow said he wanted to make sure Lane was taken care of and suggested she and her electrician along with Rick Landers, general manager at BMU and BMU employees, find a time to be there at the same time to check the meter so they can get answers. Turnbow added he could be there as well.