From Staff Reports
Puxico has a new fire chief and two assistant chiefs appointed Dec. 21 by the Puxico Board of Aldermen.
The aldermen voted in a closed session to appoint Stacy Starnes fire chief, Wyatt Taylor and Eugene Goodale assistant fire chiefs, as well as hire Tim Davis as city hall/library custodian.
During the regular session, Mike Radake of Van de Ven, LLC, presented the City's FY 2017 audit. The auditor's opinion was the City of Puxico's financial statements present fairly. Radake reminded the board if the city received federal funds either from grants or loans in excess of $750,000, the city would be required to do a single audit on those funds. This would be an additional cost to the city and should be figured into the expenses for the sewer improvement project which will be receiving federal funds from Rural Development and the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The aldermen approved the audit as presented.
During department reports Starnes said the fire department had four fire calls, including mutual aid given, in the past month. The tanker broke down at a Wappapello fire and it is being repaired. The brush truck received a new starter.
The clerk asked about the possibility of a workman's compensation claim on an injury that occurred at the Wappapello fire. The fire department was told any work compensation claim needed to be filed the day of or the day after the incident. They have been given the necessary paperwork. The fire department's Standard Operating Procedures have been revised and all firemen given a copy.
Several firemen expressed the desire to be certified as first responders. The first responder training class begins in January and the cost is $150 a person. The aldermen agreed the city would pay for seven firefighters to be certified as first responders by taking the training class. If a firefighter does not complete the training course, he will reimburse the city for the cost of the training.
Starnes presented the mayor with two applications from Billy Saylor and Calvin E. Webb, who want to be firefighters. They were appointed and begin work once they have been cleared by the insurance company to drive city vehicles.
The aldermen learned several firefighters who have resigned have not returned their fire gear. Letters are to be sent to those who need to return gear.
In the librarian's written report, the aldermen learned Jeff Thomas repaired the roof leak and is waiting to see if there are any further leaks before he bills the City.
Lisa Brewer discussed problems of dogs running loose near her home on Click Avenue and the animal control officer had done nothing about picking it up. The animal control officer stated he had been in the area, but at those times, the dog in question was on his owner's property. Loose dogs cannot be picked up if they are on the owner's property.
Mayor Rick McLean stated Brewer should report a dog loose when it's not on the owner's property and the animal control officer could patrol the area more.
Maintenance supervisor David Hawthorne stated Asa Asphalt had completed the asphalt work on the streets. Parking lines still need to be redone on the city parking lots, the library parking lot and business parking on Richardson Avenue. The mayor suggested the lines on the street be slanted more to accommodate larger trucks. Placement of handicapped parking slots was also discussed. Hawthorne was to replace the hot water heater at the nutrition center.
Marshal Rick Sheren listed the tickets/summons to be heard Jan. 9 at city court. He had assisted the county on several calls, some of which were due to faulty alarms at Dollar General.
The aldermen agreed the city switch all of its phone lines - city hall, police, library, and historical museum - to Uverse. The board discussed switching the City's DSL internet/landlines to AT & T Uverse since the cost for the internet would be approximately the same with either DSL or Uverse, but the speed should be faster. The cost on the landlines will be $30 for the first line and $25 for the second, which is a significant difference.
Aldermen attending were Gary Burns, Bill Hemby, Gary Wilfong and GS Kilbreth.