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City council gets on with business in wake of state fines

Justin Addison
Posted 3/10/20

Every member of the Fayette Board of Aldermen were present during its regular meeting last Tuesday. One of the first orders of business was amending the city code related to the testing of medical …

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City council gets on with business in wake of state fines

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Every member of the Fayette Board of Aldermen were present during its regular meeting last Tuesday. One of the first orders of business was amending the city code related to the testing of medical marijuana. Inovatia AgriTesting Services, LLC in Fayette previously asked the council to change the city code to allow the testing of medical marijuana within 150 feet of a school or church, rather than 250 feet. The minutes from that meeting reflected the change, but for some reason the code did not. The correction was granted with unanimous approval.

Innovatia is one of just 10 testing facilities in the state to be awarded a license to test medical marijuana in Missouri. It is located on the corner of Davis and Main Streets in downtown Fayette.

The council discussed a proposed change to its policy governing sick time for city employees. Under the change, employees could pool their allotted sick time into a “bank.” Should an eligible employee encounter a situation where more sick time is needed than what was allotted through benefits, he could be allowed further sick days upon approval of a committee.

Chris Baylor, Fayette Fire Chief, told the council that he and another fireman will inspect a used truck at the nearby Columbia Fire Department. Fayette is expected to purchase the used CFD ladder truck this coming summer, wrapping up a six-year battle between the department and the council.

The Fayette Fire Department has been in need of a new or used ladder truck since 2014 when it deemed the department’s 1980 model year truck unsafe for use. Northeast ward alderman Marc Wells said he would go along with Baylor to check out the truck. The city is drafting a letter to the CFD stating its intent to purchase the truck. 

Fayette Main Street Executive Director Mike Dimond updated the council the group’s efforts to turn a section of Fayette into a Community Improvement District (CID). Main Street has been working to contact building owners and registered voters who reside inside the boundaries of the district.

Dimond said he expects the election for the CID will occur in June.

Public Works Director and Building Inspector Danny Dougherty reported to the council that the house on South Park Avenue in Fayette, which was boarded up, once again had a person living inside. The house is not hooked up to city services such as water and electricity and is not to be inhabited. The owner of the property said he doesn’t want to press charges, which makes it difficult for the city to intervene. 

The house is just one of several nuisance properties in the area that has been the focus of complaints to the city council for more than a year. 

City Attorney Nathan Nickolaus gave his approval to a proposed contract from U. S. Cellular to put antennas atop city electric poles. The city will likely need to replace several of the poles in question to meet height requirements for the antennas. U. S. Cellular will likely be made to pay for the new poles.

Dougherty told the council that city crews have been working diligently to fill potholes left behind by a brutal winter.

Dougherty asked the council to consider a plan to replace electric meters in Fayette. He will provide cost estimates at a future meeting.

DC Rogers Lake, west of Fayette, has reopened. The city last month closed both DC Rogers and Peters Lakes due to impassable roadways. Dougherty said the city was finally able to lay fresh gravel down and reopen the road.

Southwest ward alderman Grafton Cook inquired as to why the city is still waiting for an audit of the 2015-16 fiscal year to be completed. Robin Triplett, the Fayette City Administrator at the time of the meeting, explained that audits are a two-step process. One company prepares the financial statements, which takes almost a year, and yet another company performs the audit. Nickolaus, the city’s attorney, noted that the length of time to complete the audit is unusual. 

“I can’t fathom why it takes us three or four years to finish an audit, under any circumstances,” Cook said.

Budget Ammendments

Triplett proposed several budget amendments and adjustments during the public portion of Tuesday’s meeting. She is at the center of the city’s financial crisis. She admitted fault in her role as city administrator in neglect to file financial reports with the state, resulting in more than $150,000 in fines (see related story this page).

Her suggested changes cut the city’s expenses by a total of $22,153. Also, the city will not further contribute money to sinking funds for police and fire departments since both are maxed out at $50,000 and $200,000, respectfully. That would make the city’s total savings $59,777. 

Aldermen must finalize the budget before the end of the fiscal year. They tabled the issue to further study the numbers.

The next regular meeting for the city council will be Tuesday, March __ at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Meetings are open and the public is invited.

Triplett, Fayette City Council

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