Fayette citizens have a new mayor and two new alderwomen. At its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 12, Jeremy Dawson took the oath of office as Fayette’s newest mayor. He succeeds Kevin Oeth, who chose not to seek a second term. Peggy O’Connell and Bekki Galloway were sworn in to the northwest and southwest wards, respectively, as the newest members of the council.

Also taking their oaths of office Tuesday were returning alderpersons Michelle Ishmael and Dr. Joe Parisi. Ishmael was unopposed in her bid for election to the northwest ward. Although he did not actively seek a full term on the east ward, Parisi accepted the position after receiving the most write-in votes with two.

Alongside current councilpersons Stephanie Ford and Grafton Cook, respectively in the east and southeast wards, the council now has full membership.

With the new council seated, members recognized Oeth and outgoing East Ward Alderwoman Hope Smith with certifications of appreciation.

Among the new business tackled by the council was the unanimous approval of Gary Kunze and Steven Morrow as co-Chiefs of the Fayette Fire Department. Former Chief Chris Baylor stepped down from the position. Kunze and Morrow decided to split the role at the head of the volunteer department, along with the monthly payment of $200. The council mulled doubling the payment so that each would receive $200 per month, but decided to wait on the action.

Alderman Cook told Kunze that he wished for a better relationship between the city council and the fire department. He asked that one or both chiefs regularly attend council meetings in an effort to keep the city updated. Kunze agreed to do so. He also suggested that council members attend fire department meetings.

Cook also said he advocated raising rates paid to the fire chiefs once it proved that the system was working well. “This is a relatively new arrangement,” he said.

The new council also approved the annual hay bid to John Allphin for $1,400, the farm lease bid to Mike Hustedde for $4,500, and the cemetery mowing bid to Travis Wies for $1,120. All winning bids were the lowest, except for Hustedde’s farm lease bid which was the only one. The council debated the idea of approving the yearly bids for three years at a time and agreed to explore the option next year.

The council also approved a change order for the ongoing $4.4 million sewer project. The change includes 13 lines and 15 manholes to be lined, along with concrete street work to help reduce the amount of stormwater leaking into the wastewater drains. The funding for the additional $176,000 worth of work comes out of leftover capital for the project. 

“Any additional lining we do is going to continue to improve the system’s overall functionality,” explained Don Jenkins, the MECO engineer overseeing the project.

The council also gave approval for the July Fourth Party in the Park committee to once again hold the Independence Day event at the Fayette City Park.

Fayette’s Board of Aldermen regularly meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Meetings are open and the public is invited.