Council tackles mountain of resolutions, ordinances

The Sedalia City Council approved the purchase of four new pieces of equipment and passed several ordinances and resolutions during their regular meeting Monday night.

The City Council approved a $12,510 bid for a 16-foot salt and sand spreader and a $9,160 bid for a 10-foot salt and sand spreader from Knapheide  Truck Equipment Company. Councilors also approved a $7,160 bid from American Equipment Company for a 10-foot reversible snow plow and a $8,517 bid from Bus Andrews Equipment for a 12-foot reversible snow plow. City Administrator Keith Riesberg said the purchases are part of an “ongoing replacement” process to change-out old equipment.

Council members also unanimously approved the purchase of rock for street projects in 2010. The bid was awarded to Fischer Quarries, although their bid wasn’t the lowest. Riesberg recommended using Fischer Quarries because they are local. The low bidder, Mid Missouri Limestone of Kingdom City, would require a 30-mile drive for employees. Riesberg cited vehicle usage, fuel and employee time as the reasons for recommending Fischer Quarries. The additional cost for the rock is less than $14,000 and is less than the expenses associated with Mid Missouri Limstone’s bid, Riesberg said.

Also approved were change orders totaling $43,745.21 for the downtown streetscape project. The increase is due to the discovery of unsuitable fill and unanticipated basement openings by Septagon Construction. The Missouri Department of Transportation is expected to approved the change orders in the coming weeks.

Council approved an ordinance to lease 196 tillable acres of airport property to Richard Helmig for the next five years. Helmig is expected to pay $137,200 for the lease. A proposal from Bucher, Willis & Ratliff Corporation to prepare an airport master plan also was approved. The company will prepare an airport layout plan update, wetlands delineation and aeronautical survey of the Sedalia Memorial Airport. The work, which is required by MoDOT, will not exceed $200,800 and will be funded with monies from MoDOT.

The council also passed a municipal tree ordinance, which has been discussed since July. The new ordinance repeals the city’s code pertaining to trees, shrubs and other woody vegetation. The ordinance was drafted partly because of the city’s pursuit of a Tree City USA designation. The ordinance defines certain types of trees and establishes a City Tree Board, which will consist of five members appointed by the mayor. The board will be responsible developing and administering written plans, both annually and long-range, for the care, replacement and removal of trees and shrubs in parks, along streets and in public areas.

The ordinance also states the City of Sedalia plans to maintain an extensive list of recommended trees for planting in public areas. According to the ordinance, the purpose of the listing will be to maintain diversity in the total tree population.

City Council members approved a senior engineering technician position during their meeting as well. The technician will be responsible for conducting onsite inspections of construction sites and providing maps and information required by the Department of Natural Resources regarding sanitary sewer overflows. Riesberg said interviews have been conducted for the position.

The April 6, 2010, general election was approved. The positions of mayor, municipal court judge and a City Council member from each ward will be on the ballot.

Prior to the meeting, the City Council heard from Matthew Keith, senior minister of First Christian Church.  Keith, who has served as minister at the church for 18 months, attended the meeting to discuss a project called “Rebuilding Together.”

According to Keith, the project is “like Habitat for Humanity with existing homeowners.”  Keith said the object of the project is to take house in need of work and make them safe, warm and dry.

“I think this is an idea whose time has come,” he said.

Keith said about $22,000 would need to be raised to get started on the project, which would target the elderly, disabled and low income. Keith estimated each property costs between $1,200 and $3,000 to repair. Keith said projects could include fixing dangerous front porches, building handicap-accessible ramps, weatherization or repairing minor roof leaks.

“I want to get this going,” he said. “We can keep people healthy in their homes.”

Both Councilwoman Wanda Monsees and Mayor Elaine Horn pledged their full support of the project.
“Sedalia definitely needs this,” Monsees said. “This is a necessity.”