NEW MELLE BOARD OF ALDERMEN WORK SESSION

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2008

MINUTES

CALL TO ORDER- MAYOR JAN MUSKOPF CALLED THE MEETING TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M.

ROLL CALL – ALDERMEN PRESENT:  KENNETH GILBERT, DARLA GREEN, AND DOUG BICE.  ALSO PRESENT:  CITY ATTORNEY STEPHANIE KARR, POLICE CHIEF AARON BURKEMPER AND FINANCIAL DIRECTOR RONNA ALANIZ.

DISCUSSION ITEMS- 

                MERCHANT LICENSE APPLICATION FORMAT AND METHOD OF APPROVAL-

THE BOARD WILL DEVELOP FORMS FOR NEW MERCHANT LICENSE APPLICATIONS AND FOR RENEWAL LICENSES.  DISCUSSED ITEMS TO BE PUT ON THE FORM.  NEW LICENSE WILL BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD WITH RENEWALS NOT GOING TO THE BOARD EXCEPT FOR REVIEW.  LICENSES WILL HAVE SIGNATURES PRINTED, BUT LICENSE NOT VALID UNTIL CITY SEAL IS STAMPED ON LICENSE.   RENEWAL NOTICES NEED TO BE SENT EARLIER, PERHAPS BY NOVEMBER 1 PRIOR TO THE LICENSE YEAR.  A “CONSENT” AGENDA ITEM WILL BE ADDED TO THE AGENDA WITH LICENSE APPROVALS GOING UNDER CONSENT AGENDA.

                MERIT RAISES –

ALDERMAN BICE ADDRESSED APPROACH TO THE FUNDING AND ALLOCATION. 

MERIT RAISES ARE NOT A COST OF LIVING INCREASE, AND IS NOT AN ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASE. WILL NEED A FORMAL EVALUATION PROCESS IN ORDER TO FAIRLY IMPLEMENT MERIT RAISES.

 POLICE DEPARTMENT EVALUATIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED BY THE POLICE CHIEF.  CHIEF BURKEMPER STATED THAT HE HAS A FORM APPLICABLE TO POLICE OFFICERS WHICH HE WILL PRESENT TO THE BOARD FOR THEIR REVIEW.

 MERIT INCREASES ARE NOT TO BE CONSIDERED IN CONJUNCTION WITH PROMOTION – THAT WILL BE A SEPARATE CONSIDERATION.  THE BUDGET WILL NEED TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THESE MERIT RAISES AND THEY WILL BE INCLUDED IN BASE PAY FOR YEARS TO COME.

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR ALANIZ STATED THAT THE BOARD SHOULD LOOK AT LONG RANGE REVENUE STREAMS AND STATED THERE HAVE BEEN SOME DECREASES IN SALES TAX. SHE STATED THAT THE CITY HAS NINE INCOME SOURCES OF WHICH SOME ARE MINOR. THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR SHOULD HELP WITH LOOKING AT NEW REVENUE STREAMS. 

ALDERMAN BICE STATED THAT THERE MAY BE SOME YEARS WHEN THE CITY CAN’T GIVE MERIT RAISES TO EMPLOYEES.  THE BOARD HAS DONE A COST-OF-LIVING RAISE FOR THIS YEAR.

DISCUSSION -WHAT EMPLOYEES SHOULD RECEIVE THESE MERIT RAISES.

POLICE DEPARTMENT - THREE FULL TIME, SOME PART-TIME AND MAYBE OTHERS SUCH AS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS.

THE BOARD ASKED RONNA ABOUT UNAPPROPRIATED FUNDS FROM LAST YEAR, AND IF THERE ARE UNAPPROPRIATED FUNDS. IT WAS THE CONSENSUS OF THE BOARD TO APPLY THOSE FUNDS TO RAISES FOR THE THREE FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICERS.  THE MAYOR MENTIONED THAT THE CITY SHOULD STRIVE TO BRING POLICE PAY UP TO SIMILAR PAY SCALE AS NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS. 

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR ALANIZ STATED THE BUDGET NOW FOR POLICE SALARIES IS RIGHT AROUNG $62,000.00 AND SHE WILL BE LOOKING AT MID-YEAR BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS IN JULY.  AT THAT POINT, SHE WILL HAVE A TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT AND PUT SOMETHING TOGETHER.

THE BOARD NEEDS TO FORM THEIR BASIS FOR MERIT RAISES FOR NEXT YEAR. THIS YEAR, THE BOARD WILL LOOK AT ACROSS-THE-BOARD RAISES FOR THREE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES OR LOOK AT EVALUATIONS DONE BY POLICE CHIEF BURKEMPER. FOR TWO SUBORDINATES.  THE BOARD WILL EVALUATE THE POLICE CHIEF.

ALDERMAN GREEN ASKED ABOUT PART-TIME EMPLOYEES – THEY ARE EVALUATED IN THE SAME MANNER AS FULL-TIME OFFICERS.  BOARD MAY GIVE RAISES TO PART-TIME EMPLOYEES AS WELL, BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE ALLOCATION OF THE AVAILABLE FUNDS.

THE BOARD REACHED A CONSENSUS THAT WHEN AVAILABLE FUNDS ARE KNOWN, THEY WILL CONSIDER POLICE CHIEF BURKEMPER’S RAISE AND SUBTRACT THAT AMOUNT FROM AVAILABLE FUNDS.  CHIEF BURKEMPER WILL CONSIDER THE AMOUNT REMAINING AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD AS TO HOW THAT MONEY SHOULD BE ALLOCATED AS RAISES TO OTHER OFFICERS. 

PRIORITIES, GOALS AND PROJECTS FOR UPCOMING YEAR-

STORAGE BUILDING –

ALDERMAN GREEN SUGGESTED TEARING IT DOWN. THE BOARD DISCUSSED POSSIBLE HISTORIC VALUE AND CONDITIONS OF BUILDING.  A SUGGESTION WAS MADE TO CONTACT AMERENUE ABOUT ELECTRIC LINES GOING TO THE BUILDING.

DISCUSSED ADVERTISING TO PUBLIC, HOWEVER, THIS MAY DRAW THE ISSUE OUT LONGER AS THE BUILDING SITS AS AN EYESORE, WHILE THE CITY CITES OTHER RESIDENTS FOR LESSER CODE VIOLATIONS.

DISCUSSED CONTACTING THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO BURN THE BUILDING DOWN FOR PRACTICE.  ALDERMAN BICE WILL CONTACT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

DISCUSSED WHAT TO DO WITH THE PROPERTY AFTER THE BUILDING IS TORN DOWN.  ALDERMAN GREEN WOULD LIKE SOMETHING VISUAL SUCH AS FLAGPOLE OR RAIN GARDEN.

LION’S CLUB MAY DONATE POLE FOR FLAG.

THE CONSENSUS OF THE BOARD WAS TO CONSIDER THIS WHEN BUILDING IS DEMOLISHED.    

COMMUNITY EVENTS-

            MAYOR MUSKOPF MENTIONED THE POSSIBILITY OF SPONSORING OR SUPPORTING COMMUNITY EVENT.

BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS –

            THE BOARD MEMBERS WALKED THROUGH COPY ROOM AND BASEMENT.

ALDERMAN GREEN SUGGESTED CONTACTING AN ARCHITECT OR ENGINEER TO LOOK AT BUILDING AND GIVE SUGGESTIONS OF HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF SQUARE FOOTAGE.

            ALDERMAN BICE SUGGESTED LOOKING INTO AN ADDITION.  THE CITY NEEDS MORE ROOM FOR PUBLIC SPACE AND FOR THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR.

            ALDERMAN BICE WILL CONTACT SOMEONE ABOUT THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH TURNING PAPER RECORDS TO ELECTRONIC RECORDS WHICH WOULD SAVE ON SPACE.

            CITY ATTORNEY KARR WILL PROVIDE THE SECRETARY OF STATE’S RECORD RETENTION GUIDELINES.

            DISCUSSED FUNDING FOR PROJECT – SOME CD’S ARE COMING DUE AND AS SOME BANKS ARE NO LONGER OFFERING SHORT-TERM CD’S, THIS ITEM WILL BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING.

PAYMENT OF BILLS – BILLS WERE REVIEWED AND CHECKS SIGNED.

CLOSED SESSION – LEASE PURCHASE OR SALE OF REAL ESTATE (Sec 610.021 (2), RSMo)

            ALDERMAN GREEN MADE A MOTION, SECOND BY ALDERMAN BICE TO MOVE INTO CLOSED SESSION.  ON A ROLL CALL VOTE, THE MOTION WAS APPROVED 3-0 AS FOLLOWS:  AYES – ALDERMEN DOUG BICE, KENNETH GILBERT AND DARLA GREEN.  NAYS – 0.

OPEN SESSION – ALDERMAN GREEN MADE A MOTION, SECOND BY ALDERMAN BICE TO MOVE INTO OPEN SESSION.  ON A CALL BY THE MAYOR FOR THE AYES AND NAYS, THE MOTION PASSED 3-0.

BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING – BECAUSE OF ABSENCES NEXT WEEK, THE JUNE MEETING IS RESCHEDULED TO WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2008 AT 7:00 P.M.

ADJOURNMENT- ALDERMAN GREEN MADE A MOTION, SECOND BY ALDERMAN BICE TO ADJOURN.  ON A CALL BY THE MAYOR FOR THE AYES AND NAYS, THE MOTION PASSED 3-0.  THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED AT 8:55 P.M.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED                                       ACCEPTED

JUDITH A ANDERSON, CLERK                                       JAN MUSKOPF, MAYOR