City Council Meeting

The regular meeting of the Nixa City Council was called to order by Mayor Brian Steele. Attending were Council Members Shawn Lucas, Justin Orf, Jarad Giddens, Aron Peterson, Darlene Graham, and Amy Hoogstraet. The Pledge of Allegiance was given.

Eric Harskey, 482 Tiffany Blvd, stated his wife ran for City Council in the municipal election on April 5th and congratulated the incumbent on their win. Haskey discussed a social media post made by a Council Member before the election and comments made by Council Members on social media platforms. Ron Sanders, 976 Glen Oaks Dr., discussed providing addresses when speaking to Council. Sanders discussed addresses being public knowledge when filing with the Missouri Ethics Commission. Sanders also discussed the recalls for the Mayor and Council Members. Jeff Belcher, 203 S. Ellen, discussed a social media post made by Mayor Steele. Belcher also discussed the citizen's right to initiate a recall. Belcher spoke about the two (2) Council Members who represent him. Sandy Karnes, 622 N Maplewood Hills Rd., defined the word doxed. Karnes also discussed a social media post made by Mayor Steele. Bridget Bidinger, 937 Marynell Ln., stated that the Council represents all of the community. Bidinger said she was just elected to the Nixa School Board. Bidinger also discussed social media and the ethics of using social media as an elected official. Andy Davis, 881 W. Pembrook, discussed a social media post made by Mayor Steele. Davis also discussed Mayor Steele running for another elected office. Jack Karnes, 622 N Maplewood Hills Rd., questioned Mayor Steele over his social media posts. Karnes provided his personal feelings on the Mayor and Council. Jasmine Hohmann, 622 N. Maplewood Hills Rd., stated she goes to school at Nixa High School. Hohmann discussed the routes she takes to and from school due to her address being made public. Mayor Steele responded to the visitor's comments.

Bryan Hawk, Utility Billing Supervisor, provided information to Council on Utility Billing Policy Proposed Changes. Jennifer Evans, Finance Director, gave a background for the information that Hawk would provide. Hawk gave a brief overview of the issues with the current Utility Billing policy, which includes the billing language, late fees, reconnect fees and a lack of payment plans. Hawk stated that possible solutions to the issues could include updating the billing language, increasing the late fee to match surrounding communities, two (2) definite billing cycles, and offering payment plans. Hawk stated that having billing cycles dedicated to the 5th and 20th of the month would eliminate confusion, aid those on a fixed income, and have better reliability for autopay. Hawk provided an overview of the current late fee process. Hawk said that by increasing the late fee, we would be more in line with surrounding communities. Hawk proposed moving the late fee assessment to 8:00 a.m. on the date of the penalty. Hawk provided an overview of the current disconnect process. Hawk stated the proposed change to the disconnect fee would be to increase the fee to $50, and it would be charged immediately at disconnect to reduce confusion for both staff and citizens. Hawk also stated there would be an additional $25 fee for reconnection after hours. Hawk provided an overview of the proposed changes to the deposit structure for water and electric service. Hawk gave information on the proposed payment plans. The payment plans would not exceed three (3) months in length and disconnection if an installment is missed. Council asked questions about the disconnect fee and proposed payment plan, deposits, and services fees. Evans said that this information would be brought back to Council for approval as part ordinance and part resolution.

Council Bill #2022-041

Authorizing the City Administrator to Execute an Agreement with Several Jurisdictions to Facilitate the Expansion of Broadband High-Speed Internet Services. Jimmy Liles, City Administrator, stated that an agreement was passed at the last Council meeting to partner with other local jurisdictions to look for a consultant to do a feasibility study for broadband internet in our area. Liles stated the agreement being read at this meeting would allow a board to be convened to look at the RFP responses and select a consultant. Liles said that once a consultant is selected and the City's portion of the project is known, he will be back for a budget amendment if Council would like to proceed. Mayor Steele opened the public hearing for comments, with no comments made, the public hearing was closed.

Council Bill #2022-031

Authorizing the Mayor to Execute a Franchise Agreement, Lease Agreement, and Operations and Maintenance Agreement, and Other Related Agreements with the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Corporations to Facilitate the Transfer of Certain Electric Transmission Assets to Said Corporation. Doug Colvin, Assistant City Administrator and Public Works Director, stated this ordinance was brought to Council in March for first (1st) reading. Colvin noted that at the last meeting, the legal descriptions were incorrect. Colvin stated that Nick Woodman, City Attorney, had outlined in a memo the changes that had been made to the documents and then provided a brief overview of those changes. Colvin stated that staff recommends the passage of this council bill. Mayor Steele opened the public hearing for comments, with no comments made, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Steele called for a motion to approve the council bill. Giddens made a motion to approve Council Bill #2022-031 with Peterson seconding and Orf, Giddens, Peterson, Graham, Hoogstraet, and Lucas voting aye on roll call vote.

Resolution #2022-041

Authorizing the City Administrator to Execute a Contract with Hogan's Inc., for Certain Repairs to Water Tower #1. Travis Cossey, Assistant Public Works Director, stated this resolution was to authorize a bid award to Hogan's for water tower maintenance to Tower #1 that was located downtown. Cossey said the tower had a leak in the fill tube, which is located in the neck of the tower. Cossey provided Council with an overview of the bid. Cossey stated that staff recommends approval of the resolution with the lowest bidder, Hogan's Inc, at $39,875. Council asked questions regarding the difference in the quoted amounts in the bids, with Cossey responding. Mayor Steele opened the public hearing for comments, with no comments made, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Steele called for a motion to approve the resolution. Lucas made a motion to approve Resolution #2022-041, with Orf seconding and all Council Members voting aye.

Resolution #2022-042

Amending the Police Department's Law Enforcement Policy Manual. Joe Campbell, Police Chief, provided an overview of why the Police Department Manual might be updated. Campbell gave a brief overview of specific sections of the policy. Campbell started in section 802 and discussed the use of force requirements that changed due to statutory law. Campbell next discussed section 1000, which addresses recruitment and retention, that changed due to statutory changes. Campbell discussed section 1007, which handles personnel complaints that was changed due to statutory changes. Campbell provided information on sections 1010.3 and 1010.9, which handles departmental personnel and internal affairs files being moved and housed in the police department instead of the human resources department. Campbell provided information on section 1014, which discussed compensation, pay, and overtime. Campbell stated that this section was written by the City and does not have any statutory requirements but would align with current City policy. Council questioned the documents attached to the ordinance and stated this is a good compromise to the discussion held earlier in the year. Campbell gave an overview of general orders. Mayor Steele opened the public hearing for comments, with no comments made, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Steele called for a motion to postpone the resolution until the next meeting due to incorrect documents being attached to the resolution. Giddens made a motion to postpone Resolution #2022-042 until the next meeting, with Graham seconding and all Council Members voting aye.

Resolution #2022-043

Authorizing the City Administrator to Execute a Contract with Safe Slide Restoration, for Certain Improvements at the Nixa Aquatics Center. Matt Crouse, Parks Director, stated the contract up for approval is for maintenance to the slides at the pool. Crouse stated the exterior of the slides would be painted, along with rewaxing and polishing the interior. Crouse stated that this is also a nice way to verify there are no issues with the slides. Crouse said the contract amount for this project would be $35,660. Crouse stated the work would be taking place in the fall. Mayor Steele opened the public hearing for comments, with no comments made, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Steele called for a motion to approve the resolution. Graham made a motion to approve Resolution #2022-043 with Hoogstraet seconding and all Council Members voting aye.

New Business Items - Paralegal Discussion

Nick Woodman, City Attorney, stated that during the 2022 annual budget discussion, staff requested a full-time paralegal and was given direction to postpone the position until the end of the first (1st) quarter of 2022. Woodman stated that the need for legal representation has increased since the initial request. Woodman stated the reasons for needing a full-time paralegal are due to the consolidation of the municipal court with the Christian County Circuit Court and the promotion of the current paralegal to the position of City Clerk. Woodman discussed the current active caseload and the current amount of cases set for the upcoming court date. Woodman stated that the need for additional legal support isn't unique to Nixa. Woodman noted that the City of Ozark has two (2) full-time attorneys and two (2) support staff, and the City of Republic has one (1) full-time attorney and one (1) support staff. Woodman asked that Council consider funding this position and authorize the drafting of a Council Bill that would be brought back at the next agenda. Liles told Council he fully supports this request. Council discussed the position. Council gave direction to draft and bring back an ordinance at the next meeting.

Jarad Giddens provided information on Public Works. Giddens discussed a few of the projects the water department is currently working on. These projects include the acquisition of RDE and Tuscany Hills water systems and the Norton Road bulk water station. Giddens discussed the sewer department and the improvements to southwest Nixa for the anticipated future growth and demand. Giddens discussed some projects currently happening in the electric department. These projects include a new electric line tying Tracker Road to Cheyenne and a new transmission line to support the southwest side of Nixa. Giddens provided information on the street department. Giddens spoke about the Truman Blvd project bid, improvements to North Street, improvements on Main Street from Tacker Road to Highway CC, improvements on Main Street from North Street to Highway 14, and improvements to stormwater drainage on Cherry Street. Next, Giddens provided information on the 2022 Legislative Rally in Washington D.C. Giddens stated he, Doug Colvin, and Travis Cossey attended as a part of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA). Giddens provided information on the discussions and presentations that the group was able to participate in while at the rally. Topics included addressing climate change, promoting telecommunication access, municipal tax policy, maintaining cyber vigilance, economic policy, and the American Rescue Plan Act.

Liles stated that the first (1st) Home Rule Charter Commission meeting would be on April 12th. Liles reminded Council that the Council Workshop would be on April 22nd. Crouse reminded Council that the Easter Egg Hunt would be Friday, April 15th, at 6:00 p.m.

Mayor Steele called for a motion to adjourn. Giddens made a motion to adjourn at 9:17 p.m., with Graham seconding and all Council Members voting aye.