Trenton Administratrive Committee and Utility Committees meet

City of Trenton Website
Share To Your Social Network

Several reports were given, and requests made, during meetings last night of the Trenton City Council’s administrative and utility committees at the city hall.

Police Chief Tommy Wright is requesting the starting pay for a police officer in Trenton be increased to $30,000 in an effort to attract candidates and hopefully hire someone. The current beginning wage is $28,562.

Currently, the department is two officers short on their authorized strength of 12 and Chief Wright said there have been no applications for a full-time officer since May.

Two officers are on duty per 12-hour shifts. If the request is approved, current officers would receive an increase commensurate with the increase in starting pay. Chief Wright also asked that the city start taking steps to increase police officer salary to reflect the 2011 pay scale classification plan at Trenton. Administrative committee members want the topic to be discussed by the full council.

A negotiated contract for $13,700 dollars with the Green Hills Animal Shelter will advance to the city council. That covers the city’s payment for an annual administrative fee and specified animal holding days for the year ending next April 30th.

Currently, that covers both dogs and cats picked by animal control within Trenton.

The 1999 street sweeper is out of commission due to a bulged frame sustained in a traffic accident. It’s described as not being able to be repaired. The vehicle was operated on curbed streets seven times a year. A new street sweeper is an estimated $200,000.

City officials are hopeful a large portion of that expense can be covered by liability insurance of the car that struck the sweeper; the city’s insured value on its sweeper; and by proceeds from asphalt paving work Trenton did on streets in Lawson.

Subject to a signed contract, Trenton also plans to do two days worth of asphalt paving next month on streets in Sumner, Missouri. Asphalt would come from the Trenton plant. The proposal is for Trenton to be paid $27,000 by Sumner.

The administrative committee voted to advertise for sale, a lot at 1002 West 14th Street. That was a house that was torn down after being destroyed in a fire.

And the committee tabled any action pertaining to 2110 Mable owned by the late Sherin Wilson with no known relatives. The decision to table is due to the projected cost of up to $2,000 on four publication notices involving dangerous building fees. That’s because the city has been unable to hand deliver or use certified mail to contact a property owner because none is known.

Much of the discussion during the utility committee meeting involved fiber optics for TMU and City Hall as well as a proposed voice over internet protocol. No action was taken but information was presented by Utility Director Ron Urton and by TMU Comptroller Rosetta Marsh.

Bluebird Network LLC. of Columbia submitted the only bid on fiber optics for city facilities. To begin with, the city is looking at equipping city hall with fiber optics and having dedicated backup fiber optics at the TMU warehouse, 26th, and Oklahoma Avenue. The one-time cost to build the fiber optics was bid at $15,000 plus a monthly charge of $880. The quotes are based on 100 Mb Ethernet private line which is described as a more reliable and flexible with a higher bandwidth.

TMU also is looking into possibly fixing a SCADA system issue with the use of a machine to machine modem. The cost could possibly be covered by an electrical infrastructure grant from the Missouri Public Utility Alliance.

City Hall has a 20-year-old telephone system that is described as in need of replacement. Voice over Internet Protocol is technology that allows phone calls through the Internet instead of using the traditional analog telephone network lines.

Benefits were outlined which include cutting costs in half on the monthly phone bill; no long distance charges in the US; and installation of VOIP is said to be one-half what a new phone system would cost. The city has issued a request for proposals in an effort to learn actual costs.

A request for qualifications has been made for an engineering company to conduct safety inspections of the reservoir dam at Trenton. Once proposals come in, each will be evaluated, a selection made, and negotiations are done on the cost.

Utility Director Ron Urton said repairs will cost $16,000 to one of the pumps at the sewer plant. Repairs have been made on two generator engines at the north sub station power plant with testing scheduled for next month.

Two companies submitted bids to provide two 15,000 gallons, above the ground, fuel storage tanks at the north sub station. The utility committee recommends the City Council accept the low bid of $77,742. That bid is from DR Petroleum of Chillicothe.

As part of the effluent disinfection project at the sewer plant, the Geo-Technical engineering company is finishing drilling work this week with a preliminary report

expected in September.

Mark Newton of TMU requested consideration of a company to determine why breakers controlled by certain relays have not been working as they should be as well as possible options to fix the problem.


Share To Your Social Network

Related posts