Trenton City Council, Trenton Nuisance Board meet

Trenton City Council, Trenton Nuisance Board meet
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The Trenton City Council last night approved budgets for the city and Trenton Municipal Utilities for the fiscal year beginning may 1st.

All eight city council members voted in favor of the TMU budget. Councilman Chuck Elliott was the only member to vote “no” on the city budget. He did not give a reason.

Earlier in the meeting, Elliott had thanked the city council’s finance committee for its work in the budget development. Councilman Travis Elbert thanked city department heads for their budget input.

City Administrator Kerry Sampson indicated the budget will need to be watched closely because of the ConAgra plant situation.

Mayor Nick McHargue, in reference to the budget, suggested some memberships could be eliminated to reduce costs. Otherwise, Mayor McHargue said everybody is doing a good job.

It was mentioned the city benefited in the current fiscal year from lower than anticipated fuel costs and selling more asphalt than typical. A dollar figure was not given.

There only was brief discussion regarding efforts to convince ConAgra to continue operating its plant at Trenton or for the city to help find another option for the facility.

Community Development Director Ralph Boots suggested There possibly could be something to report in a few weeks. City Administrator Sampson mentioned, although nothing has happened, people are at least looking at Trenton.

TMU utilities director Chad Davis said negotiations were continuing with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources regarding a settlement agreement. It involves a sanitary sewer-related bypass elimination plan. Although it’s a citywide plan, Davis noted changes are needed in the plan because of the ConAgra.

In other action items last night, the Trenton council agreed to purchase a truck and a flat bed for that vehicle. Barnes baker submitted the only bid to provide the truck.

The cost is slightly over 26-thousand dollars after a trade in valued at ten thousand dollars.

Woodworth Manufacturing submitted the only bid for the flat bed at nearly 73-hundred dollars. Both bids were unanimously approved by the city council.

The truck included a cab and a chassis with the vehicle is to be used by the street department.

The Trenton council unanimously approved a bid from Minear Appraisal Service of Livonia in connection with property near the proposed 17th Street bridge project. The charge is 400 dollars per appraisal and a desk review of 250 dollars per appraisal. Two properties are to be appraised.

It was the only bid received. The council action is subject to receiving Missouri Department of Transportation funding.

The council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing a lease agreement between the city and Andy Kidd to cash rent farm ground at the north edge of Trenton. The council, last month, approved a bid from Kidd at 147 dollars an acre. It was highest of two bids received. Nearly 46 acres of row crop land is involved.

The ordinance approved last night makes formal the council action taken last month when it accepted the bid.

The council unanimously approved four ordinances to amend the city code because of changes in state law. They involve tax payment requirements for candidates for municipal offices, tobacco related offenses, and allowing license plates on trailers, motorcycles, motor tricycles, and motor scooters to be displayed either horizontally or vertically.

Among other discussion at last night’s council meeting, Mayor McHargue repeated

remarks he’s made in the past for city departments to get bids to be voted on before purchases are made.

City Administrator Sampson said purchases of at least 25-hundred dollars require bids, bids are encouraged for lesser amounts. He indicated the information is in a city handbook.

Sampson said a trash-related tipping fee is charged on the transfer station, not individual customers.

Code enforcement officer Donnie Vandevender said the Red Rock firm is to move its equipment to Trenton next week for demolition work. That’s the program in which the city works with property owners to remove dilapidated structures.

Police Chief Tommy Wright noted the Chief’s tea fundraiser for the women’s shelter is Friday at the First Christian Church.

The council last night also held a closed session regarding personnel.

The Trenton Building and Nuisance Board took action on several properties last night prior to the city council meeting.

Nuisances were declared at 843 West 14th Court, 1109 East 12th Street, 1101 Shanklin, and 1922 Oak Street.

Public hearings are to be scheduled for properties at 402 West 12th Street, 802 East 24th Street, 1109 Merrill, 1314 Norton, 1323 Merrill, and 208 East 10th Street, all of which have been declared nuisances.

A new caretaker for the structure at 402 West 12th Street attended the meeting and expressed a willingness to work on it. He’s to meet with code enforcement officer Vandevender.

Public hearings were held last night regarding properties at 507 Main, 1904 Lulu, and 2211 Oak. All three have been forwarded to the next step in the process, which is called findings of facts. If nothing is done the structures eventually can be declared dangerous buildings.

The owner of the property at 507 Main, Dan Johnson, attended the public hearing and said he purchased the house at a tax auction and was going to make repairs. However,

code enforcement officer Vandevender described the structure in very bad shape and recommended it be torn down.

Johnson acknowledged if the house were torn down, he could use the lumber. He’s to be in contact with Vandevender.

The owner of the property at 1904 Lulu is David Robinson. His daughter, Tiffany Autry, attended the meeting and received information about the program in which the city financially assists property owners with removing structures. The city pays one half the costs up to 35-hundred dollars. Asbestos abatement is the property owners’ responsibility.

The building and nuisance board declared a findings of fact at 111 West 11th Street should repairs not be made by March 30.

Certificates of a dangerous building have been filed at 309 West 18th, 1002 West 14th, 1314 Merrill, and 1922 Oak Streets.

A certificate of a dangerous building at 120 Highland was removed after the property was cleaned up.

Police Chief Tommy Wright provided information on police department nuisance enforcement. He said there have been 34 violation reports filed this year, 23 of them trash and debris, nine vehicles, one grass and weeds, and one called public health/building. Five citations have been given. There have been 15 abatements.

Fourteen were listed as Pending re-inspection or in-progress.

Mayor Nick McHargue asked Chief Wright to publicize that persons are subject to a ticket if they put grass clippings in the street. Wright said he would issue a news release.

The police department was thanked for its work in dealing with nuisances.

Code enforcement officer Vandevender gave the building and nuisance board a list of properties to consider for the demolition program in the fiscal year beginning May 1st.


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Randall Mann

http://www.kttn.com

Randall has been with KTTN/KGOZ for almost 20 years. He is the current Engineer for all of the stations, as well as working "on-air" from 6 to 10, am in the morning. Randall does a bit of everything including producing advertisements as well as writing the occasional news article. Randall is also the current Webmaster for the studio as well as the local graphic artist.

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