Mayor Jackie Soptic broke two tie votes of the city council last evening regarding the proposed 2024-25 budgets for the city of Trenton and Municipal Utilities.
The council voted four to four on motions to approve each budget. City Attorney Kenton Kinney advised that his research shows the Mayor can vote to break a tie on an ordinance. Soptic voted in favor. As a result, the new budgets for the city and TMU will take effect for the fiscal year that begins May 1st. The council, on a split vote, defeated a grade scale and merit/years of service table involving employees.
Mayor Soptic began the meeting by noting she had received a request to alter the order of ordinances on the agenda. She chose not to make an adjustment. Thus, the two budgets came up first; then the grade scale and merit/years of service table.
The ordinances on adopting budgets for the city of Trenton and TMU saw four councilmen on the roll call, vote in favor: Glen Briggs, Calvin Brown, Duane Urich, and John Dolan. The four opposing the budget as presented were Lou Fisher, Marvin Humphreys, Tim Meinecke, and David Mlika. It was the same result on each budget vote with Mayor Soptic breaking the tie by voting yes.
There were a dozen employees and department heads who attended the city council meeting. Before any could speak, Councilman Glen Briggs offered an apology to the workers, stating that efforts by city officials should have been better regarding the process on employee classification and prospective wages.
Councilman David Mlika said he feels a committee should be selected to help review job classifications. Briggs noted many employees wear different hats, thus it’s difficult to give them one classification. Councilman Calvin Brown, who last week favored the document, changed his mind noting the city cannot make promises as it may not know if it can afford raises. Briggs concluded by saying the process needs to be more transparent and inclusive with city employees. City Administrator / Utility Director Ron Urton said department heads saw the grades and pay scale – including some that requested changes which, he said, were made.
One employee at city hall said the staff didn’t see the job classifications and wage scale until late Thursday afternoon. She described the classification given her as a demotion. And when she moves up to the next bracket, her increase was to be a little more than one cent per hour.
Brown said the document needs more work as the council would like to get it right. He feels it also should be noted that the wage scale is not guaranteed.
Urton reported in 2011, the council paid a company to visit with each employee. He thinks that might be the next step as he doesn’t have the time.
Two councilmen voted in favor of the grade scale and merit / years of service: Urich and Dolan. The other six were opposed: Fisher, Briggs, Brown, Humphreys, Meinecke, and Mlika. It proposed a dozen classifications along with proposed wages ranging from the first two years up to 30 or more years of employment.
The city council voted eight to nothing to sell hot and cold mix asphalt, as needed, to the Department of Transportation. The cost is $86 per ton, which Urton said fluctuates a little each month depending on the expense to the city. The council voted seven to one to allow the Howe Engineering Company to design the sidewalk along Highway 6 from 4th Street to the Dollar General Store. The city has received an alternative transportation grant for the sidewalk, seen as a public safety need.
Urton said terms of the MoDOT grant require an engineering company to prepare for the design and construction phase along with a cultural resource survey. The total cost for the Howe company to do the work is $40,000. Voting no on the ordinances was Councilman Humphreys. Regarding the proposed sidewalk along 16th Street, the Howe Company has been employed to prepare the application in search of another MoDOT transportation alternative program grant.
Kelly Beets with the Missouri Intergovernmental Risk Management Association announced a $3,800 grant for the Trenton Police Department. Lieutenant Larry Smith said a dashboard video camera was purchased and installed on a police car. Smith also announced he has completed 22 weeks of police staff and command training with Northwestern University. He hopes to apply his knowledge to others on the police force. Among his comments, Administrator Urton said MoDOT officials are to provide their comments this week on plans for the new hangar at the Trenton airport. Then bids can be advertised for the project.
