Several purchases were made and contracts approved at the Trenton City Council meeting Monday night. There was a discussion on efforts to require more Air BNB and/or bed and breakfast establishments to pay their lodging tax. Yet another discussion involved the unauthorized dumping of trash at the city brush dump.
Councilman Marvin Humphreys, on behalf of the Trenton Convention and Visitors Bureau, initiated a discussion on what is believed to be several businesses that charge a fee for lodging but haven’t paid the five percent tax to Trenton City Hall. It was noted that owners of the motel and cabins in north Trenton do pay the lodging fee they collect from customers.
For others, it was suggested an educational campaign or communication be done via letters or personal visits. When a business license is obtained, it was noted a packet is provided that mentions the obligation to pay the five percent lodging tax. Charging the lodging tax and forwarding the amount due is specified by city ordinance. Failure to remit the lodging tax can be considered a violation of the ordinance. It was suggested Air BNB should be contacted in an effort to learn their rental hosts in Trenton.
Voters in April of 2020 approved the lodging tax, and it is to be collected by motels, cabins, bed and breakfasts, Air BNB establishments from the guests who rent sleeping rooms. Revenue goes to Trenton’s Convention and Visitors Bureau which, in part, promotes tourism.
Humphreys also led a discussion on the city’s brush dump in north Trenton which has a gate that gets locked by mid-afternoon. It was reported the locked gate doesn’t deter someone from depositing trash over the gate.
Humphreys claims the limited hours Monday through Friday when the unsupervised brush dump is open “penalizes” the honest people who can’t get there before the gate is locked. He suggested having the brush dump open one Saturday per month. The city’s brush dump is designed for the disposal of yard waste including small limbs that can be chipped. But it was noted some unnecessary items have been left there.
The city of Trenton will apply for a grant with the Department of Natural Resources revolving fund to aid in completing the lead service line inventory and to replace identified lead service lines, The Mayor was authorized by resolution to sign the grant application request.
Several topics have dollar figures attached. Flinn and Son LLC of Maysville were approved by ordinance to replace water mains in the 10th and Oklahoma Avenue areas. The cost, approved on a bid at a previous meeting, is $368,810. Their work is to be completed by fall. Utility Director Ron Urton said the two and four-inch mains in that area, some of which dead end, will be replaced with six-inch water mains.
Olsson Incorporated of Joplin was approved for the airport T-hangar design, bid documents, and construction oversight at a total cost of $208,000. That figure is less than the FAA required independent fee estimate. ($235,000) Urton said the city pays ten percent of the costs with the balance coming from federal sources. A base bid is to be sought this fall which will be on a four-bay hangar with an option to expand it to eight bays depending on the projects’ bid amounts.
On a council vote of six to one, the city’s IT consultant, Strategy LLC, will replace 15 city computers, including monitors and uninterruptible power supplies at a total cost of $28,770. Councilman Glen Briggs voted no having questioned the need to have 15 battery backups.
Poor Boy Tree Trimming LLC of Fair Play, Missouri will trim trees and limbs in the city right of way. They submitted the only bid which was $162 an hour for a three-man crew, plus per diem of $65 per day, per man. The city budgeted $25,000 for an outside source to do tree trimming for the TM- electric department.
Irvinbilt Constructors of Chillicothe was hired to replace three check valves at the headworks of the wastewater treatment plant. The valves replace those installed in the year 2000. The cost is $42,700.
Three quotes were received on the purchase of a wheel loader for the sewer plant. The low bid of $174,745, submitted by the Victor L. Phillips company of Kansas City, was accepted for a Caterpillar. An older wheel loader will be advertised on the Purple Wave auction site. TMU had budgeted $190,000 for the new purchase.
CSI Overhead Doors of Trenton will sell to the city, five-door openers for the new TMU warehouse. The total cost is $7,650.
Seven members of the city council attended, or were on Zoom, Monday night, Duane Urich was absent.
