Spickard City Council Meets

Members of the Spickard City Council took care of several matters during a special meeting on Wednesday, July 10.
According to minutes provided by Temporary City Clerk Jennifer Roberts, the board changed the date when July utility bills are due from July 10 to July 18 and the date for hang tag notices from July 11 to July 19. It was noted that July bills were sent out late and tax was not included. Tax that should have been applied will be calculated and shared at the next council meeting. Terry Holtzclaw volunteered to read meters in July, which were scheduled to be done on July 12.
It was decided that the city will not provide sewer refunds for customers with pool fills. The council voted to allow usage of the area of the fairgrounds covered by liability insurance for special events with prior council approval.
Approval was given to pay all claims for the month except the May and June claims from the Spickard Special Road District, with that payment being withheld until a new contract is signed with the district. Renewal of the contract was tabled until the next council meeting.
The council voted to purchase Missouri Rural Water Association water billing software and one package of postcard paper at a cost of $360. The council set the rate the city will charge for customers requesting copies or having information faxed at 25 cents per page for copies and $2 for the first page of a fax and $1 for each additional fax.
The council tabled action on several items until the next regular meeting, including a decision regarding the city insurance so that an agent can be present, discussion regarding the preliminary engineering report on sewer improvements and discussion regarding the hiring of a city attorney.
It was reported the secondary pump for the Second Street lift station should be repaired soon and that the city is waiting on bids for repair of the south pump station. The city has requested an extension from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for the pump station repair. Representatives of the Missouri Rural Water Association will be in Spickard to help conduct smoke testing of sewer lines, during which time some manhole inspections will also be conducted. The water leak near the post office and the water tower pressure valve have been repaired. Information is still being collected on water loss.
Following an executive session, the council voted to hire Robert Payne as a part-time city maintenance worker at a salary of $10 per hour. The council voted to review applicants for the city clerk’s position at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17 at city hall.
The next meeting of the council will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at Spickard City Hall.
All four aldermen were present for the meeting as well as the mayor, the city clerk and several members from the public.