Mayor Bauer urges citizens of Kidder to attend upcoming water board meeting
The Board of Aldermen of the City of Kidder met for their regular session on Thursday, March 9. Those present were Aldermen Dave McEwen, Steve Grooms, Ray Garton and Chris Bratcher along with Mayor George Bauer, City Clerk Richard Evans and members of Code Enforcement.
Code Enforcement Officer, Lucille Lusk, passed out copies of updated ordinances to the board. She clarified the city’s ability to control streets by reading a Missouri statute that states “Cities of the 4th class shall have and exercise exclusive control over all streets, alleys, avenues, and public highways in the limits of the city.”
Abatement orders were prepared for two citizens that refused to pay their utility bills and shut offs are scheduled.
Code Enforcement was called about an injured stray dog in town. Lusk said by law, code enforcement must take the dog to a vet which was done. The vet said the dog either had mange or ring worm, a condition that is contagious, and it also had advanced heart worms. They could not find a vet that would euthanize the dog because the vets believed that a diagnosis of heart worms was treatable. They found a rescue through the Humane Society that would take the dog into hospice care in Herculaneum, Mo. Ring worm was confirmed and the dog was later found to have liver failure and a spine problem. Code Enforcement said they did what they could to keep costs down which amounted to around $400. Alderman McEwen asked if the dog could have been taken to a residence to be shot, but Lusk said that would be against the law. She said as code enforcement officers, they are officers of the law, and they could not disregard the law. Once they are contacted, they are legally obligated to take care of the problem within the law. She also stressed the importance of the fact that a contagious dog was removed from the city and away from other pets and people.
A question from the last board meeting was asked about how permit and exemption fees were to be collected by the city. Lusk explained to the council a process she developed to collect the fees. Two building inspections are required, the initial inspection and the final inspection when the construction is finished. The city clerk will bill the resident for these fees and no other permits will be issued until these fees are paid in full. Details of the proposal were discussed as it pertains to different permits and exemptions and who would collect the fees and when that would be done. The board voted to accept this process.
A city resident complained that the city siren was not in compliance as it was not the height of 60’ which is required by law. Mayor Bauer said between the Sheriff’s office and Pat O’Connor, they are trying to figure out what could be done. City Clerk Evans explained that the siren was put in by a grant from the USDA and was installed using the standards and specifications at that time. Citizens who live close to the siren complain it is way too loud and unbearable. It was also mentioned that on Monday night when the siren was needed it did not work.
The board approved the 2015 audit.
Mayor Bauer reminded everyone that the water board meeting is held every 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:30. This meeting is open to the public. If you wish to talk to the water board, you have to ask to be put on their agenda. Council is trying to get current water meter readings so that they can straighten out the billing problems in Kidder. Evans said it was ridiculous to double charge customers $1.50 on customers’ water bills for meter readings that already are taken by the water department and charged on their water bills. Evans said these readings would be sent electronically to the city through an email. Some present at the meeting said they wouldn’t mind paying the fee if it would mean their water bills would give an accurate reading of what was used. A past proposal by the water department was to charge $2.50 per customer if they handled the whole process of reading meters and billing customers. The $1.50 was if the department only provided the meter readings to the city and let the city bill their customers. Mayor Bauer said this was an old proposal and that things may be different now. He said he hoped the whole city would show up at the water board meeting to help make this decision, and urged anyone who could make it attend as this will affect their water bills. The meeting will be held on March 21st at 6:30 p.m.
With no further business at hand the board adjourned the meeting and went into closed session.
