Conner sworn in as new Chamois alderman

By Theresa Brandt, Staff Writer
Posted 8/27/21

Chamois has a new alderman as Jeff Conner was appointed and sworn in last Wednesday’s meeting. 

“I really appreciate the opportunity,” Conner said after he read the oath of …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Conner sworn in as new Chamois alderman

Posted

Chamois has a new alderman as Jeff Conner was appointed and sworn in last Wednesday’s meeting. 

“I really appreciate the opportunity,” Conner said after he read the oath of office. He volunteered to serve on the board at the July meeting. 

“It’s kinda a thankless job,” Alderman Jim Wright said. “But someone has to do it.”

In other business, alderman passed Ordinance #2021-02, which changed license fees for businesses operating within the city of Chamois. Effective immediately, Chamois businesses will pay $75 per year for regular and home-based businesses. The new ordinance eliminates a separate category for restaurants and leaves the liquor license fees as they were at $50 for a regular liquor license and $50 for a Sunday liquor license. The new ordinance eliminates the controversial hazardous materials fee of $50 that included cooking oil.  

Mayor Elise Brochu was in favor of eliminating the hazardous materials fee because she was tired of arguing with people over listing cooking oil as a hazardous material.  

* Nothing significant was found in the recently completed cultural resources study that would affect the water project. City Clerk Michelle Stanley has submitted the report to the Osage Nation. The 45-page report is available to the public if anyone is interested in reading it.

* Wright is going to take the three water customers with the biggest balance that do not have a payment plan to small claims court this next week. Wright warned that once the cases are brought into small claims court, the customers will not be allowed to make a payment plan. Stanley is working to put together the copies of the original signed contracts as well as the number of gallons of water the customer has been billed. 

Wright warned that he is not sure how things will go in small claims court or how much it will cost.

“It really depends on the judge,” Wright said. “The judge may rule in our favor or they may rule in theirs. I don’t know but we’ll find out.”

* Wright also suggested that the city of Chamois set up a Municipal Court to handle traffic and ordinance violations. 

“What that amounts to is after the meeting the mayor will officiate and all the violations will go through the city instead of going to the county,” Wright explained.

Brochu noted that the board had voted previously to send the violations through the Osage County court system.

“Running through a stop sign is pretty petty to run through an already jammed court system,” Wright said. “We might wait a year to get into court.”

Wright noted that the cities of Gasconade and Hermann have a municipal court system set up.

“I want the city to make money but I can’t tell you how much I don’t want to do this,” Brochu said. “There is not enough money in it for all of the drama.”

The board tabled the issue until next month.

* Brochu asked aldermen if they would want to consider amending Ordinance #215-2, which provides an option for residents to pay to disconnect their water meter and then avoid paying the minimum amounts due every month. Brochu noted that only a few property owners have done this but she believes that it is at odds with the policy the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will set up once the new water project is in place. 

Alderman Marty Gerloff suggested that the city wait to change the ordinance until the new water project is in place to make sure that the ordinance is in line with DNR standards. The item was tabled until a later date.

* City resident Louie Giedinghagen approached the board about possibly buying the former “Twist A Top” bar to serve as a new Chamois City Hall. The idea was rejected outright.

“My opinion on Twist A Top is that I have no interest in giving the owners any money whatsoever to help them with attorneys or anything else,” Gerloff said.

Brochu noted that the building is in the floodplain and that would make it a bad investment for the city.

Brochu said she is looking at another property that may be a better fit.

* The board gave approval for Brochu to sign the application and set up a separate bank account to receive the funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). 

* A city resident has requested that the city reimburse her water fees totaling $72.77 for a leak that has been ongoing for three months. The board agreed to pay only the previous month’s water over her average monthly water bill of $31.24. Aldermen agree that they will only reimburse the customer for one month for leaks and only after the repair is made.  

* Aldermen refused to credit a water customer for filling his pool. The board agreed that to get sewer credit for filling pools, individuals need to have a meter reading before and after the pool is filled and with advanced notice to the city.

* A couple that is getting divorced would like the city to take the spouse’s name off the water account even though there is still a balance on the account. The board ruled against this, noting the account would need to be paid in full before names could be removed from them.

* Aldermen approved monthly expenses totaling $16,484.84.

* Chamois has the following ending balances in its accounts: cemetery ($10,206.17), city cemetery ($19,916.69), city park ($1,986.59), general fund ($72,545.40), meter deposits ($21,274.43), sewer ($30,461.76), sewer bond reserve ($26,583.78), sewer repair ($6,902.62), water ($143,272.34), and water repair ($28,851.78).

* The city holds five certificates of deposit totaling $12,066.90.

* The next meeting will be on Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.