Board of Aldermen meeting recap

by Cole Arndorfer
 
The Grain Valley Board of Aldermen met Monday, January 22nd for the second regularly scheduled meeting in January.
 
City Clerk Jamie Logan administered the oath of office for police officer Derek King. King was joined by his family in celebration of his joining the GVPD.
 
Following the oath, the board moved into the resolution portion of the meeting.
 
First, the board approved a resolution allowing the city to enter into an agreement with Earthworks Excavation to demolish and clear the former Sni-A-Bar farm structures at 600 SW Buckner Tarsney Road. This will remove all the structures on the property besides the park maintenance facility. It will also remove all the concrete around the pool area to provide a level property for further development. This was approved 4-1 with Alderman Arnold being the lone dissenting vote, and Alderman Bray absent.
 
The second resolution approved by the board allows the city to renew the software maintenance and support agreement with Brightly Software. The city has used Brightly Software for six years and this is just a renewal to their current agreement. The resolution was approved unanimously.
 
The final resolution unanimously approved allows the city to makes upgrades to eight sets of bleachers at Monkey Mountain Park, providing a better and safer seating area for spectators at the baseball/softball fields.
 
Next, the board heard the second reading of a bill to amend the section in the city code regarding court costs. This is essentially just an update to the codes, keeping up with state laws on the subject. This bill was passed 5-0.
 
The second bill the board took action on was the second reading of a bill to amend the section in the city code regarding rental rates and fees for the community center and pool. This must be done in order to reflect what is shown in the 2024 city budget. This bill was also approved 5-0.
 
Following this, the board moved into the City Administrator’s report. Ken Murphy used his brief report to thank the city workers who worked tirelessly in the snow and ice to clear roads and keep people safe, and to welcome Officer King to the team.
 
In Alderman Cleaver’s comments, he brought up the desire to move meetings to an earlier time. Alderman Arnold noted that a reason the meetings start at 7:00pm is to allow those who work outside of Grain Valley to come home and eat dinner without being rushed. In order to make a change to meeting times, the board would have to approve a change in the city code. After some discussion, the board agreed on 6:30pm and will prepare a bill for a future meeting including the time change and a clause that allows for virtual meetings in cases of inclement weather.
 
Mayor Todd shared that he met with the homeowners association from Woodbury Estates to gather information on the situation regarding a loan due on a neighborhood pool. Using this information, the board will hold a workshop to find some possible solutions for the homeowners association and present them their findings.
 
The next Board of Aldermen’s meeting will take place at 7:00pm on February 12 at City Hall.