Board of Aldermen meeting recap

by Cole Arndorfer, Staff Writer
 
The Board of Aldermen met on May 22nd for their regularly scheduled bi-weekly meeting. The meeting included approvals of six resolutions, approval of four bills to amend city code with the approval of the first reading of two more, as well as staff reports and a report from Mayor Todd.

In the resolutions portion of the meeting, the aldermen heard, and approved six resolutions. 

Resolution R23-37 was approved by the aldermen for the city administrator, Ken Murphy, to buy out the remaining balance on a skid loader the Public Works Division had on lease. Murphy said that the plan for Public Works had been to buy out the lease on the skid loader when the money was right and now is that time.

Resolution R23-38 was approved for Murphy to renew the annual software maintenance and support agreement with Brightly Software. This renews the contract with Brightly Software which has been used for asset management software and accurate recordkeeping by Public Works.

Resolution R23-39 was approved to reappoint Becky Gray to the Grain Valley Parks and Recreation Board for another three-year term.

Resolution R23-40 was approved to allow Murphy to enter into a contract with the Fagan Company for HVAC maintenance and services on city buildings and equipment.

Resolution R23-41 was approved to allow Murphy to enter into a contract with A&A Electrical Inc. to provide electrical services as needed on city buildings and equipment.

The final resolution was R23-42. It was approved to allow Murphy to enter into a contract with Summit General Contracting LLC for building maintenance as needed on city buildings.

Under ordinances, the aldermen heard and approved four bills to amend city code on their second reads.

Bill B23-15 was approved to authorize a grant from the Department of Transportation to construct a 10-foot-wide trail along Buckner-Tarsney Road from the Blue Branch Creek Trail north to Nelson Drive.

Bill B23-16 was approved to authorize a grant from the Department of Transportation to construct a 10-foot-wide trail along Eagles Parkway from the Blue Branch Creek Trail to Main Street/Buckner-Tarsney Road.

Bill B23-17 was approved to amend the 2023 budget in order to fulfill the requirements for the grants received by the city for the construction of the trails.

Bill B23-18 was approved to add stop sign locations to the Code of Ordinances. Community Development Director, Mark Trosen, said that the city will get to work adding those stop signs as quickly as they can.

Two other bills were heard by the aldermen and approved to come back for a second read.

Bill B23-19 was approved to be brought back for a second read at the next scheduled meeting on the condition that the language was amended to allow for the agenda for aldermen meetings to be printed and posted on the bulletin board in City Hall. This bill is to add a chapter to the Code of Ordinances and set in stone practices already in place and being used by the city relating to Sunshine Laws and public records requests.

Bill B23-20 was approved to be brought back for a second read at the next scheduled meeting. This bill would annex property for Grain Valley Safety Storage LLC into the corporate limits of the city.

In staff reports, Community Development Director Mark Trosen, said that the city will be hosting the city-wide cleanout event from 8 am to 2 pm on June 3rd at the public works facility. Trosen also said the Public Works Division is also extending the pickup for senior residents on June 1st and 2nd.

Seniors must request this service before May 26th by contacting Public Works Assistant, Stefanie Ambrose, at 816-847-6274. The Household Hazardous Waste collection event will also occur on June 3rd at the Jackson County Public Works facility from 8 am to 12 pm.

Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Davies said, “park staff has been busy getting the Grain Valley Aquatic Center ready for opening,” and that the aquatic center will open Saturday, May 27th at 12 pm for the summer season.

Lastly, in the Mayor’s Report, Mayor Todd brought up concerns from businesses on Walnut Street such as Scout Coffee and Iron Courtyard that they were not getting the crowds from First Friday’s like expected. The aldermen approved an amendment to the First Fridays map to close down half a block of Walnut Street between the alleyway and Gregg Street to allow for a couple food trucks to be down that street and encourage crowds to flow that way.

Mayor Todd also brought up concerns over the City View publication, noting that many copies go unread which means that there may be better ways for the city to spend that money. After brainstorming ideas for how to change the ways of getting that information out, Mayor Todd and the aldermen settled on exploring the ideas of using postcards with QR codes that linked to an online version of the publication, podcasts, email subscriptions, and advertising in the publication for the future.
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The next Board of Aldermen meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 12th at 7 pm at City Hall.