Board of Aldermen meeting recap

by Cole Arndorfer
 
The Grain Valley Board of Aldermen met on Monday, March 11 for a lengthy meeting consisting of a proclamation, six new resolutions, and three ordinances.
 
Mayor Mike Todd read a proclamation officially making the month of March Arts in Our Schools Month.
 
The first resolution the board discussed was over the updated employee handbook. There are three sections where updates have been made. The updates come from human resources, department heads, and the Workplace Improvement Committee.
 
Following discussion of this resolution, Alderman Skinner made a motion to amend maternity/paternity leave to six weeks and family leave to four weeks. The motion for the amendment passed, as did the resolution as a whole.
 
The next resolution the board passed was allocate $14,333 from the city’s emergency management contribution to the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District. This was passed unanimously.
 
Next up, the board passed a resolution allowing the city to purchase patrol rifles from Sionics Weapons Systems. Police Chief Ed Turner said that currently the department uses surplus weapons from a government agency that are pretty aged and this would give the department a much-needed update.
 
Next, the board passed a resolution to establish the need to amend the 2024 budget to allocate funds from the park reserve funds to design and engineer the SW Eagles Parkway trail. Parks and Recreation Director Shannon Davies said that originally the department had allocated $55,000 for the project but they have since changed engineering firms and the cost is now $78,225.
 
The next resolution the board passed allows the city to execute a contract with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. for the design and engineering of the SW Eagles Parkway trail. This was passed unanimously.
 
The final resolution the board passed allows the city to sign a tow agreement with Hookers Tow LLC. This agreement will provide towing service for the police department and will run from March 12, 2024 to March 12, 2027. This resolution was passed by a vote of 4-2.
 
Following resolutions, the board moved into ordinances. The first bill the board passed was the second reading of a bill amending the sections of city code regarding Board of Aldermen meeting procedures. With the passage of this bill, Board of Aldermen meeting times will be moved to 6:30pm and the board would have the ability to discuss if they want to cancel or reschedule a meeting that is scheduled to occur on a holiday.
 
The next bill the board passed was the second reading of a bill to amend the sections of city code regarding alcohol-related traffic offenses to include regulations for operating motor vehicles without an ignition interlock device. This was passed unanimously.
 
The final bill the board discussed came from earlier in the meeting where the board passed a resolution establishing the need to amend the 2024 budget to allocate funding from the park reserve fund for the design and engineering of the SW Eagles Parkway trail. This bill officially allows the city to allocate these funds. The first read of this bill was approved and it was brought back for its second read by title only and was passed unanimously.
 
Mayor Todd discussed the new playground project at Armstrong Park. Todd asked Davies if the Parks and Recreation Department had an idea of when the project would be completed. Davies said that much of the project relies on weather and vendor availability, but they are currently looking at April for a completion date and are also making plans for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
 
The next Boa​rd of Aldermen meeting will take place at City Hall on March 25th at 6:30pm.