City’s 100th Term Coming To an End
Published: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, C-T

Chillicothe, Mo. - The city of Chillicothe’s 100th term of city council members addressed a light agenda for their final regular meeting Monday night at City Hall. One issue that was introduced recently but tabled a few weeks ago remained tabled as 4th Ward Councilwoman Pam Jarding’s motion to take it off the table died for a lack of support from her colleagues. The issue was an ordinance that would have given the city administrator authority to appoint, promote, demote and set compensation for employees after consultation with the heads of the affected departments. Currently, the city council makes those decisions.

According to procedures, Jarding’s motion to take it off the table would have needed a second from another council member and then would have required support from the majority of the council in order to be discussed. Her motion never got a second which means the matter remains tabled. It could be brought up again at a later date if future councils desire discussion, according to City Administrator Dean Brookshier. Discussions had been tabled when the proposal was first introduced because the full council was not present. Jarding asked that the matter be placed back on the agenda.

Following last night’s meeting, Jarding said she wanted to bring the matter off the table so that she could voice her opposition to the proposal. “I didn’t like what was in the ordinance and I wanted to make sure it didn’t get swept under the rug,” she said. “I was not in support of it one bit.” Brookshier said that the proposal was drafted at the recommendation of a couple of city council members.

In other business Monday night, the council approved results of the city’s general election held last week. Those elected were Mayor Chuck Haney, Clerk Rozanne Frampton, Auditor Theresa Kelly, Treasurer Sherry Parks, Attorney Adam Warren, Constable Richard Knouse, Councilman-at-Large Darrel Rinehart Jr., and council members Sid Cornell (1st Ward), Maurice Zion (2nd Ward), Tom Douglas (3rd Ward) and Paul Howard (4th Ward). A new term of officers begins tomorrow (Wednesday).

Also Monday, the council reviewed a list of surplus property which will be auctioned at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 9. The surplus property will be placed with items being auctioned by the Chillicothe R-2 School District. The auction, which is being handled by Mike Miller Auction, will be at 1535 Calhoun (the old Chillicothe high school building). Among a long list of city surplus items: tables, computers, desks, vehicles, light poles, fence posts, weed eaters and antique animal spring toys. Items will be awarded to the highest bidder with no reserves, Brookshier said. For more information, contact the city clerk’s office at 646-1877 or log onto www.mikemillerauction.com. Third Ward Councilwoman Donna Preszler questioned the cost for the auction and Brookshier said he was unaware of the commission percentage at the time.

Following the regular meeting, the council met in executive session and approved the hiring of summer employees for the Green Hills Golf Course maintenance staff. The recommendations were made by the golf course superintendent and the city administrator and unanimously approved by the council. Those hired are Dave Jones, Heath Harper, Jacob Hicks, Ryan Evilsizer, Adam Thomas, Brett Stephens, Jacob Rockhold and Drew Hinton.

Mayor Chuck Haney presided over Monday night's meeting with the full council present. Also present were the new city council members: Sid Cornell, Tom Douglas and Paul Howard. Following the meeting, council members were given the opportunity to make comments.

Jarding, who has served on the council for six years and chose not to seek another term, said that she has enjoyed her time in office. "I have enjoyed serving the people of Chillicothe," she said. "Chillicothe is a wonderful community and I'm glad I got to share in it."

Preszler, who lost her bid for re-election, said that she planned to return to city government in the future and serve in some capacity.

Teegarden, who is retiring off the council after eight years, said he would have liked to have served longer, but for health reasons he didn't think he should continue. "We need people to run for city offices," Teegarden said. "It's not always a pleasant job, but most of the time it has been a pleasure."

In other business Monday night, the council:

• Approved the payment of invoices, $174,590.15; and payroll, $110,664.46
• Were introduced to Colin Chang, who was recently hired as an EMT (paramedic trainee) and firefighter for the Chillicothe Department of Emergency Services. Chang is currently enrolled in the paramedic training program at Grand River Technical School and plans to complete the program later this year
• Approved a proclamation regarding Fair Housing Month. Approval was necessary as part of the requirement to participate in the Community Development Block Grant program, which provides grants to communities for a number of projects.