The Sedalia City Council had a full plate of items to discuss Monday night at the Municipal Building, 200 S. Osage, including three presentations made at the pre-council session.

One was from City Finance Director Kelvin Shaw. He said the City was going in the right direction. Shaw added that expenditures were 2.1 percent below 2016 levels for this time period. In addition, administrative and overhead costs are down slightly.

Another update was from retiring Parks & Rec Director Mark Hewett, who detailed some of the ongoing projects, such as the renovation of Vermont Park, which he likened to a neighborhood project more than a simple park project, due to the increased security lighting planned for the park. A total of 11 new light poles will be added in addition to new restrooms and shelter house. The walking trail is all but complete, he noted.

Randy Kirby
Randy Kirby
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City Administrator Gary Edwards walked the Council through the progress being made on the City's planning session goals made over five months ago on Jan. 7, with a Power Point presentation.

Some of the short-term goals included completion of a public safety pension payment, and completion of the addition of two communications officers for the Sedalia Police Department, with one being paid for by the City and one paid for by PCAD.

One million dollars in street maintenance was completed. He noted that $600,000 was budgeted for City streets, which was a reduction that was made in order to make room for lift station improvements. This is in addition to supplies and materials, he emphasized, which amounts to around $230,000 this year.

All City employees received a step raise of two percent, and public safety employees received a one-half-percent cost of living raise.

The addition of two more police officers was completed in the plan, but not approved in the budget, Edwards noted.

A salary correction for SPD officers was completed.

Improvements at the Central Fire Station were delayed until a future budget can accommodate them.

A total of $50 million was budgeted for engineering costs for the Streetscape project completion. He noted that grants will be utilized to assist with completion in the next fiscal year.

Various wastewater projects were completed.

A planned purchase of 120 acres by the City for economic development was delayed, Edwards said, due to budget constraints. The issue will likely be brought up again next year.

The City purchased the lot behind KDRO on Third Street in May. Actual repair work will be done at a later time when budget permits.

Replacement of SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) equipment for the Sedalia Fire Department (SFD) was not approved in this year's budget. A necessary grant to make the purchase was not forthcoming, he noted.

The purchase of a thermal imaging camera for the SFD was not approved in the FY18 budget.

Sewer collection systems were completed.

A pay study by the Personnel Department was completed, but not approved in the FY18 budget.

Funds for sidewalk projects were removed form the budget in order to make money available for westside lift stations. Some work can still be done in-house, however, Edwards noted.

A license plate reader for the SPD was not allowed in the FY18 budget.

New street lights on Winchester, Clinton Road, Acers and New York, south of 24th were budgeted in the amount of $75,000, but the work has not yet been completed.

Also on Monday night, the Council:

*Established parking restrictions in the Crescent Creek Addition, Parts 1 & 2, Lehi Addition, Thompson Addition Part 9 and Matz Circle.

*Established stop signs on Deseret Drive, Ensign Drive and both entrances to the proposed Ammon Drive at their intersections with 12 Street. The parking restrictions and stop signs were requested by the Citizen's Traffic Advisory Committee.

*Reviewed and awarded demolition bids to Schulz Wrecking for 421 N. Missouri ($2800), 608 W. Pettis ($3500), 300 Veterans Memorial Drive ($3800), 1614 E. 4th ($3600), and to Holem Excavating for 1000 E. 12th ($2250).

*Approved a change order for Lehman Construction, LLC, for $2,880.82 for the 50 highway/Oak Grove intersection improvements. This brings the total cost of the project to $426,638.01.

*Awarded an $8,500 bid to D & M Home Improvements for repair of the Municipal Building Plaza. A budget of $10,000 was approved for the project, and D & M was the lowest bidder. The other two bids received were from Marcum's Landscaping ($11,375) and GLS Lawncare ($11,500).

*Approved an agreement between the City and Rejis Commission to conduct a staffing level and schedule assessment for Sedalia Police Department functions at a cost of $13,621.

*Approved an agreement between the City and Spay & Neuter Clinic, LLC, for vet services for the Sedalia Animal Shelter. The clinic stated that it prefers to not perform general veterinary services unless absolutely necessary.

*Approved an agreement between the City and Advanced Pet Care of Sedalia for veterinary services for the Sedalia Animal Shelter.

*Approved an agreement between the City and CGI Communications, Inc., (Rochester, New York) for development of a community video for the City's website.

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