I just returned from a meeting in the city’s emergency management center in
the basement of the police department. More than 40 folks from every state,
city, county, local, and volunteer agency you could think of was
represented there, including Governor Nixon, State Representative Rebecca
McClanahan, and a representative from Wes Shoemeyer’s office.

Here is what was reported to the governor regarding Kirksville:

* Currently, we have estimated about 65 structures damaged from the storm.
10 would be described as total losses, while about 15 sustained “major”
damage. These are primarily residential structures.

* AmerenUE says 2,364 customers are without electricity today. They
estimate 1,400 will be restored by the end of the day, and the remaining by
noon tomorrow. 90 utility poles were damaged. More than 300 AmerenUE
employees and contractors are working.

* Water service appears to be functioning normally. Six sewer lift stations
were damaged in the storm – one of those is back up now and another is
functioning on generator power.

* The water tower on Brewington Ave was in the direct path of the storm and
damage to that is unknown. A professional is arriving in town today to
inspect it.

* A shelter was opened last night at Rehoboth Baptist Church (100 Pfeiffer
Ave). Families began showing up there this morning. Other affected
residents are staying with family and friends or in local hotels.

* The governor signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency,
and another executive order waiving DNR debris disposal regulations for the
cleanup.

* Two fatalities confirmed in Adair County, north of the Kirksville city
limits. The governor said there have been 7 deaths statewide from these
storms.

* The governor and our state legislators are out surveying the damage now.

You’ve never seen a more organized, cohesive group of officials, volunteers
and public servants working together to coordinate the disaster recovery
effort. Thank you to all who are working tirelessly to help our neighbors
in this time of difficulty and loss. Our hearts and prayers go out to you.

st patty's day celebration info

Pick up your passport for the scavenger hunt from the Chamber of Commerce or any of our participating businesses!

Bank Midwest
Cook’s Jewelry 
Dukum Inn
Green Door
Hidden Treasures
House of Jesus 
Jim’s Gems
Kelly’s Furniture
Kirksville Aquatics Center
Kirksville TCRC
Manhattan Cafe Bakery
Northeast Missouri Regional Medical Center
Sparks Cleaners
Vintage Book Shoppe 
West Winery

Fill it out and bring it to the south side of the courthouse lawn at 6pm on March 17 for the drawing!

Parade entry forms available here.

Folks, both of these stories are misleading and leave out a very important fact: We DID NOT add landlord liability for their tenant’s unpaid water bills to the current ordinance. It is ALREADY THERE, in the current ordinance.

Here is an excerpt from the current water ordinance:

Sec. 25-52. Rendering and payment of bills.

“(d) The occupant and user of the premises receiving water service and the owner of the premises shall be jointly and severally liable to pay for the services rendered to the premises. A minimum charge shall be paid whether the quantity of water is used or not. Credit shall not be allowed for any cause unless discontinuance of service has been requested by the customer in writing and service has not been shut off by the city.”

Landlords have ALWAYS been liable for their tenant’s unpaid water bills. The city has worked with landlords in the past and held some of them accountable. In fact, if you read some of the comments from one of the landlords on the KTVO story (Joe S), you’ll see that he is complaining about this very thing.

So what did we do on Monday then? We clarified it to bring our ordinance in compliance with state statute that limits the landlords responsibility to 90 days. We also gave the landlord input into the deposit amount and notice of when the accounts were past due. This is IN FAVOR of the landlords by limiting their liability and giving them more tools to hold their tenants accountable.

You can read a complete copy of the new ordinance yourself here: Landlord Liability Ordinance

Also somewhat related to this, we are planning to move to a monthly billing cycle next year. That should put the water/sewer/trash bill more in line with the rest of the monthly bills, so people can plan for them better and not forget to pay them so easily. I know I’ve had trouble remembering sometimes and been late more than once. The shorter billing cycle should also make it easier to catch problems early on – like a leaky toilet or faucet – before it has a chance to use so much water and accumulate a lot of money on the bill.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to send me a message or give me a call.

There is some misinformation going around, so I need to clarify a few points so you understand exactly what is being proposed:

1) The policy would only allow consumption in three public areas: Rotary Park, North Park and the airport.

2) Permits would be awarded on a case-by-case basis. A person or group would have to submit a proposal for a specific event for council review and approval.

3) A number of restrictions and guidelines are built into the ordinance – a roped off section for consumption, designated entrances/exits and appropriate security, and ID checks, among other things.

The genesis of this ordinance was a series of requests from three different entities, based on events they wanted to hold. The organizers of the airshow this year wanted to host a dinner function with drinks for the contributors to the airshow in the then city-owned hangar. Some representatives from the Kirksville Rotary Club wanted to see greater usage of the new amphitheater in the park – for wedding receptions to be able to do a champagne toast, for example. And Steve Bell asked to be able to have beer sales available for out-of-town adult tournament games, like they do at other cities, citing a lack of alcohol as the reason why we cannot host these events now.

I have received relatively little feedback regarding these policies, and little of that has been negative. A few residents have spoken with me who are completely against it. But the majority of the others are either for it or take a more balanced view. Many have told me that they would not like to see unrestricted alcohol consumption in the park, but that these restrictions seem appropriate and acceptable.

I’ll let you judge for yourself. Below is a document with more information, including the complete text of the proposed ordinance. Please read it and let me know what you think. I really need your feedback on this!

alcohol-policy-info (PDF)

Here is the background: In order to operate a business within a residential area, a person needs to apply for a “special use permit.” Ms. Platte applied for one in Nov 2000 to open the Brashear House Bed & Breakfast. This is a long process, with public hearings held by the Planning and Zoning Commission. In the end, after citizen input and careful consideration, the Commission at the time recommended – and the City Council granted – the permit, which included the stipulation that the driveway be paved within 5 years. She accepted it at that time and opened her business. 

I do need to note that this, in itself, was Ms. Platte’s first break. The Commission could have required her to hard-surface her parking area BEFORE it granted the permit. In fact, this is usually what happens. Instead, they gave her 5 years to do this.

She did not pave her driveway within 5 years. The Council could have rescinded her permit at that time, but they did not. Instead, city officials then met with her to try to help her out. They reduced the amount she had to pave and gave her another year to pave ONLY 25% of this new amount. She did not.

The Council could have rescinded her permit at that time, but they did not. Instead, city officials (Mari Macomber and Brad Selby) met with her again. Through creative interpretation, they reduced the amount she had to pave even more, then gave her another month to get 25% of this new amount paved. She did not.

Mari Macomber even offered to look into a low-interest loan of taxpayer money to help her. We’re talking around 1.5%. Again, she was not interested. City officials bent over backwards to accommodate Ms. Platte, but she refused to comply every time.

I absolutely hated to make this vote, but it was the only right thing to do. Nobody on the Council or in this town wants to see another business close. But I believe the Kirksville taxpayers expect us to be fair and hold people accountable to their contracts with the City – a.k.a. the Citizens – whether you are a business owner or not.

I believe you elected me to make the right decisions – not just the comfortable ones. This was a very uncomfortable decision for me. As I mentioned at Tuesday’s meeting, I lost sleep over this, knowing it was coming up. I prayed that Ms. Platte would do something – ANYTHING – to demonstrate she was trying to hold up her end of the deal. Unfortunately, to this date, not a single square inch of her area has been paved.

But not all is lost. She is free to apply for another special use permit. Maybe this time the Planning and Zoning Commission will see things differently and not require her to hard-surface her parking area. Or maybe she will finally do it and it won’t be an issue. In any case, I hope Ms. Platte will be able to reopen the Brashear House Bed & Breakfast soon.

It does require mentioning that Air Choice One has been doing a much better job than previous carriers of keeping us informed as things occur. This is especially impressive when you consider they are a brand new regional airline carrier. Let’s hope this continues!

You can read the full text of the agreement on the City’s website. We went over it line-by-line at last night’s study session, so this will likely be a quick meeting with a short vote. But as HIT’s signers will only be in town for the next couple of days, we thought we’d pass this as soon as possible to make best use of their time. Still, please come if you have any questions or concerns to share with the council.

She provided us with a preliminary compilation of programs and events that community agencies currently offer of interest to seniors. Richard is going to gather some more information. We will continue to research and discuss this.

Here is the document: senior_programming (PDF document)

To Kirksville’s senior community: This is only the beginning, but I would be especially grateful if you would look at this document and give me your feedback. What more needs to be done?

Here’s a document that explains all about KirkTran and gives more detail about yesterday’s meeting: kirktran info