Chamois aldermen approve demolition bid

By Theresa Brandt, Staff Writer
Posted 11/11/21

Chamois aldermen last Thursday approved a bid from   Deer Creek Trucking and Excavating to demolish the old house on the property at 322 E. Missouri Drive. The property was donated to the city …

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Chamois aldermen approve demolition bid

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Chamois aldermen last Thursday approved a bid from  Deer Creek Trucking and Excavating to demolish the old house on the property at 322 E. Missouri Drive. The property was donated to the city and aldermen are determined to tear down the dilapidated house. 

Deer Creek Trucking and Excavating’s bid of $6,450 will cover the demolition of the two-story structure, hauling off debris, filling in the basement with dirt, and having the area ready for seeding. 

Hackmann Trenching and Backhoe also bid the same scope of work but the cost was $9,710.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Alderman Jim Wright said. “We go with the cheaper bid.”

Neither bid covers reseeding the area.

In other business, City Clerk Michelle Stanley has resigned for personal issues, effective immediately. 

“This sorta came out of thin air,” Mayor Elise Brochu said. “She got blindsided by it too.”

Brochu explained that she and Utilities Supervisor Danny Kirsch will work together to fill the position until a new city clerk can be hired. Aldermen approved putting an ad in the Unterrified Democrat for a part-time position for city clerk. The city of Chamois would be interested in hiring two different people for this position. Starting pay will be around $12 an hour and will be determined once a new employee is hired.

* Aldermen approved paying $35 per customer to file in small claims court for customers who have unpaid utility bills and known addresses. For customers with unpaid balances and unknown addresses, aldermen agreed to pay $55 to file in small claims court. Customers with known addresses will have paperwork delivered in certified letters. In the case of a customer having an unknown address, the paperwork will be served by the Osage County Sheriff’s Office.

Wright will continue to update the board on the status of the cases being filed in small claims court.

* The Osage Nation was not happy with the results of the cultural resources study that was recently conducted to proceed with the city’s water project.

“My take on the letter was that the results of the survey were not conclusive enough where they felt comfortable enough to tell us to proceed,” Brochu said. 

At first, the Osage Nation requested that the city proceed only with an archaeologist on site. 

“Everyone talked and (the Osage Nation) have agreed that we can proceed if we move out of the cultural resource site areas,” Brochu said. “As of now, we’re back on track.”

Brochu also noted that the city has received approval for funding for continued work on the water project for 2022. The city has just received the packet with the approval of new funding and will review that with aldermen at the next meeting.

* Aldermen tabled the issue of how to pursue city ordinance violations within the county court system or to set up its own city court. Brochu and aldermen preferred to table the issue until a city clerk could be hired.

* Outstanding bills for the month were approved for $5,464.09.

* The city has the following account balances: cemetery ($10,206.17), city cemetery ($19,921.69), city park ($2,456.59), general fund ($63,967.99), meter deposits ($22,174.43), sewer ($42,003.28), sewer bond reserve ($26,583.76), sewer repair ($6,902.62), water ($153,113.67), and water repair ($28,851.78).

* Chamois holds five certificates of deposit totaling $12,066.90.

* The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.