Chamois aldermen last Wednesday voted to postpone the city’s election until next April. The board had the choice to hold a special election in November, but decided against that option.
These two choices were offered as options after several long conversations with both the city’s attorney, Amanda Grellner, and the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office.
“We can just do it like we would normally do it, in which Matt ( Shockley) and Debbie (Huff’s) seat would be one-year terms to keep things staggered and I’m not really sure what would happen with the mayor’s position, if it would be a one- or two-year term,” Mayor Elise Brochu said. “If we do it as a part of the normal election cycle there is less cost and work for the city. Everyone who wants to file to run will have to file again and basically we will start from scratch.”
“I think that is a good idea,” Alderman Debbie Huff said. “I’m all for that, but as I’ve told Elise, more than likely I will probably go ahead and resign, and let Elise assign someone to my spot.”
Neither Brochu nor the aldermen or the clerk’s office have heard any complaints about the city’s election not being on the ballot.
“It is only a five-month difference,” Huff said. “It makes sense to just wait until the regular election cycle.”
In other business, the city of Chamois will begin enforcing the water shut-offs on July 7. The city has suspended water shut off’s during the COVID-19 pandemic and agreed to resume following the regular rules and guidelines starting in July.
Currently, the city of Chamois has 20 accounts that are past due. Residents with past-due accounts will need to pay their bills in full by July 7 or sign a payment plan with the city by that same date.
City Clerk Michelle Stanley will be sending out another letter to all past-due account-holders.
Stanley asked aldermen if the water could be turned on for a resident who bought an additional property even though he was on a payment plan on his current residence.
The board voted to follow already established rules that state that before water can be turned on at another property the bill must be paid in full at the current property.
Stanley also asked the aldermen if they wanted to remove the late fees for trash charges at a residence. The property owner told Stanley that he has not been using the trash service for the last two months.
Aldermen again voted to follow current rules that late fees will need to be paid in full.
* The board tabled discussions for the budget until the July meeting.
“There are some things that are really important to people,” Brochu said. “In my mind, streets and ordinance enforcement are the two biggest things that we need to spend extra money on. We have things we hear repeatedly that we need to give some thought to. I’m sure that if it’s in the paper people will come up and tell us what’s important to them.”
“I think that repairing a street a year is definite,” Alderman Marty Gerloff said. “I mean otherwise if that falls apart it seems like everything else falls apart.”
“If we don’t start finding money to do that sort of thing all the streets will be that way,” Shockley agreed.
“If our streets look bad, how can we complain about our properties looking bad,” Gerloff said. “If we make progress with that at least we have a leg to stand on with the other stuff.”
The city will continue through this month with the current budget and approve a final budget in July.
* The water project is still waiting on the final 2019 audit.
“We are a couple of months behind where we want to be on the water project, but the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) still has us on the expedited track,” Brochu said. “We are doing stuff as fast as we can to get this going.”
The city hopes to have the water project started yet this year but Brochu admits that might be a long shot.
“What is the water project going to cost us?”Shockley asked.
“We have, don’t hold me to this, $300,000 to $350,000 left in our bonding capacity so it is going to cost us between $300,000 to $350,000,” Brochu said. “That will be our loans.”
* Chamois city resident, William Dixon, who has addressed the board about the alley near his property several times, has recently had a survey done to figure out who owns the alley.
“I had the survey come back and $600 later the city of Chamois owns it,” Dixon said. “I’m recommending putting some no parking signs up in there so they will quit parking there and blocking my garage. And if you don’t want to mess with it, I’ll buy that property for $200.”
“We would have to see what we can do to vacate that alley,” Brochu said. “That will be a little more in-depth than any decision we can make tonight.”
“Normally it would take me two seconds to back in there,” Dixon said. “I backed into my garage yesterday and it took me eight minutes to maneuver around stuff.”
“In the past if the city chooses to vacate an alley, they offered half of it to each adjacent property owner,” Brochu warned.
“That would work too,” Dixon said. “Because it would open up my garage so that I could get in there better.”
“You told them when you were over there that one Sunday that there ain’t no parking in the alley,” Dixon said, referring to Mayor Brochu. “You didn’t even make it very far down the street when they had that alley filled up. They don’t listen.”
“I’m not sure that signs are going to change that because they already know they are not supposed to park there,” Brochu said.
“The other thing is we need to get some law back in here and get rid of all these crackheads and thieves,” Dixon said. “I know you ain’t got none where you live and I can’t say that I do or I don’t but I got my property where it takes pictures of everyone that walks around.”
“Crackheads and thieves are generally the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s department,” Brochu said.
“They won’t do nothing,” Dixon replied. “Even if I call them, they say it’s the city’s problem.”
“The alley is the city’s problem,” Brochu said.
“What I can’t understand is why the sheriff can’t come in here and enforce the laws,” Dixon said. “Why are we paying county taxes if they ain’t going to do nothing?”
“The sheriff’s department enforces the county’s laws and the state’s laws, but they don’t enforce the city’s laws,” Brochu explained. “The city’s laws are the city’s responsibility.”
“Well the house across the alley everybody is calling it the drug house,” Dixon said. “We don’t have no law in this town. They are blocking me in and he’s doing it on purpose. He’s already threatened to bash my face in.”
“It was a little heated when I was over there,” Brochu admitted.
“I’m from North St. Louis, I don’t care,” Dixon said. “I grew up using my hands, it don’t bother me but my wife is out here, and she doesn’t like violence.”
“We don’t want it to come to that,” Brochu said.
“Well, I’ve got my gun loaded and beside by bed if anyone comes in who ain’t welcome there,” Dixon said. “I would appreciate it if you would even talk about getting a cop in this town.”
Brochu assured Dixon that this is something they are considering.
Dixon thanked aldermen for listening to his complaints.
* Aldermen approved paying unpaid bills in the amount of $6,890.54.
* The city of Chamois had ending balances in the following accounts: general fund ($59,765.95), water fund ($98,926.04), sewer fund ($26,117.26), park fund ($386.34) and the cemetery fund ($9,643.17).
* In closed session, aldermen voted to eliminate the part-time maintenance position and subcontract mowing grass and weekend water sampling.
* Aldermen tabled the issue of giving a raise to Stanley until next month when they have final numbers put together for the budget.
* The next meeting will be held July 15 at 7:30 p.m.