CHAMOIS — After approving the agenda, unpaid bills, and election results, Chamois City Clerk Meghan Birmingham administered the oath of office to a largely new governing body. Shawn Mitchem, who previously served as an alderman, was sworn in as mayor, while all seated aldermen are new to the board.

Mercedes Durham and Darrell Chrisenberry were elected to two-year terms, while Justin (Jay) Bathke and Dylan Barnes were elected to one-year terms. The one-year terms fill seats vacated by prior resignations and subsequent appointments, restoring the city’s staggered election cycle intended to maintain continuity on the board.

In their first meeting together, the new board took a collaborative approach, with all members asking questions, weighing options, and working through decisions collectively.

“First of all, I want to congratulate all the electees,” Mitchem said before introducing himself. “Congratulations on being voted in for the board. The main thing I want to do is just help the community.”

• The previous board approved $7,252.35 in unpaid bills. During that discussion, Treasurer Theresa Walter told the board a $1,941 check for Workers’ Comp insurance, issued in late March, had not been received by the provider. That board approved a $35 stop payment on the check and agreed to reissue payment to avoid a lapse in coverage. Both outgoing Mayor Marie Slusser and Mitchem offered to hand-deliver the check, but the issue was complicated by the need to change signers at the bank after the new board was sworn in. It was agreed that Walter would ask for a small extension, but that the new board would do everything possible to complete the bank paperwork so the check could be delivered on time.

• The city is also continuing work to identify lead service lines. “When they potholed, they did not find a lot, so we’ve got a lot of unknowns,” Birmingham said. “After talking with Aaron, he let me know - Aaron’s our water operator from Mid Mo - that DNR has a deadline of when all of them have to be known. But we do have a couple residents who are very concerned, because they got those letters, and they don’t know what pipes are on the city side.”

Lane and Delbert Wieberg of Crossfire Underground discussed hydrovac excavation as a method to locate lines, with estimates of about $750 per property for two locations, or possibly $500 per property if multiple locations were completed at once.

“What I’m mainly concerned about, talking with Aaron, is that your contractor out of Washington took all your grant money and only did 10%,” Wieberg said.

“We don’t have any grant money left,” Birmingham said. “We have what was required, but then there’s a lot of unknown ones. I have not finished counting them up, but there’s quite a few.”

The board tabled the issue to review costs and determine how many locations need to be addressed.

• An update was provided on cemetery maintenance, where a civic organization, Friends of Chamois Cemeteries (FCC), is working toward an agreement to take over upkeep. “The (FCC) is basically wanting to take the cemetery funds that we have and put it in their own cemetery account, fund, thing, and then them just basically take over the cemetery - mow it, clean it, keep it up,” Mitchem said.

“If there’s nothing against it in a legal aspect, then I don’t see a problem with it,” said Durham, who also sits on that board. “They’re doing great things up there. If they’ve got the time and the ability, then why not?”

The board will revisit that issue after receiving the memorandum.

• The city is currently without a prosecuting attorney following the recent resignation of Amanda Grellner. Mitchem presented a proposal from Rob Schollmeyer offering to handle court appearances for $75 per court appearance and $250 per hour for trial preparation and hearings. The board tabled the decision to allow time to review the proposal and meet with the attorney. A special meeting is scheduled for May 1 for that purpose.

During the discussion, it was clarified that the city could continue to write tickets as long as a new prosecutor was hired in a timely manner.

• The city accepted a lone bid of $500 from Mike Nolting for the 0.11-acre property between Chamois Ag Supply and the Ag Supply warehouse (currently being used as the business’s parking lot). Nolting also offered to pay the recording fees.

• Staffing needs were a major topic, with Mitchem asking the board to consider hiring someone to cut the grass. “This is where I’m hurting, because I mow a lot of grass, because we have basically no grass-mowing people, and I’m getting old and starting to hurt,” Mitchem said. “I’ve been doing it for a couple months now, and last year.”

Discussion included the amount of mowing required across city properties, as well as whether duties should eventually include snow removal.

The board approved placing an advertisement for a groundskeeper position for up to 30 hours per week at approximately $16 per hour, or to accept contractor bids for the work.

• The board also discussed equipment issues. A city mower is currently being evaluated to determine whether repair is cost effective, while the city’s dump truck was described as being in poor condition, with concerns that repairs may cost more than replacement. The board voted to advertise the dump truck for sale on the city’s Facebook page and with locally-placed flyers.

• Walter outlined several financial concerns, including upcoming water system obligations of more than $55,000 due each Jan. and July in 2027 and 2028, as well as approximately $135,000 in engineering costs. She noted the city currently has about $276,000 in its water fund, emphasizing that those expenses will significantly reduce available funds.

“Starting in January, we’ve got water payments that are going to be $55,000 on Jan. 1 and July 1 in  both 2027 and 2028. We have to take that $220,000 out of the water,” Walter said. “Then we have an issue. Roughly $135,000 that’s got to come out of water, that we don’t have, due to engineering.”

• Infrastructure concerns were also a significant topic. City officials reported approximately 51% water loss, although the exact cause remains unknown. Some water meters have not yet been located by the contractor who reads the meters, complicating efforts to determine where losses may be occurring.

• Pothole repairs were also discussed, including the use of cold patch materials costing between approximately $11 and $17 per bag. Bathke recommended buying in bulk to reduce costs, however, no decision was made.

• The board voted to keep the city dumpster closed to the public after reports of misuse, including large items and prohibited waste being dumped. Officials cited liability concerns and prior issues with overfilled containers.

• The board voted not to buy an ad in the Unterrified Democrat’s visitors’ guide, citing budget constraints after learning they are already over budget for advertising this year.

• The city has also implemented an ATV and UTV permit system. Permits will cost $15 annually, with revenue split between the street and police funds. Operators must provide a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance. Permits are available at City Hall, and this year’s stickers were donated by Riley Lewis.

• The board approved bank signers for city accounts (Mitchem, Durham, and Chrisenberry) and the water project (Barnes and Bathke), and selected Bathke as mayor pro tem.

• Walter asked whether she and Birmingham would be required to work holidays, as they were required to under the previous administration. The board voted that they would not.

• Members also discussed moving regular meetings to the last week of the month to better align with billing cycles and administrative needs. The board will begin meeting on the last Wednesday of the month, beginning on May 27.

• County Aid Road Trust (CART) distribution received from the state of Missouri for the month of March was $1,780.69, including Motor Fuel Tax ($1,324.14), Motor Vehicle Sales Tax ($344.93), and Motor Vehicle Fee Increases ($111.62).

• Other taxes collected for March totaled $4,180.28, including Franchise Tax ($2,526.78), Sales Tax ($965.53), and Property Tax ($687.97).

• The end-of-month bank balances for April showed a total of $568,741.08 in checking, including General Fund ($20,961.27), City CDBG In & Out ($10), City Park ($8,587.45), Cemetery Fund ($3,331.14), ARPA Funds ($71,169.95), Water Fund ($276,310.64), Sewer Funds ($131,070.75), City Police ($1,118.25), Online Bill Pay ($21,279.66), and Street ($34,901.97).

• Savings account balances totaled $103,319.96, including Sewer Bond Reserve ($26,918.05), City Cemetery ($21,011.37), Water Repair ($30,230.47), Meter Deposits ($18,188.09), and Sewer Repair ($6,971.98).

• CDs totaled $12,318.10, including two one-year ($2,138.44 and $1,483.67) and three two-year ($2,495.99, $5,200, and $1,000).