LINN — Linn aldermen approved Bill # 2026-016, an ordinance that awarded the bid for the walking trail at the City Park to Concrete Solutions for $43,000 at their meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Last month, the Parks Department received a grant from the Member Impact Fund Grants sponsored by Legends Bank, partnering with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for $45,200 to build a walking trail at the City Park. The city also received estimates from A2A Excavation Inc ($59,050), B & P Patterson ($47,900), and Big Timber Landworks ($142,800).

“There is quite a bit of difference between them, and Concrete Solutions is the cheapest, and we know they do good work,” said Linn Park Board President Neil Loethen.

Alderman Bill Turner noted that since there was additional money, the walking trail could be extended to include all the smaller pavilions.

“The idea was to make a continuous loop, and when I walked that area, we couldn’t make those areas ADA-accessible without raising the ground level,” Loethen explained.  “Everything must be ADA-accessible. I would love to go by the small pavilions, but we couldn’t make the ADA work.”

Loethen pointed out that the main pavilions and bathrooms are connected by ADA-accessible sidewalks and there had never been a plan to connect all the smaller pavilions.

“It would be nice,” Turner said. “Is there an issue with doing that?”

Loethen said he would have to measure the distances and see how much the additional sidewalks would cost.

He would also need to put up a sign to identify the project as a part of the Member Impact Grant along with Legends Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines.

In other business, Bartlett & West Project Manager Hope Drennan reported that progress was continuing for the Lee Mar Hill Regionalization Project. One of the remaining issues was to have easements signed.

“I have all of the easements prepared, and I believe most of the property owners are good to go on signing them. It’s just a matter of getting the signatures, and we have a meeting with one of the property owners,” Drennan said.

Drennan explained that Bartlett & West has the design completed and is currently under a final internal review before it is submitted to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

“Hopefully, that will be pretty quick since I know DNR has been wanting this project to get moving for a hot minute now, and it’ s a pretty straightforward design,” said Drennan.

Alderman Steve Boeckmann noted that the city has been working on this project for quite a few years.

“We’ve been talking about it for several years prior to that, so It’s been on our minds longer than we’ve actually worked on it,” Drennan added.

Mayor Mike Troesser offered to help to get the easements signed if necessary.

• Troesser asked for help from aldermen to ride with Bartlett & West Engineer Steve Jackson to discuss plans for street repairs.

“I know what he told me, but I would like someone else to go with Jackson so we will know whether we can do something or not this year,” Troesser said.

“I think we need to get prices on everything except Benton Street because I think Lee Street is going to cost more than everyone thinks it is going to cost,” Boeckmann said.

City Clerk Carrie Grellner suggested an estimate with a breakdown for each street.

Turner asked if there was a list of streets that Jackson had discussed with former Mayor Dwight Massey.

“They did discuss a bunch of streets, but I’m not sure which one they were,” Grellner said.

Turner said that he would like to know which streets Massey had discussed repairing with Bartlett & West.

“(Bartlett & West) told me they did not want to touch anything around Lincoln Street,” Troesser said. “I would like another opinion of what everyone thinks.”

“Dwight had been concerned about repairing Benton Street without dealing with the drainage issues,” Boeckmann said. “The water is going to go where we don’t want it to without a wall, and landowners are going to have a problem with that. Those were his thoughts.”

Flamm noted that Bartlett & West had refused to make repairs to Lincoln Street until drainage issues were addressed.

Boeckmann repeated that he thought that they needed pricing for the street repairs to move forward. He added that Twin Ridge had been discussed for repairs, but he wasn’t sure that was a good idea right now.

“It’s pretty rough,” Troesser said. “We did a little patching. I can tell you that Osage Industries has hired Bartlett & West to work up a proposal to widen the street there, and they would like us all to work together. You know, they realize that they have 165 employees coming in and out of there every day and a lot of big trucks, and they would like it to be safer.”

“But it’s not going to happen right away, so it still needs repairs,” Flamm said.

“If they are talking about fixing it next year, we don’t want to put a new top on it now, but if they are talking about five years down the road, we may need to do something sooner,” Turner said.

Troesser admitted he had no idea of a timeline for the project Osage Ambulances was proposing.

Troesser also talked about utilizing chip-and-seal for street repairs since the county is currently using this method for road repairs.

“I asked about longevity, and I was told it will last a couple of years, but I don’t know the cost on anything like that,” Troesser said.

“We have used chip-and-seal before, but it wouldn’t hold up,” Boeckmann said.

Grellner thought one of the reasons that the city had stopped using chip-and-seal was due to the complaints about people getting stuff on their cars.

“There has just been chip-and-seal put on Highway J by Highway 89, and it’s not bad at all,” Flamm said.

“They did the same from Highway C to Frankenstein,” said Alderman Chris Jaegers. “It’s definitely not like the old chip-and-seal.”

Drennan offered to talk to Jackson and see if he could schedule a special meeting to discuss all the options with the Board of Aldermen after Bartlett & West gets pricing.

“We need that list first,” Turner insisted, referring to what streets Massey had wanted to tackle first. “I don’t know what we can get done.”

• Aldermen approved a resolution accepting the actual revenues and expenditures for the 2025/26 fiscal year.

The amendment included changes to the city revenues as follows: general (increase of $236,050.36 for a total of $1,327,321.36), water (increase of $14,401.71 for a total of $373,212.71), park (decrease of $1,262.44 for a total of $64,237.56), police training (increase of $6 for a total of $706), sewer replacement fund ($increase of $14,129.41 for a total of $41,129.41), and water replacement (increase of $123,966.16 for a total of $657,224.16).

Expenditures were also amended to include general (decrease of $149,947.08 for a total of $1,504,158.13), park (increase of $15,210.57 for a total of $93,602.68), police training (decrease of $1,925 for a total of $75), and water replacement (decrease of $94,401.30 for a total of $482,959.56).

There were several discrepancies in the amended budget, including the water expenditures that seemed to be cut off and without totals; the sewer replacement fund had revenue budget numbers without budgeted expenditures listed, revenues for pool revenues were missing, as were any numbers for the sewer account.

• Last month, aldermen tabled any action on additional tree removal in the city parks as they decided what funds the expense would be used. Loethen said that he found the money in the park budget, and aldermen approved $4,100 for Mid Country Tree Removal to remove the dead trees from the park.

• Aldermen approved renewal of the annual basic membership with Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC). The cost of basic membership for the city is $1,380.35, based on a population of 1,435 people at $.95 per person, and includes 15 service hours.

“We always do the basic membership,” Grellner said.

• Aldermen tabled any decision on Levi Wolfe’s high water and sewer bill until Troesser could ask them what they are doing to prevent leaks on their rental property in the future.

Wolfe had an extremely high water and sewer bill for over 86,800 gallons of water from June 19 until July 12, 2026.

“Typically, they use 8,200 gallons of water per year,” Grellner said.

“If we are going to address high water and sewer bills, I have two more I could bring up,” Loethen said. “St. George had a running toilet for nine months to a year. If we continue to compensate people every time someone complains, you guys are going to be constantly making concessions.”

Loethen noted that it was up to aldermen, but if they chose to continue to make concessions for leaks, they should do so consistently.

“I get what you are saying, but it was clean water going through the system,” Troesser said.

“How do you know it was clean water?” Loethen asked.

“If they were going to the bathroom that much, they were having other issues,” Grellner added laughingly.

After a round of laughter, Turner asked what Wolfe was doing to prevent the leak from happening again.

“I agree with Bill,” Boeckmann said. “The only reason we did something for the other guy is because he planned to put a monitor on his water lines to keep it from happening again. This guy doesn’t have a plan other than replacing the faulty part.”

Grellner noted that Wolfe has paid the bill in full.

“He’s going to have to pay for the water,” Troesser said. “The only discount would be for the sewer charges.”

Troesser will contact Wolfe and report back to the board.

• Aldermen approved paying retired Utilities Supervisor Larry Fredrich $1,000 for 10 hours of labor.

“We had an unusual amount of water tower and lift station craziness of things that don’t typically happen,” Troesser said. “There was some preventative maintenance that was not being done. We needed some experience because we had to solve the issues. We called Larry, and he gave us some knowledge and helped us get through it.”

“If we had called anyone else, they would have charged us a lot more,” Grellner added.

• Troesser reported that he had been in touch with the Missouri Department of Revenue, and he was told that in 120 days, Linn would receive all the sales tax from the annexed area of the city.

“We can hope to see that money by next year,” Troesser said.  “The county says that we are on the books for property tax for this year. I don’t remember what the rates are, but as for the county, everyone’s ducks are in a row, and all our ducks are in a row. The state’s ducks are wandering around quite a bit, but it’s just going to take time.”

• The city’s financial audits should be completed earlier than expected. The 2023-24 audit is expected to be completed by the end of August and the 2024-25 audit by the end of September. City Treasurer Jeanna Monroe-Lansford is making the reconciliations as requested.

Monroe-Lansford has canceled several phone lines the city does not use, saving the city $166.96 per month to one company and another $45.70 per month to another company.

• Grellner has had to reschedule the call with the company that is codifying the city’s ordinances so they can be placed online. “We will get it taken care of,” she added.

• The city utilized the Purple Wave auction site to list unused items, with the first sale totaling $41,730.

• The city has made no progress in getting Hometown Lumber to repair the bathroom doors in the ADA bathrooms or the garage doors for the wash bay in the city shed. Loethen met with the original installer of the bathroom doors. “He told us it probably isn’t a good system for us,” Loethen said. “There is no timeline for repairs.”

Loethen added that the doors in the ADA bathrooms did work for a short time after the building was completed, and he was not sure if there was a warranty for the doors or the sensors.

“We would have to go through the contractor because we didn’t hire the installers ourselves,” Turner said.

“It’s Matt Lee’s (the contractor of the ADA bathroom) problem, not ours,” Troesser said.

“We can go down that road for a long time, or I can talk to another contractor and see if we can get the doors fixed,” Loethen said. “It was mentioned to me that it would be better to go with a push-button handicap-accessible door versus a sensor. I’m just ready to move on and get it fixed.”

“I think this should fall on the contractor,” Troesser insisted. “We hired the contractor, not Hometown Lumber.”

“Matt Lee’s probably not responsible anymore because it has been too long,” Boeckmann said. “I think we need to find someone else to fix it.”

Aldermen agreed to let Loethen reach out for a bid to fix the ADA-accessible doors for the bathroom and report back.

Troesser went to Hometown Lumber in person to discuss getting the garage doors for the city shed’s wash bay fixed.

“Was a letter sent to them like we discussed in the last meeting?” Turner asked.

“I personally talked to them, and I was told that they needed two weeks to get it fixed,” Troesser said. “That two weeks is going to be up soon.”

Turner asked what the letter that was sent to Hometown Lumber said.

“I never sent the letter because the mayor told me not to,” Grellner said.

“He promised me he only needed two weeks to fix them,” Troesser repeated. “I went up there and sat down with them, and they asked for two weeks, and two weeks is almost up.”

“I think we need to send him a letter about the garage doors,” Flamm said.

“We’ve been dealing with this for over a year,” Turner said. “We’ve had multiple people talk to him, multiple timelines for the repairs to happen, and promises it would be done.”

The city has not paid for the garage doors in the wash bay since the job has not been completed.  Troesser has another company willing to fix the garage doors, but the aldermen would like that amount deducted from the bill from Hometown Lumber.

• In park news, Loethen reported that the rotten and broken fascia boards on the large pavilion have been replaced.

Loethen hopes to make landscaping improvements to the City Park after the new walking trail is completed. KP Nilges is taking two weeks off at the beginning of September. Loethen said that he has someone covering bathroom maintenance, and he and Troesser will be sharing the responsibilities for cutting the grass.

Loethen proposed a Linn Parks logo to aldermen.

“I don’t have anything planned for it right now, but it may be something we could integrate into park signs in the future,” Loethen said.

While the idea was well liked, Turner wanted to know if there was a way to tie the logo into the City Pool and plans for a future walking trail.

“We have always separated the parks and pool,” Loethen said. “I think the pool warrants a bigger discussion. There are a lot of things that need to be done if the city wants to invest the money in the pool.”

Troesser agreed the pool deserved a bigger discussion but thought that the simple logo could still be incorporated to include the City Pool and any future walking trails.

“Keeping it simple is the right answer,” Troesser said.

Loethen also noted that the triangle flower bed that separated the parking lot from the street near the ball field is falling apart.

“The outside of it is rotting,” Loethen said. “The railroad ties are falling apart. I am planning to do something else in that area.”

Loethen is open to an Eagle Scout or other organization taking on the project as a community service project.

Turner had reached out to several additional pool companies, and there does not seem to be any interest in making repairs to the kiddie pool.

“We are kinda back to square one, or we can make the repairs ourselves,” Turner said.

Grellner has not received an itemized list of necessary pool bathroom repairs.

Monroe-Lansford has billed the Linn Lions Club for $12,800 for this year’s swimming lessons.

• Troesser reported that utilities employees have replaced one of the risers for a manhole cover that the city needed to have repaired. While the second riser is not quite the right height, Troesser is hopeful they will be able to put it in with a gasket.

“The positive is we have one of two installed,” Troesser said.

He reported that Nilges has been brush-hogging the sewer easements.

Grellner reported that there was a burst pipe in Well #2 that’s been repaired, and that Well #4 has had the tower washed out and inspected, but the city is waiting for the report.

Employees are getting the trucks ready for the winter and have completed filling potholes with cold mix on 11th Street and behind Legends Bank.

Grellner also noted that a relay had gone bad on the Jaegers Lift Station and Jeffries Electric was called in for repairs. Vandevanter will start the approved lift station inspections and install a pump next week. The city has also hired a new employee.

Troesser has a local contractor helping him write up the specifications for the repairs that are needed on Sixth and Ninth streets.

“The culverts have collapsed on both streets and need to be replaced,” Grellner said.

Troesser noted that both city trucks will need new tires before the winter.

“The tires for the one truck should have been ordered a year ago,” Flamm said.

“The taillights don’t work properly either,” said Troesser, who is making plans to have them repaired.

• The mayor was able to move resident Carrie Markley’s mailbox so that her mail could continue to be delivered. “I put in a new mailbox and moved the post myself,” Troesser said, noting that at least Markley could receive mail.

Markley attended the last meeting and complained about how bad her street was and that the post office refused to deliver mail because of the runoff water washing away around her mailbox and driveway. She challenged aldermen to look at the street themselves.

“I went down there, and the road is just terrible,” Turner said. “Have you looked at the shoulder of the road near the Dollar Tree?”

Aldermen were concerned about the shoulder of the road in the area around Dollar Tree where they had paid for MoDOT to make repairs.

Grellner is not sure what the city’s responsibility is and MoDOT’s responsibility.

• Troesser said that he has a plan to make repairs to the fence around the City Maintenance shed near the St. George Cemetery.

“I am going to fix the pipes with our guys by using sheet-metal screws so the poles aren’t falling apart,” Troesser said. “Once we got the poles straightened up, we can see what else we need to do.”

Turner asked if the fence posts were set in concrete.

“I do not know,” Troesser said. “I was waiting for the Purple Wave stuff to get out of the way and waiting for the weeds to get knocked back.”

“I think they have to be in concrete,” Boeckmann said.

• Turner has been working with Ameren to identify poles that can be used for Christmas decorations.

“All of the receptacles have to be replaced on all the poles,” Turner said. “The receptacles have to be removed from the poles that are being used. Poles with new installation will have to have new lines run.”

Turner estimated that the cost per pole for the materials would be $120 if they only needed to run 10 feet of line. He did not price the cost of installation.

“I bet it will be $500 to $1,000 per pole,” Flamm said.

Loethen noted that he had lights installed at the ballpark and the cost for installation was $5,000 for the installation of eight lights.

“I’m not opposed to buying new decorations if we can figure out how to pay for them,” Troesser said.

Turner said that new decorations cost anywhere from $400 to $800 each, depending on the size and design.

• Loethen created a rendering of office safety improvements, will reach out to a contractor for pricing, and present it to the board.

• Aldermen approved $196,035.07 in outstanding bills.

• The city of Linn had the following ending account balances: general ($261,999.49), pool (-$10,409.26), park ($65,683.86), police training ($2,855.66), general fund improvement ($248,762.09), park improvement ($39,229.33), pool improvement ($-$1,117.01), water ($567,185.82), water replacement ($181,158.36), sewer ($573,437.40), sewer replacement ($69,868.73), and grants (-$97,931.66).

• The next meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 21, at 5:30 p.m.