META — As the city of Meta continues working through several long-running nuisance-property cases, aldermen are looking at additional enforcement tools that could give city officials more help before problems reach the courtroom.

On Aug. 13, aldermen renewed the city’s annual technical-assistance agreement with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), selecting the organization’s Prime membership after learning that MRPC can provide services similar to those of a code-enforcement officer and may also be able to assist with dangerous-building and demolition issues.

City Clerk Deidra Buechter said City Attorney James Klahr had recently made her aware that MRPC provides services the city had not previously been using.

“They offer a service that kind of is like a code enforcement officer,” Buechter said, adding that under that arrangement, MRPC personnel could inspect problem properties, issue the appropriate notices or citations and help administer the enforcement process.

Klahr added that the city would not necessarily need the entire board to serve as a hearing body if a property owner challenged an enforcement action. “It would not require everyone to come together, which would be a pain,” he said. “You all could designate somebody for that.”

Buechter said the discovery prompted her to ask MRPC representative Kelly Sink for a broader explanation of services available to member communities.

Sink also expressed interest in meeting with aldermen regarding a potential dangerous-building demolition grant. Buechter said she first intends to determine the program requirements and the amount of any local match.

“If the match is astronomical, then I’m just gonna tell her that’s not something we can do right now,” Buechter said. However, if the local cost is relatively small, she said it could be worth bringing the opportunity back to aldermen for consideration.

Meta had Prime membership during the previous fiscal year. For 2026-27, MRPC offered Basic membership for $500 with 15 service hours, Enhanced membership for $545.50 with 21 hours, and Prime membership for $591 with 27 hours.

Mayor Ivie Helton supported remaining at the Prime level, noting that the additional cost over Basic is $91 while providing 12 more service hours. “We probably used most all of them with all of our grant stuff,” Helton said of the city’s previous service hours. She added that, with officials now learning about other services available through MRPC, “we could capitalize on some of that.”

Alderman Austin Buechter ultimately moved to approve Prime membership because, “it fits our needs better,” he said.

CITY ATTORNEY UPDATES NUISANCE CASES

Klahr’s attorney report outlined work already underway on several nuisance properties. He is also revising Meta’s nuisance ordinance, which dates to approximately 2006 or 2007.

“I’m just making some updates to that,” he said, adding that he hopes to have a revised version available for aldermen to review at the September meeting. The board could act then or continue reviewing the ordinance into October.

The city had been prepared to seek a default judgment in July on the Debbie Welch property, but she appeared in court and provided additional photographs showing that some work had been completed.

“It was a modest amount of work that had been done, I think,” Klahr said.

The matter is now scheduled for trial on Dec. 7. Klahr said he will know closer to that date whether the city needs a witness to appear.

Buechter said Welch has asked the city for a specific list of remaining items and indicated she would be willing to travel to the area and spend a weekend addressing them.

Klahr cautioned officials to make sure anything they request is limited to work the city has legal authority to require. “Just be careful,” he said. “The things that the city is allowed to ask for are the things that it’s legally allowed to.”

Buechter said she had already discussed such items as repairing broken or hanging portions of the structure, addressing the exterior appearance and removing material scattered around the yard. Klahr recommended that any specific list be sent by email, with him copied on the correspondence, rather than through an informal text exchange.

Alderman Otto Wankum suggested that even cutting back some of the brush in front of the property would improve its appearance.

Klahr also reported movement in the Donnie Bastion property matter after previous difficulty reaching the property owner’s attorney. He noted that documents provided by the attorney showed the property has been a city concern since at least 2021.

Klahr said one continuing concern is material stored on the property, including debris associated with a shed that previously collapsed. The attorney agreed to speak with Bastion about whether some of the material could be stored elsewhere.

Klahr said he also intended to take updated photographs before leaving Meta because the property appeared more overgrown than during his previous visit.

“It’s not looking very, very good right now,” he said.

Regarding the Williams property, Klahr said he had sent another email and intends to file an amended petition correcting problems in the original filing.

If there is no response within 30 days after the amended action is filed, Klahr said the city could then pursue a default judgment.

Klahr also reported that Dale Campbell had not yet been served in a case filed around the middle of June. His office’s paralegal planned to contact the Osage County Sheriff’s Office again in an effort to complete service.

A separate potential nuisance issue was raised by Wankum involving a Fifth Street property where trees had been cut several months earlier, but limbs, logs, and other material remained.

“They cut a bunch of logs out of there, and it’s a friggin’ disaster area,” Wankum said. “You can’t even hardly walk down through it.”

He said some remaining trees also appear to be giving way while being supported by other trees near Fifth Street, creating another potential concern as winter approaches.

Klahr noted that the city had recently dealt with a similar wood-and-debris issue in the Schulte case, which was dismissed after the property was cleaned.

He said he would inspect the Fifth Street site.

In other business, aldermen also dealt with a considerably larger tree problem on city property, approving a $900 proposal from Wieberg Tree Service to cut up a large oak that fell behind the maintenance building.

Wankum said the tree broke approximately seven or eight feet above the ground but remained partially attached, making it unsafe for city workers to simply approach it with a chainsaw. “I’m afraid somebody’s gonna get hurt somewhere along the line,” he said.

The city obtained three estimates. Marshall’s Tree Services submitted the lowest at $850 to cut up the tree and place it on the existing brush pile. Wieberg quoted $900 to cut the tree into manageable pieces that city crews could move to the burn pile with a tractor.

Golden Oaks submitted a $1,300 proposal that included cutting and piling the tree, pushing other debris into the pile, and raking and blowing the area so it could again be mowed.

Wankum favored Wieberg based on previous experience with the company.

“They usually do a damn good job,” he said. “They clean up.”

Because city crews would still have to move and burn the wood gradually regardless of the contractor, Wankum said he had no problem assisting with the remaining work.

Helton agreed that the $50 difference from the lowest proposal was reasonable given the city’s experience with the company.

“We’ve worked with Wieberg’s before; they’re only 50 bucks more expensive than the lowest bid, and we know they do good work,” she said.

Alderman Buechter then moved to “hire Wieberg tree removal and get Otto’s nightmare taken care of,” drawing approval from the board.

• Meta’s postponed fireworks celebration has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5, during Labor Day weekend.

Buechter said Layman’s plans to attend as a food vendor, and she was also working with a second vendor interested in offering cake pops, brownies, cookies, and other sweets.

Helton suggested contacting the local coffee shop as well to see whether it might extend its normal hours with additional people expected in town.

MAINTENANCE WORK CONTINUES

During his maintenance report, Wankum said crews have continued mowing city rights-of-way and are trying to reduce the amount of time required for weed eating by making greater use of available mowing equipment.

One troublesome ditch remains on the west end of town, but Wankum said the city otherwise has been keeping up with mowing.

“We’re trying to stay ahead of whatever might be happening, and we’re doing a pretty good job of it,” he said.

Street signs remain an ongoing problem, particularly with truck traffic striking signs at tight corners.

Wankum acknowledged that some of Meta’s corners leave truck drivers little room to maneuver. Rather than immediately replacing every slightly damaged sign, crews straighten those that can still be used and replace them after repeated damage makes repair impractical.

Crews are also planning to repaint posts at the ballfield black. Wankum said he and employee Eli Libbert had developed a plan to pressure-wash the remaining paint from the posts before applying the new coating. A red, white, and blue color scheme had previously been considered but would have cost considerably more.

The city also put its older Gravely mower back into service after spending less than $200 on repairs. Wankum said the machine is neither the fastest nor the most comfortable piece of equipment the city owns, but it cuts grass and is now being used weekly.

Buechter also reported that installation of the city’s new locks is largely complete, with remaining work at the garage, maintenance building, and women’s restroom.