LINN — At their April 29 meeting, Linn aldermen approved Ordinance #2026-004, which increased the city water rates, and Ordinance #2026-005, which increased the city’s sewer rates. Domestic in-city water base rates will increase by $1 to $18 per month, and the rate per gallon over the base rate of 1,000 gallons will increase by $.001 to $.008875 per gallon. The commercial in-city base rate will remain at $18 per month, but the rate per gallon over the 1,000-gallon base fee will increase by $.001 to $.0085 per gallon. The minimum base rates for domestic accounts outside of the city limits will increase by $2.05 to $24.66 per month, and gallons used over the minimum will increase by $.002 per gallon to $.009875. Commercial out-of-city base rate will remain the same at $24.66 per month and $.009875 per gallon for usage over the base minimum of 1,000 gallons.

All sewer commercial and domestic base rates will increase by $.50 per month, with commercial in-city monthly rates at $20.50 per month and domestic in-city rates at $19.25 per month. Usage per gallon over the 1,000-gallon base rate will increase by $.0005 per gallon with both commercial in city and domestic in city’s new rates at $.0095 per gallon. There will be a $1.88 increase for the monthly flat rate, which will now be at $39.42 per month. The commercial base rate outside the city limits will increase by $3 to $99 per month. The domestic base rate outside of city limits will increase by $1 to $28 per month. The rate per gallon over the 1,000 allowed for the base rate for both commercial and domestic out of city limits will increase by $.0005 per gallon. The new commercial out-of-city rate over the 1,000-gallon minimum will be $.009 per gallon, and the new domestic out-of-city rate over the 1,000-gallon minimum will be $.00975 per gallon.

The new rates for both the sewer and water customers went into effect on May 1.

In other business, aldermen approved Maguire Iron to conduct an inspection and clean-out plan for cleaning out the water towers for $7,950. Aldermen approved a 10-year contract with Maguire, during which the firm will clean out the water towers and haul off the silt three times. The city reached out to two other contractors for the same scope of work, and the estimates were Cunningham for a single clean-out for $2,750 per tank and Utility Services Company Inc. for $1,735 per tank. Both Cunningham and Utility Services only offered quotes for a one-time clean-out and not the multiyear contract that was ultimately accepted by the aldermen.

“We’ve worked with Maguire before, and they’ve done good work for the city,” Mayor Dwight Massey said.

* Aldermen approved annual dues of $500 to the Gasconade County Enterprise Zone (GVEZ), which encourages businesses to locate in the area and is made up of banks, businesses, and municipalities.

City Clerk Carrie Grellner noted that the city has been paying the annual dues to GVEZ for as long as she has been working for the city.

* Bartlett & West provided a progress report for the Lee Mar Hills Regionalization Project. The progress report noted that the cultural resource survey with Flat Earth Archeology, LLC had completed its study, and no cultural resources were discovered. Bartlett & West plans to finalize plans and specifications for bidding and coordinating with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on the necessary steps that need to be completed before the job can be sent out for bids. Currently, Bartlett & West believe that the project is on schedule. Per the grant, construction needs to start by Sept. 30, 2027, and be completed by Sept. 30, 2028.

“They are creeping along,” Massey said.

* Property owner Anthony DeLong asked aldermen to help with a high sewer and water bill from his rental building.

“I redid the motel in 2021,” DeLong explained. “I busted my tail for two to three years turning that property around and getting good tenants in there.”

DeLong believes a tenant was deliberately running up the water bill recently.

“I don’t know if my tenant was just running the faucets or the toilet was always running,” DeLong said. “I try to keep on top of things, but this is just a huge bill.”

DeLong explained that he had to call the Linn Police Department and have Chief Sam Ford help him with this tenant on several occasions.

“We had to have the tenant forcibly evicted, and the police chief was awesome in how he handled it,” DeLong said. “I think this guy had a drug problem on top of being mentally ill. What it comes down to is that we would like to have some help with the water and sewer bill. The bill is outrageous, and it just makes me ill because I think he did it maliciously. This has been a real nightmare.”

Since the incident, DeLong has had a sensor attached to the main water line so that he will be alerted anytime that the water usage becomes excessive.

Chief Ford reported that officers had been called to the apartment for a dispute between the tenant and DeLong on several different occasions.

“On one of the calls, there was a dispute between Mr. DeLong and the resident because the resident would not let him or his contractor in for what could only be considered an emergency water leak, because the downstairs apartment could have been affected,” Ford explained. “I was aware that he was denied entry in an attempt to make repairs.”

DeLong complimented Ford on how well he handled the situation with the tenant.

“He (Ford) handled it in an awesome way and diffused everything,” DeLong explained. “The situation was horrible, but it could have been much worse. Linn is lucky to have Chief Ford. He handled everything well.”

Grellner did not have the exact amount due on the account, but believed that DeLong’s normal water and sewer bill for the building was around $800 per month and was close to $9,000 at this point, noting that for several months, the usage was over 100,000 gallons.

Aldermen asked Grellner to pull DeLong’s past bills and look at when the water usage started to increase, and the exact amount due for the next meeting.

“We need to have more details before we can make a decision,” said Alderman Steve Boeckmann.

DeLong agreed that it was fair, and any decision regarding the bill will be tabled until the next meeting.

* The city received three bids for new HVAC systems for City Hall and the License Fee Office from Brandt Heating, Air Conditioning, and Fireplaces, Superior Services, and Heritage Mechanical Services. The bids offered various estimates with numerous options and details.

Aldermen asked to have the bids clarified and possibly a presentation that explains the estimates and any questions they might have at the next meeting.

* Aldermen unanimously approved a banner to be placed under the city’s welcome sign for the 250th Celebration of the United States by the Linn Community Battement Association. Massey asked if an additional sign could be placed on the pool fence.

Grellner will check and see if that is possible.

* The board tabled approval of an updated Personnel Handbook for the city. Aldermen received copies of the updated regulations and will vote on their approval at the next meeting.

* Aldermen approved $395 for a full-page ad in the Unterrified Democrat for the Osage County Fair.

* City Hall will be closed on Friday, May 22.

* Aldermen approved a partial payment of $1,091.25 for a report by American Leak Detection to look for the leak in the City Pool’s kiddie pool.

American Leak Detection will be back soon to complete the project.

* Park Board President Neil Loethen has been completing necessary maintenance for the city’s parks, including applying herbicides for weed control, working on reseeding the City Park, and painting the barriers and gates.

Loethen reported that ball teams are currently playing games, and he is in the process of setting up the city’s t-ball teams.

Loethen reported that the new slash pad for the City Park will not be ready for the summer due to the contractor’s schedule.

“It’s going to probably be pushed back to the fall,” Loethen said. “Sorry, kids! We’ll get it up as soon as we can.”

Loethen will also work with Alderman Bill Turner to identify additional trees that will need to be removed from the parks.

* Massey explained that he plans to help Utilities Supervisor Aleks Rowinski replace a culvert on Eleventh Street.

“He asked for assistance, and I will try to find the time,” Massey said. “There has been an issue there, and it’s gotten worse with the heavy rains we’ve had.”

* Ford reported that the K-9 team has completed recertification for all disciplines.

He also noted that officers have been conducting targeted enforcement of the crosswalks on Main Street.

“We’ve had multiple complaints that traffic is not yielding to pedestrians,” Ford said.

He also reported that his team is doing more patrols of Jefferson Street.

Ford reported that the recent Bike Festival was a success.

“We had zero problems with alcohol, underage drinking, and disorderly conduct,” Ford said. “I think they should do it again next year, and that it is an event that will continue to grow.”

* Turner reported that he had spoken with Hometown Lumber about the problems the city has been having with the garage doors for the wash bay of the city shed.

“He wasn’t aware of anything wrong other than the weather stripping was missing,” Turner said. “He said he hadn’t been updated on anything else.”

Massey said that he would contact him and see if he could get everything straightened out.

* Aldermen passed Ordinance #2026-006, which adopted a surplus budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, with an estimated total operating revenue of $5,948,741.50 and total capital improvement revenue of $2,229,848.54, which gives the city an estimated total revenue of $8,178,590.04. That’s up significantly from last year’s estimated total revenue of $6,439,723.39. Aldermen estimated operative expenditures at $4,241,859.32 and capital improvement expenditures at $638,050 for total expenses anticipated at $4,879,909.32, an increase from last year’s estimated total expenses of $2,663,392.47. The new 2026-27 budget shows a balance of $3,298,680.72, which is lower than last year’s balance of $3,776,330.92.

In a written explanation, the city noted that the main reason for the budget increases was due to salaries. The city is also expecting phone franchise fees to decrease, while water and sewer revenues are expected to increase with the new approved rates.

The city predicts revenue increases in the following areas: water (from $1,060,078.81 to $1,171,639.81), police training fund (from $1,987.66 to $2,562.66), sewer replacement fund (from $482,402.55 to $485,316.47), water replacement fund (from $544.534.48 to $590,854.48), grant fund revenue (from $5,788.60 to $1,601,762.58), general improvement (from $783,280.23 to $1,010,761.60), sewer fund (from $1,347,305.80 to $1,475,078.80), license fee office (from $131,635.49 to $171,310), and park improvements (from $1,948.24 to $15,448.24). The new budget anticipates a decrease in revenues for the following areas: park (from $135,091.17 to $105,453.57), general (from $1,695,426.11 to $1,514,141.15), and the pool fund (from $99,992.90 to $78,102.93).

Expenses are expected to increases for the following line items: sewer (from $473,277 to $578,632), grant fund (from $26,968.82 to $1,622,942.80), general improvement (from $27,318.63 to $570,000), sewer replacement (from $36,086.08 to $39,000), police training (from $75 to $2,000), police (from $551,369.32 to $666,949.54), board (from $19,659.60 to $25,303), water (from $296,489 to $414,024), pool (from $74,361.29 to $77,738), and street (from $63,857.56 to $77,339).

Aldermen estimate fewer expenses than the 2025-26 fiscal year in the following areas: pool improvement (from $0 to $13,500), park improvement (from $169,969.09 to $15,550), park (from $91,162.60 to $66,577.50), and general administration (from $701,162.99 to $539,043.49).

Linn had the following ending balances in their government fund accounts as of March 31: general ($535,746.01), pool ($28,61.29), park ($70,434.59), police training ($1,239.66), general fund improvement ($3,762.09), park improvement (-$20,962.38), and pool improvement ($1,948.24).

* The city had the following ending balances in its business-type accounts as of March 31: water ($527,338.52), water replacement ($163,498.36), sewer ($516,936.92), sewer replacement ($59,838.93), and grants (-$97,931.66).

* The city had a total of $1,420,079.92 in the following certificates of deposit: general ($89,907.37), water ($89,914.10), water fund ($69,953.28), sewer replacement ($393,364.59), water replacement ($337,169.64), street #1 (122,198.33) street #2 ($131,011.99), sewer #1 ($100,081.71), and sewer #2 ($86,478.91).

* Aldermen approved outstanding expenses totaling $244,203.21.

* Linn had the following ending balances in their governmental fund accounts: general ($535,746.01), pool ($28,611.29), park ($70,434.59), police training ($1,239.66), general fund improvements ($3,762.09), park improvements (-$20,962.38), and pool improvements ($1,948.24).

* The city had the following ending balances in business type funds: water ($527,338.52), water replacement ($163,498.36), sewer ($516,936.93), sewer replacement ($59,838.93), and grants (-$97,931.66).

* Linn had $1,420,079.92 in certificates of deposit.

* The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 18, at 5:30 p.m.