Monett City Council acts on fire equipment purchase

Contract extended for city engineer services
 
The Monett City Council took action to stay ahead of price increases on fire department equipment and advanced plans for wastewater treatment during its Dec. 11 meeting.
This was the last session, said Mayor Randy Burke, that will be held in the school district’s administration center. Remodeling has nearly been completed on the former Monett Community Center at 110 S. Maple Street. Future meetings will be held there.
Council members authorized purchasing 10 sets of protection gear for firefighters, with the current gear hitting its 10-year expiration date in 2026. Cost for bunker gear was $3,435 each or $109,920.35 total. Hoods, gloves, boots, belts, and straps cost an additional $14,818. The contact for equipment went to Sentinel Emergency Solutions of St. Louis, for purchase in the city’s 2026-27 fiscal year budget. Sizing will be left to Sentinel and the fire department.
With the fire department’s only ladder truck reaching 30 years old and needing major repairs during the past year, the council ordered a Pierce double-tandem axle truck with 107-foot ladder through MacQueen Emergency Group in St. Louis at a cost of $1,898,598, at the recommendation of Fire Chief Brandon Pennington during the December council work session. The purchase will again come under the as-yet-to-be-formulated fiscal year 2026-27 budget. City Administrator Mickey Ary reported the city was still exploring financing options with local banks and other possibilities.
Engineering services
Council members renewed the contract with city engineer Kevin Sprenkle, working as Sprenkle Engineering Services, for two more years. Sprenkle, who has been trying to retire, is deeply involved in design plans for the new railroad bridge on Chapell Drive as well as renovation of Central Avenue between Broadway and Cleveland Avenue. The staff report also cited Sprenkle’s preliminary work exploring a connecting road between Hwy. H and Hwy. 37, west of North Park.
The two-year contract cited a previously filed rate schedule.
Sprenkle commented that he has been a city employee since 1996, and that his service on city projects dates back another decade, specifically to designing the Centennial Overpass bridge that was subsequently built in 1988.
The council signed a one-year deal for maintenance on the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) at the Monett Regional Airport, with the expiration of the old contract. Since the city plans to move the equipment to the west side of the runway, the contract was made only through November 2026 with DBT Transportation Services of Houston, Texas, at a price of $6,119.
Council members passed a resolution endorsing modifications to the city’s industrial pretreatment program modifications with seven industries that have on-site facilities to treat effluent before discharging it to the city for processing. Utilities Superintendent Skip Schaller said the charges were part of getting a new permit for the city’s wastewater treatment plant. Surcharges on the industries would cover new costs and inspections by city staff to ensure compliance. DROP Collaborative and its environmental program manager Katie Bruegge worked out the complex details for the permit changes. The city code’s Chapter 705, detailing the legal authority and limits on wastewater discharges, ran 240 pages. The updated enforcement response plan will now be submitted to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for approval, then will come back to the council for final adoption.

Administrative reports
Ary reported attending a variety of meetings in the past month, including meeting with the Barry-Lawrence Ambulance District board about future growth of the city and the economic development firm CODEFI. He held four public meetings to explain particulars about the commission voters will elect in April to form a new charter for the city.
The police department reported responding to 1,309 calls for service in November, issuing 53 arrest reports, documenting 35 vehicle collisions that resulted in two injuries.
The public works department received a new leaf machine and gave it a test run.
Ary extended appreciation to electric department crews for setting up the Monett Area Chamber of Commerce’s displays for the Festival of Lights at South Park, running until the first full week in January.
A ribbon-cutting is planned for the remodeled city annex building on Jan. 29.
The next council meeting will be held on Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. The next scheduled work session was set for 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 22.