Monett City Council passes resolution to work with Law. Co. Emergency Services

Plans for revised airport board, fire equipment unveiled to public
 
During a work session on Dec. 4, the Monett City Council took action on two resolutions and discussed plans for the Monett Regional Airport and the fire department.
Council members approved a new intergovernmental service agreement with the Lawrence  County Emergency Services for providing callouts for utility services. Barry County declined to handle utility calls after taking on 911 calls, but Lawrence County agreed to handle utility calls after-hours and on holidays. City Administrator Mickey Ary said calls for utility service were cut off at the county’s end. The old contract did not require any notice to discontinue service.
According to Bonnie Witt-Schulte, director of the Lawrence County dispatching center, the city discontinued use of equipment in November that enabled direct radio contact between dispatchers and crews in the field. After numerous requests for the city to resolve the problem, service was suspended as a safety concern.
The information technology issue has since been resolved, Ary said. Utilities Superintendent Skip Schaller noted new language inserted into the contract calls for a 30-day notice for any future suspension, which he felt should prevent a future cut-off.
Service was restored the day after the agreement was passed.
Another resolution changed the name of the lessee of the radio broadcast tower on the Lowe’s water tower. The new seven-year contract changed the name of the contractor to CoxHealth, instead of CoxHealth Systems, which the healthcare provider reported was no longer acceptable. The change was classified as “a scrivener’s error.”

Airport board
Mayor Randy Burke expressed interest in establishing a new charter for the airport board. Ary noted that in the past, the airport board was considered an advisory body, but never had official standing beyond that, nor the authority to approve contracts. He added the city code offered no definition for an airport board.
Steve Stockam with Olsson Engineering, a former manager of the Joplin airport, sent the city a letter recommending to the city attorney how to establish authority for an airport board. Commissioner Ken Gaspar thought that former city administrator Chris Weiner and airport board chairman Brian Hunter drafted a version that the city council never adopted.
Under the new proposal, the airport board would become a city committee or commission. Its members would be appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council, similar to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Ary said this would be similar to other cities, like Rogers, Ark., which has a seven-member board. Presently, five people serve on Monett’s board.
With the airport becoming better known regionally, Ary said the charter would enhance the airport’s position. Both the Barry and Lawrence county commissions expressed interest in having a seat on the panel. Other members could include a city commissioner, someone from the economic development committee, a pilot, and a representative from a local financial institution. Burke commented that the county commissioners could aid in managing the airspace, such as trying to control a private interest erecting another broadcast tower in the Pierce City area.
Ary anticipated having an ordinance ready for action in January or February.

Fire department needs addressed
Fire Chief Brandon Pennington brought two items for the city’s 2026-27 fiscal year from the fire department, where discounts could be secured by early action.
Pennington noted replacing the city’s ladder truck, now 30 years old and officially at the end of its recommended lifespan, will cost around $1.8 million. He changed his request from earlier from a single-axel to a double-axel truck. Pennington noted the current ladder truck could not reach the top of one of the buildings on the Jack Henry campus. A single-axel truck with a 107-foot stick has a load tip of 500 pounds, while a tandem-axel truck can support 750 pounds, offering more reach and better safety for the firefighters.
The Pierce company, which has manufactured most of the city’s fire trucks, can offer a prepayment plan that would drop the price to $1.7 million, Pennington said. The city would not have to pay for the truck until next year’s budget. Prices continue to rise, the Pierce company reported, and likely would go up 2 to 4 percent in January. Pennington expected a new truck to last at least 25 years. The old truck would be kept as a reserve, providing additional credit through the Insurance Services Office (ISO).
“We simply have to do this,” Burke said. “It’s a matter of how much to pay.”
Pennington observed the city could explore other financing options that the payment plans offered by Pierce. Ary said the city could approach the five banks in town for proposals.
Pennington also reported the department’s firefighting bunker gear has one year left before the 10-year lifespan on them expires. The department will need 32 sets, two for each firefighter, at a cost of $137,709.22. He provided three different lease purchase options. The bid price was good through Dec. 17, and payment would not be due until May 2026.
The city’s oldest fire pumper, Pennington also noted, dates from 1989. He urged council members to look at replacing a fire truck every four to five years. Each new truck takes 36 to 39 months to build. The city does not have to spend the money until the truck is picked up.

Human resources policies
According to Ary, the city has myriad policies overseeing personnel, coming out of both ordinances and resolutions. Burke observed in all the places he has worked, personnel directives have all been policies. Jessica Stamps, the city’s HR generalist, presented council members with a detailed list of the city’s directives, several of which have been undone by department heads through memos. “There may be more,” she added. Stamps wanted to place a definitive list into the employee handbook.
Ary recommended passing an omnibus bill repealing all the old versions, which would have to be in ordinance form to eliminate earlier ordinances, then adopting a new version combining all the updates into one package, including definitions. He hoped to be ready for action in January.

Wastewater pretreatment permits
Council members held an extended discussion with environmental program manager Katie Bruegge via video link over updates to the wastewater pretreatment permits, which are revised every five years. She and Skip Schaller explained the city has capacity to treat effluent volume from its industries. The pretreatment process with seven firms reduces the intensity of the effluent to where the city’s plant can complete the cleansing process.
Schaller said industries meet with the city annually, usually in April, to review the operations and permit requirements. Bruegge said local limits are set by city ordinance, different for each business. New language was presented, anticipating repeal of the old versions for the coming year. New requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency were included, plus a new nitrogen standard. Bruegge added the changes made side-by-side comparisons difficult. Pending standard increases for phosphorus and total nitrogen are yet to come.
Schaller said pretreatment standards usually change every five years, when the city’s permit changes under new EPA limits. The last permit was updated in 2014 then revised two years ago. The old version remains in effect until a new one is adopted.
Bruegge said the next step will have council members endorse the latest updates. Modifications will go to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for review, which could take as long as six months. Once approved by DNR, the council will pass the final version.