Verona Council reviews city payment policy

Alderman Hutson criticized for unauthorized legal bills with city attorney
 
An unusual exchange over city spending developed at the Nov. 25 meeting of the Verona City Council.
Alderman Willis Hutson made inquiries prior to the meeting about spending by city officials without authorization from city council members. Clerk Laura Hazelwood reported that any spending over $1,000 must go to bid, but that there was no policy or ordinance on how much the city office can spend. Joseph Heck, the previous mayor, set the office spending limit at $450.
Mayor Amy Spears joined the discussion, noting the city attorney advised her the mayor functions as the city supervisor, who is obligated to “keep the town running,” even if there is a breakdown at mid-month.
Hutson said city attorney Jon Gold offered the opinion that having a policy on spending would be advisable, and that the mayor could call a special session of the council if needed. Spears injected she had no problem with adding a policy, though spending has been “well under” the $500-a-month allotment.
At that point, Spears handed out copies of bills showing Hutson had run up $214 in bills with the city attorney, made “without discussing it with the council.” Spears generated an additional $50+ bill responding to Hutson’s actions. She declared council members were not authorized to speak to the city attorney without authorization by the council as a body. Free legal counsel was available from the Missouri Municipal League.
Council members voted to approve paying the bills anyway.
Additional questions came over the vendor who billed the city for three loads of dirty base to fix streets. Ted Dorton with public works pointed out that vendor had likely provided five additional loads that he had never billed, plus the rock laid in the ditch on Ella Street more than a year ago that had never been charged. Council members seemed to appreciate the vendor’s generosity, but also agreed they needed a vendor to submit timely bills or they would find another.
Additional questions arose when contractor Chris Vaught discussed differing opinions about how to handle stormwater runoff on the West Main Street/Farm Road 2220 hill. Vaught, who said he was not an engineer but has spent his career doing dirtwork, said the roadway itself was “tilted in the wrong direction,” and digging a ditch would not help. After cleaning the ditch, water ran down it adequately, as shown by the laser shot of it and a video during a heavy rain. Cutting a ditch, he warned, was more likely to create a hazard, particularly for drivers losing control on the notorious hill.
Alderman Tammy Jenkins suggested putting a whistle halfway down the hill, though expensive, could help move water in a more controlled manner. Vaught said with the present slope and no crown on the road, such a move might help, though making changes at the bottom still would not move stormwater adequately without redoing the road. Spears said with controversy over how to address the road, the council would defer to the “advice of a professional” and follow Vaught’s advice to leave the road alone.
As for action, the council approved:
• Splitting Greg Dawson’s property at 283 E. Washington, so that Matt Pruente, who owns the adjacent property, could buy it and leave it undeveloped so that no subdivision would develop behind the land. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the change.
• Council members approved having the council chambers painted since the first time the new city hall was built. A cap of $900 was placed on the job to cover labor, supplies and equipment.
• Closing Second Street on Dec. 6 for 30 minutes for the annual Christmas parade.
• Eliminating audio records of security video taken inside city hall. Hazelwood said she has a panic button for individual incidents, but the audio could pick up customers having difficulty paying bills and reveal personal information that should remain private. Spears encouraged the vote as a safety concern.
Filing for the April 7 election opened on Dec. 9. Open seats are presently held by Tammy Jenkins and Michael Best.
The next meeting was slated for Dec. 16, moving ahead of the holiday as dictated by standing ordinance.