Highlights From the April 7th Sedalia City Council Meeting

The Sedalia City Council met for 98 minutes Monday night, April 7 with no working PA system.

A technical glitch prevented the usually stellar sound system to operate at all Monday night. So all public speakers had to step up their volume on their own to be heard.

To start off the meeting, Senior Building Service Worker Gary Reynolds was recognized by Sedalia Police Chief David Woolery for 30 years of service.

According to Chief Woolery, Reynolds began working for the City March 26, 1995.

“Gary is more than a custodian, he is our family,” Woolery said. “When the new police department was built, one of the most important things we managed to negotiate was taking ‘Little G’ with us. Gary has been maintaining the new police department for about six years, and he is the sole reason the building still looks and smells brand new. Gary means much more to us than someone who cleans the building.”

Woolery went on to say that “New officers often times get a pep talk about sticking with it, and recognizing what a blessing it is to serve. If you want to see an example of what it is to work hard, with quiet grace and pride, I cannot think of a better model  than Gary Reynolds.”

That was followed by gold level awards presented to Nucor Steel Sedalia and Stanley Black & Decker for their exemplary industrial wastewater pre-treatment standards in 2024. The awards were presented by Brittany Wilbanks, Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator.

That was followed by a badge pinning ceremony for Sedalia Firefighter Brinton Beard who was promoted to Driver.

Fire Chief Matt Irwin made the presentation and Beard was pinned by his girlfriend Rachel.

“Brinton Beard started with the department in 2021. He has excelled in his ability as a firefighter and now has been promoted to the rank of driver, which is no small feat.  It is a very large task,” Chief Irwin said.

Under Finance and Administration, Council approved the purchase of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to enhance customer service and overall efficiency. Tyler Technologies was the chosen software vendor.

Initial cost of ERP us $578,770, with an ongoing annual fee of $220,683.

Council then approved updates to the Personnel Policies Manual to current legal standards, operational practices and organizational structure. The updates will hopefully be a more streamlined resource for management sand employees.

Under Public Works, a proposed bill to establish a 4-way stop and 3rd and Park failed, pending a full, detailed study of the intersection.

Easements for seven properties have now been obtained at the Prairie Hollow Subdivision to be able to install water and sewer infrastructure.

A new residential development project is planned for the area south of First United Methodist Church Celebration Center, Therefore, a sewer connection is needed to an existing sewer main that is located on church property. The developer worked with church officials to secure a permanent sewer easement. Council approved.

Council also agreed to an agreement renewal with Mid-Mo Operations, LLC, for oversight, maintenance and management of the City’s wastewater facilities. Cost is now $21,458 per month, or $257,496 annually.

Council then approved a bid from Rubio Lawn Care and Tree Services, LLC, for $4600 for mowing services at Crown Hill Cemetery. Rubio was not the lowest bid, but the lowest bidder did not have the necessary staff required to get the job done, it was noted by Cemetery Director Roger Waters.  There was a total of three bids submitted.

Council then approved a sole source contract with KimHEC for comprehensive pretreatment program consulting for the City’s three wastewater treatment facilities. To explain, the City is required by DNR to maintain an Industrial Pretreatment Program, or IPP,  to be incompliance with a Missouri DNR permit referred to as National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

KimHEC has worked with the City before and has extensive knowledge of Sedalia’s wastewater program. Cost is $103,500, which is already approved in the City’s FY2026 budget.

Under Public Safety, Council approved the purchase of two new Dodge Durangos through “W-K Chevrolet Chrysler Jeep Ram of Sedalia” at a total cost of $89,314 ($44,657 per vehicle). Only one bid was received.

Council then approved the purchase of an Opticom “emergency vehicle preemption system” which gives police and fire vehicles responding to emergency calls the green light when approaching an intersection.

Miovision Technologies submitted the lowest responsive bid that met the City’s specifications, it was noted.

Total cost is $235,338.64, and there is no further cost anticipated for the next 10 years once the system is installed.

It was noted that an agreement with MoDOT will be required for Miovision to be installed on all state-owned traffic signals.

Under Community Development, Council approved annexation of land owned by Sedalia School District 200 that is adjacent to and north of the current high school property. It was noted that all required notices, public hearings and procedural steps have been taken.

Council approved a rezoning request from Eugene Limanskiy on behalf of EML Homes, LLC, for a vacant lot at 722 E. 9th. The request was to rezone it from R-1 (single family) to R-2 (two-family) residential to allow for the construction of a single-story, two-family residential building on the site.

Planning and Zoning voted 6-0 to approve the request.

This was Fourth Ward Councilman Steve Bloess’ final full-length Council session. Bloess made the decision not to run again, and his seat was won by Michelle Franklin, who beat challenger Harry Hoffert in the April 8 election by a margin of 338 to 302 votes, or 52% to 46%, winning by 36 votes.

Bloess read a prepared statement during an emotional farewell message to Council and his constituents.

Franklin will sit beside Fourth Ward Councilwoman and former Mayor Pro Tem Rhiannon Foster, who will be up for reelection next year.

Under Miscellaneous, Third Ward Councilman Bob Hiller presented SPD DARE Officer Bradley Beard and SPD Chief Woolery with a check, which represented the proceeds from the April 5 DARE Car Show, now in it's 34th year. A total of $16,234.99 was raised at the event.

The DARE scholarship winners were Caitlyn Fredrickson from Smith-Cotton and Riley Bradley from Sacred Heart.