Sedalia’s Sales Tax Figures Up 14.3 Percent Over 2019

Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Dawson led the Sedalia City Council Monday night in the absence of Mayor John Kehde, who was tending to family matters.

The 40-minute meeting started off with a financial update from Finance Director Dawn Jennings, who noted that sales tax figures were up this past month 14.3 percent over the same time last year. Use tax figures (construction) and transportation taxes are down slightly, she added. “But other than that, everything's looking positive.”

City Administrator Kelvin Shaw noted that “we are in a whole lot better shape than we thought we were going to be ... all good news so far, we'll just keep our fingers crossed to see what happens next,” he said.

Also under Finance and Administration, Council:

*Approved suspension of the City's open container law for an event scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10 in downtown Sedalia. “Wings For Wags” will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Craft Beer Cellar, 7th and Ohio. Seventh Street between Ohio and Osage will be blocked off for the event, which is a fund-raiser to obtain and train service dogs.

*Approved a budget amendment to allow for Christmas decorations in downtown Sedalia at a cost of $21,047, to be paid to Integrity Soft Wash dba We Hang Christmas Lights. The firm is expected to build, install, hang and remove the lights, as well as store them in the off-season.

*Contributed $1,500 to help cover the cost of a fireworks display in downtown Sedalia for Thanksgiving Night at Hotel Bothwell, sponsored by Furnell Companies. A grant has been awarded through the Central Business and Cultural District, it was noted.

*Amended the term limit for a member of the firefighters retirement fund board from one to three years.

*Approved two incentive form contracts for the Sedalia Police Department. The contracts stipulate that the officer must work for the SPD for a certain amount of time if hired. Police Chief Wirt noted that “we are seeing an increase in applications.” Chief Wirt added that his ranks are down by four officers, plus one more who is soon coming up for retirement, for a total of five vacancies at the SPD.

*Approved a release and indemnity agreement with Advantage Metals Recycling involving SPD training on property owned by Advantage, which also supplies scrap vehicles to the SPD for training purposes.

Under Public Works, the Council:

*Authorized the submission for permits to the DNR pertaining to the National Pollutant Discharge Elmination System, (wastewater treatment )which are due Oct. 2.

*Approved a pipeline crossing agreement with Union Pacific for a 12-inch water main and steel casing under the railroad tracks at Third and Engineer.

*Approved an agreement with Leslie Thierfelder to mow and bale grassland that the City owns that is adjacent to Crown Hill Cemetery.

*Approved a contract with Olsson Inc., for engineering services to rehabilitate and update a water lift station at 3000 West Main at a cost of $86,904.

*Amended an agreement with J.A. Lamy Manufacturing Co., to extend the deadline from Aug. 31 to Oct. 31 to complete infrastructure improvements to Pacific Street on the south side of the Lamy building.

*Approved an agreement with Barr Engineering for a metals translator and site-specific water quality study at a cost of $40,400, which required a budget amendment. The study will involve the north and southeast wastewater treatment plants.

*Approved a change order with Hettinger Excavating, LLC. “During the design and bidding process, a storm sewer was not appropriately designed and the elevation of some utilities were not correctly identified,” according to the Council's notes. Therefore, the increase amounts to $7,010, bringing the grand total of the project of a water mail upgrade project to $2,364,298.

Under Community Development, the Council approved a rezoning request from Kapital Carpentry, LLC (owned by Alex Kapitula) for his plans to build seven duplex housing units in the 2500 block of South Ingram. The request was to change from R-1 single-family houses to R-2 (two family residential). Planning and Zoning recommended approval and Council agreed.

Five liquor license renewals were approved in block Monday night, including:

*Jennifer Edwards dba End Zone Sports Bar & Grill, LLC, 3129 W. Broadway, liquor by the drink and Sunday sales, $750
*Melissa Rath dba State Fair Eagle stop, 1515 Thompson Blvd., packaged liquor, $150
*Paul Beykirch dba County Distributing Co., Inc., 1800 Eagleview Drive, wholesale beer, $50.
*Minerva Perez dba El Tapatio, LLC, 3000 South Limit, liquor by the drink, $450
*Erica Eisenmenger dba Ivory Grille, LLC, 317 South Ohio, liquor by the drink, $450

Council then adjourned into closed session.