Council to discuss animal control, amending minutes

By Ralph Pokorny

Nevada Daily Mail

The Nevada City Council has a lengthy agenda scheduled for their meeting tonight including approving the amended minutes from the Oct. 3 and Oct. 13, 2006, council meetings, as well as the Feb. 6 and Feb.13, 2007, council meetings.

The Oct. 3 and Oct. 13 minutes were originally approved by the council during their Nov. 7 meeting. These are two of the council meetings that are included in the timeline of events attached to a letter Vernon County Prosecutor Lynn Ewing III sent to the city notifying it that he is considering filing a lawsuit against the city for alleged violations of Missouri's Sunshine Law.

In a related matter the council will be considering the first reading of an ordinance authorizing the city attorney to talk to the Vernon County Prosecuting Attorney about what was discussed during a closed city council meeting on Sept. 27, 2006. This meeting also relates to part of the possible lawsuit against the city.

Also on the agenda are several bills pertaining to the sale of the Key Building. The first clarifies that the sale of the building also includes the parking lot on the east end of the building and the second related bill confirms the declaration that the Key Building is surplus property and the authorization of the sale to Harold C. Neas for $82,600. It also directs that the payment is to be made to the city of Nevada and to be delivered to the city treasurer who will deposit it in the appropriate account or accounts.

A third measure will rezone the building from M-1, light industrial, to C-3, commercial, following a public hearing, to permit apartments on the second floor, which is not allowed in areas zoned for industry.

The council will also be considering an ordinance to abolish the Friends of the Parks Trust Fund and to authorize the city treasurer to try and determine who the donors were to the Trust Fund and contact them to determine their wishes in the disposition of their donations. According to the proposed ordinance, any remaining money is to be used for budgeted parks fund expenditures.

The council will also consider two ordinances addressing the issue of fees at the Frank E. Peters Golf Course. One will be the second reading of an ordinance setting the fees and the second ordinance will be considered on first reading to also set the fees at the golf course. The only difference is in the annual trail fees for private golf carts. The first ordinance sets the fee at $370 per year and the second ordinance sets the trail fee at $325 per year.

Other issues on tonight's agenda include first readings of ordinances amending the city code pertaining to animal control; releasing a Neighborhood Improvement District assessment on property in the Barton's Meadows addition and contracting with a firm to codify and update Nevada's City Code Book. They will also be holding second readings of ordinances approving a contract for janitorial services for the city hall and public safety buildings; amending the 2007 city budget and authorizing Burns & McDonnell to rebid the airport runway improvement project to include concrete as well as asphalt for the surface.