Council election dates set

Nevada Daily Mail

Editor's Note: The complete text of the draft smoking ordinance will be in the Friday edition of the Daily Mail.

"We want complete transparency on everything," Nevada Mayor Brian Leonard said of the draft smoking ordinance the council is working on.

Leonard said that the city has provided a copy of the draft ordinance to the news media so the public will see what is being considered.

"This won't be a fast track issue. We are going to do this the right way. It may take another month or two," Leonard said.

City attorney William McCaffree told the council that the draft ordinance has opt-out provisions that were not included in the areas discussed during the Aug. 20 council meeting.

McCaffree told the council that the issues involved in this draft ordinance are "issues that reasonable people may differ on," adding that he does not expect all five council members to agree on all of the items in or on the reach of the draft ordinance.

In other business the council:

* Voted 4-0, with Ryan Watts excused, to approve the appointment of Carol Miller to the park board to fill the unexpired term of Chris Forsythe who resigned from the board after moving outside the city limits. This term will expire June 30, 2016.

* Voted 4-0, to pass on first reading a bill setting April 5, 2016 the dates for the 2016 general municipal election and Feb. 2 as the date for the primary election if necessary. The filing period for the one council seat to be filled opens on at 8 a.m., Oct. 13 and closes at 5 p.m., Nov. 17.

* Voted 4-0, to pass on first reading a general ordinance amending the city code reducing the number of members of the park board from seven to five and making provisions to stager three year terms to provide continuity.

* Voted 4-0, to adopt Resolution No. 1440 approving temporary liquor by the drink permit for Ol Subway LLC, on Sept. 26.

* Voted 4-0, to pass on second reading a special ordinance approving an agreement with the Vernon County Commission for billing and collection or 2015 real estate and personal property taxes at a cost to the city of $3,806.80 for the 2015 tax year. The county will also deduct 1.25 percent from the city's real estate and personal property taxes and deposit it in the Vernon County Assessment Fund as stipulated in Missouri state law.

* Voted 4-0, to give final approval to a general ordinance amending Chapter 3 of the city code by adding a new section requiring any business issued a temporary liquor by the drink license to confine the consumption of liquor the specific location by use of fencing.

* Voted 3-1, with council member Jayne Novak voting no and Lance Christie, Brian Leonard and Blake Hertzberg voting yes, to accept the proposal from Troutt, Beeman & Co., P.C., to perform the 2015 annual audit, with the option for auditing the city for four additional years.

* Voted 4-0, to pass on second reading a general ordinance amending the city code to bring it into compliance with federal court decisions relating to the number and spacing of group homes in areas of the city zoned residential.