Butler City Council met on Tuesday November 21st and opened with approval of last meeting’s minutes and bills. The Butler City audit results were presented to the council by Butch Beeman of Trout Beeman and Company. The City of Butler was given a “Clean Opinion” which is the highest rating an auditor can give. Mr. Beeman stated this “Clean Opinion” applies to both the business side and governmental side of the Butler City audit. Mr. Beeman also reported a substantial reduction on the government side of 1.3 million dollars. This reduction was due to a combination of the City of Butler reducing expenses and increasing revenue. A complete copy of the Butler City audit can be found on the City of Butler webpage www.butlermo.com Next on Butler’s City Council agenda was guest speaker Cydeny Mayfield of Lauber Municiple Law. Mrs. Mayfield spoke to the council in regards to the city’s participation with MJMEUC an acronym for the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission. Mrs. Mayfield expressed the importance of understanding electric utility rates, the way those rates are determined and the City of Butler’s voice on those rates moving forward. Councilman Brown raised the question “What are other cities doing?” Mrs. Mayfield responded with the fact that some cities are opting out of their contracts with MJMEUC through buy out, re-negotiation or lawsuit. The last guest speaker for the City Council meeting was home owner Mitch Oakes. Mr. Oakes was representing 13 homeowners in the vicinity of Country Club Drive and Country Club Terrace in Butler and was seeking approval of a three way stop to be placed at the two intersections of Country Club Dr. and Country Club Terr. At this time there is only a yield sign for traffic coming off Country Club Terrace going south. Oakes pointed out how dangerous this intersection is and presented written consent from the 13 homeowners to make the change. Butler City Council agreed with Mr. Oakes’s concerns and approved a three way stop will be placed at the intersections. City Administrator, Casey Koehn, reported she had been contacted by Patricia Pike 126th Missouri State Representative in regards to “Rite of Way”. This “Rite of Way” pertains to leaf debris and clean up for the City of Butler. Pike has been contacted by some constituents and made aware of the problem this is causing for Butler residents. Koehn stated that when she is contacted by a higher branch of government, or an elected official,l that the city should address those issues. Koehn went on to say that the city of Butler used to provide leaf debris clean up to prevent sewer drain blockage. Administrator Koehn and Trent Diehl, Butler Public Works Director, have created a map showing the leaf collection problem sites for the city and will be working with the Operations Committee to remedy the situation. Butler City Clerk, Corey Snead, reminded Butler City Council of the upcoming dates to place names in the running for the upcoming open City Council seats. The dates to enter your name on the ballot are December 12th at 8:00 a.m. through January 16th at 5:00 p.m. Butler City Council seats that will be up in April include Jim Garnett Ward 1, Mike Irick Ward 2, Terri Agnew Ward 3 and Gayle Cook of Ward 4. Snead reported the newly revised “event form” is ready and located on the City of Butler website for organizations to use for any upcoming Butler Square events. If you should have any questions regarding the event form you can contact Corey Snead, Butler City Clerk at 660-679-4128. In closing, Snead informed Butler City Council that the newly implemented cyber security system is in place. City of Butler’s Police Chief, Randy Beshore, was not present for the City Council meeting, so City Administrator Casey Koehn issued the report on his behalf. The Butler Police Department applied for, and was issued, a grant through LLBGE in the amount of $9500.00. The Butler’s Police Department will be using this grant money to purchase 4 new digital scanners, 3 mobile and one stationary. Butler’s Police Department report also included information regarding the current 911 system, stating that it will be obsolete by the fall or 2018. The cost to update the 911 system will be around $75,000 but will be a state of the art 911 system, complete with texting capability. Shayla Sparks, Bates County Economic Developer, reported on projects for MoDot and mixed modal monies. Sparks stated that, if approved, monies would be provided for modal projects. Bates County is currently competing with 20 other counties in this region for monies and project approvals. The office of Bates County Economic Development along with the Bates County Commissioners and the City of Butler submitted proposals on 4 projects. Sparks also informed Butler City council that Bates County is still working on their CLG. Sparks concluded the report with a Poplar Heights update. Ground breaking and a media blitz on the $84,000 RTP trails grant to include, outdoor restrooms, walking trails, a bridge, and a septic system will take place in April of 2018. In new business for Butler City Council, there is discussion with MoDOT for the expansion of rail ways around the Butler Industrial Complex. The plan is to expand railways to make the Butler Industrial Park more enticing for new business. And finally, in regards to Elk’s Drive in Butler, an agreement is in the works between the City of Butler and Mount Pleasant Township to remove all asphalt on Elk’s Drive and turn the existing road into gravel. The new gravel road would be maintained by both the City of Butler and the residents of Mount Pleasant Township. The cost of the Elk’s Drive Project will be $13,000. More details regarding construction on Elk’s Drive at a later date.
