FLIP PAGES FOR WEBSITE.qxp_Trenton Republican-Times 3/17/22 1:01 PM Page 1
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2022
R-T
TRENTON
REPUBLICAN-TIMES
75¢
©Honeycutt Media, LLC
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 158th Year - No. 56
12 PAGES + 1 INSERT
republican-times.com
BRIEFS County Commission Agenda
The Grundy County Commission is scheduled to meet Tuesday morning at the courthouse. Items on the announced agenda include a bid opening for CART rock at 9 a.m., followed by a meeting with Ambulance Director Sarah Porter at 9:15 a.m. Bids for concrete will be opened at 9:30 a.m., followed by the opening of mowing bids at 10 a.m. The commission is scheduled to meet with Jackie Spainhour and Stephanie Williams of the North Central Missouri Business Facilitation Group at 11 a.m., with Ms. Spainhour being introduced as the new director of the group.
Nearly $500,000 Deficit Budget Staring City In The Face No Salary Increases For City Employees
“Ripcord” To Be Presented
The Gallatin Theater League will present “Ripcord” in three performances next week. The comedy, written by David Lindsay-Abaire, will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Courter Theater in Gallatin. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Eleine’s Beauty Shop, located at 201 N. Maple St., in Gallatin.
Trenton Approves Temporary Post Number Needing Title I Services Caused Concern Loss of learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic led the Trenton R-9 Board of Education to approve a temporary fifth grade reading interventionist position during a special meeting held Thursday morning. Trenton Middle School Principal Daniel Gott told the board that the number of current Rissler Elementary School third and fourth grade students who are receiving Title I reading services has caused concern that as those students transition to
the fifth grade at Trenton Middle School they will struggle with reading without the targeted interventions they are currently receiving. Gott said there are 26 fourth grade students currently receiving the Title services (the “normal” number would be around 10) and there is a fear that the growth they are making will stop if a “bridge” is not put in place to address the issue. Gott and Instructional Coach Dr. Jill Watkins said the issue has come about because these students, who were in lower elementary when classes were disrupted due to COVID-19, didn’t learn the decoding strategies needed to learn [See Trenton, Page 3]
Gallatin Names New AD, Principal Base Salary Moved To $33,000 For Certified Staff The Gallatin R-5 Board of Education named a new middle school principal and athletic director during a meeting Wednesday evening that also found the board voting to increase the base salary for the 2022-23 school year. Following an executive session, the board voted to hire Chris Wever as middle school principal for the 2022-23 school year, filling a position left vacant when Dr. Justin Collins was recently named the district superintendent to replace Dr. Bryan Copple, who is taking the top job in
WEATHER ALMANAC Day: High/Low Rain Monday 63/39 — Tuesday 64/39 — Wednesday 74/41 — Barton Campus Wednesday 71/38 —
the Richmond School District. Wever, who has been the seventh and eighth grade social studies instructor at Gallatin, was also named the assistant golf coach for this spring. Chad Sullenger, a current high school special education teacher in the district, was named the activity director for the 202223 school year, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Barron Gann. Several resignations were accepted by the board, including Amy McNeely, seventh and eighth grade math/computers; Shelley Elbert, elementary paraprofessional; Aaron Lewis, sixth grade math; Sheri Croy and Sariah Williams, second grade teachers; and Nichole Gregornik, library aide/paraprofessional. Volunteer junior high basketball coach Jeff Donovan also resigned from that position. Gretchen Brashear and Teri Robinson were hired for teaching positions for the 2022-23 school year, with Kelsey Greene and Drew Prindle hired for special education paraprofessional positions and [See Gallatin, Page 5]
Dogs like this pit bull mix are now free to find homes in Trenton after the city council repealed the breed ban on a 6-2 vote Monday night.
Breed Ban Repealed, 6-2 Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto On Same 6-2 Vote The Trenton City Council voted 6-2 to repeal it’s breed-specific animal ordinance at Monday night’s meeting. The vote came after months of discussion and research by council members and with the urging of several community members and those involved with the Green Hills Animal Shelter. The same arguments that had been raised in past meetings for the repeal (it’s bad owners not the breed that causes the problem, it’s unenforcable, etc.) were made as were the same arguments used in the past to continue the ban on certain breeds (by the time you learn that a dog is vicious it’s too late, they cause extreme damage when they do bite). When all was said and done, those voting to repeal the ban were First Ward Councilmen Lance Otto and Kevin Klinginsmith; Second Ward Councilman Danny Brewer; Third Ward Coun-
“We’ll see what happens here, because it’s not going to be on me.” — MAYOR LINDA CROOKS cilman Robert Romesburg; and Fourth Ward Councilmen Duane Urich and John Dolan. Second Ward Councilman Marvin Humphreys and Third Ward Councilman David Mlika voted no. At that point, Mayor Linda Crooks vetoed the ordinance to repeal the ban and the motion was made to override that veto. The motion to override passed 6-2 with the same councilmen voting yes and no as did on the ordinance itself. “We’ll see what happens here,” said Mayor Crooks, who had joined the meeting by Zoom. “Because it’s not going to be on me.” The council plans to appoint an Animal Welfare Committee which would serve in an advisory role and focus on ways to educate the public concerning such areas as treating,
training and sheltering animals in ways that will lead to the least amount of aggression regardless of the breed. In other business Monday evening, the council: • voted to not take a stand for or against the effort of Grundy County Prosecuting Attorney Kelly Puckett to have a question placed on the November ballot that would make the prosecutor’s office a full-time position. • approved, on a 7-1 vote with Humphreys voting no, a contract with Insituform Technologies USA, LLC for the sanitary sewer rehabilitation project. • heard a request from Matt Roberts, who lives at 419 W. 11th St., to have the two-block area near his house paved. The street in that area is brick and the city had approved a [See Repeal, Page 3]
While several members of the public attended the Trenton City Council meeting Monday night, they were there to provide input on the city’s breedspecific animal ordinance rather than get the details on the city’s 2022-23 budget, which shows a deficit of nearly half a million dollars. Those attending the meeting were able to provide their input on the animal ordinance, which was repealed following a majority vote and an override of Mayor Linda Crooks’ veto (see accompanying story). Two budgets were presented to city council members for approval one for the operation of the city government and one for Trenton Municipal Utilities. The city budget, which had been the focus of several meetings of the council’s Finance Committee prior to Monday’s meeting received an 8-0 vote, while the TMU budget passed 7-1. City Budget The city budget shows total revenue of $3,424,678, with approved estimated expenditures listed at $4,206,129 for a deficit of $781,451. The council plans to transfer in $235,000 from road tax funds, bringing the deficit down to $546,451. The city is projecting to end the 2021-22 budget year with a fund balance of $2,508,036, a figure that is expected to drop to $1,961,585 by April 30, 2023. The biggest source of income for the city is taxes, which are projected at $2,247,400. The city’s sales taxes, which are for General Revenue, Capital Projects, the Park Department, Transportation (17th Street Bridge) and the Fire Department, are all on track to exceed last year’s [See Budget, Page 3]
Princeton Stays Grant To Pay For Put In GRC East AMI Meetering Newtown-Harris Approves Contract Renewals, Calendar There was a full agenda for Monday evening’s meeting of the Princeton R-5 Board of Education, with board members opting to stay in the GRC East Division, increasing the base pay on the certified salary schedule and taking action on multiple personnel items. The Newtown-Harris Board of Education met March 9, approving the renewal of contracts and the
2022-23 school calendar. Princeton According to information provided by Superintendent Jerry Girdner, the board heard from multiple community members during the public participation portion of the meeting. They shared their support to remain an 11-man football program rather than switching to an eight-man program. One community member shared a concern about the possibility his elementary age son would not be able to participate in football if the switch to eight-man was not ap[See Area, Page 3]
$361,705. Mayor Barbara Ballew was authorized to sign the grant agreement between the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the city. In other action items, the The Gallatin Board of Aldermen met Monday board accepted a mowing evening, with board bid from Rodell Sperry in members learning that a the amount of $80 for the grant has been received to Lile Cemetery and $590 for Brown/Greenwood help pay for the new AMI the Cemetery. Acceptance of metering system. According to infor- the bid, which was the lomation provided by City west of three received, is Clerk Hattie Rains, it was pending the confirmation announced at the meeting that insurance requirements that the city has officially are met. The board apbeen granted funding ap- proved an ordinance adopproval for the AMI meter- ting and enacting a new ing system in the amount of [See Aldermen, Page 3]
Gallatin Board Accepts Bid, Discusses Program