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Friday, October 2, 2020
REPUBLICAN-TIMES TRENTON
Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 157th Year - No. 9
Trenton, MO 64683
TRENTON CITY COUNCIL
75¢
per copy Check out the Republican-Times on the Internet: www.republican-times.com ©W.B. Rogers Printing Co., Inc.
Twelve Pages & 1 Insert
Funds Needed For Utility Upgrades
City Water, Sewer Rates To See Increase Water and sewer bills will be going up on Jan. 1 following action taken on Monday night by the Trenton City Council. On a vote of 5-3, the council approved a recommendation by the utility committee to increase the rates, which would be included on the January utility bill and reflect December usage. The rate increases would be 20 percent for sewer and 15 percent for water and would affect residential, commercial and industrial customers. There was considerable discussion regarding the proposal, with several councilmen expressing they did not like increasing rates. However, it was noted the city is facing replacement/repair of utility infrastructure - some immediately - as well as needing to be able to meet obligations for future improvements. Projects mentioned included replacement of aging water mains, drive motors and clarifiers at the water treatment plant as well as repair/replacement of sewer lines and manholes, some of which are nearly 100 years old. It was pointed out that reserves in the sewer department are below the $5.5 million minimum set by the council in 2018 while water department reserves are near the minimum amount of $1.5 million. The reserves allow for the utility to maintain at least a 120-day cushion to pay for daily operations costs as well as meet
GRUNDY COUNTY
bond obligations. Councilman John Dolan stated the current council has inherited a problem that should have been taken care of by past councils with smaller rate increases over several years instead of large increases “all at once.” “I don’t like to raise rates, but when you look at what we need to do, what other choice do we have?” he said. Councilman Duane Urich said the city can either move forward or continue to put off projects, which he said would only cost more down the road. He pointed out an increase at this time would allow Trenton Municipal Utilities to start accumulating money for the utility work. It was noted that it could take as long as 18 months for equipment to be received once it is ordered. TMU is looking at spending around $2.4 million for replacement of the clarifiers at the water plant. Water and sewer line replacement could cost TMU as much as $500,000 annually. The increases, as approved, are anticipated to generate $303,000 annually for the water fund and $559,000 for the sewer fund. Councilman Glen Briggs expressed concerns with the amount of increase being proposed, stating that while he realizes the projects need to be done, he didn’t feel this was the time to ask customers to pay more while also having to deal with issues related to the COVID pandemic. Other council
Commission Meets
Handbook Gets Modification The Grundy County Commission voted to modify the county employee handbook during its regular Tuesday meeting. According to information provided by Grundy County Presiding Commissioner Phillip Ray, the commission voted to change the employee handbook to state all employees must submit all required paperwork to the office of the county clerk. The information must then be verified prior to the first day of employment. The commission met with Chris Hoffman and Jackie Soptic, representatives of the Grundy County Industrial Development Corporation, to dis-
THS ALUMNI
cuss the NRCS Streambank Stabilization Program. The two expressed the IDC’s support in pursing the program involving the Thompson River Bridge location on Highway 6. In matters involving the road and bridge department, it was announced Blake Williams has submitted his resignation from the road and bridge crew, with applications to be taken to fill the vacancy. It was also noted repairs are being made to finish a SEMA culvert site on Fir Lane. In other reports, it was noted that Carla Schenk has been hired as a part-time paramedic See County, Page 12
Meeting Set For Nov. 8
Plans Being Made For 2021 Activities Plans are under way for the 2021 Trenton High School Alumni Weekend with the first general meeting being organized. Due to the anticipated increase in the number of reunions expected for 2021, all classes are invited to attend the general planning meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8 at the BTC Bank community room. During the meeting, class mailing lists will be distributed, the weekend schedule
of events discussed and details on respective class reunions will be shared. Individual classes with reunion plans already in place are asked to contact Foundation Secretary Steve Maxey at 660-359-7244 and share details for the tentative schedule. The meeting is being held earlier than normal for better organization of events as well as the earlier deadline for the mass mailing and publication of the THS Alumni News.
members noted COVID will continue to be a challenge for the community while costs for the utility projects will also continue to increase. The council also talked about the effect of the rate hike regarding Nestle. City Administrator Ron Urton said he had discussed the issue with Manager Andy Darley, who said the company normally anticipates annual rate increases of 2 to 3 percent. According to Urton, Darley said Nestle is still working to expand its production line, noting efforts have been affected due to the COVID pandemic. Voting in favor of the increase were Dolan, Urich, Marvin Humphreys, David Mlika and Cathie Smith. Opposed were Briggs, Kevin Klinginsmith and Danny Brewer. In other business, the council: • approved amending the 2020-21 budget to reflect spending $220,000 for lime sludge removal at the wastewater plant for both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal year. There was $100,000 for the work in the 2019-20 budget, however, those funds were not spent as billing for the work was done after the fiscal year ended. • approved a bid from Asplundh of Kansas City for tree trimming work at a cost of $120.87 per hour for a two-man crew. Work would begin in January, with the city having budgeted up to $25,000 for work. • approved a proposal from Douglas Pump Service of Overland Park,
KS to repair the river intake pump at a cost of $27,284.25. The project was budgeted for $25,000, however, Urton noted repair to the pump motor drove the cost over the budgeted amount. All of those votes were 8-0. An executive session was held for real estate and legal matters with no announcement made.
Attending the meeting by Zoom were cUrich, Dolan, Klinginsmith, Mayor Linda Crooks, City Attorney Tara Walker, Water Distribution Supervisor Kenny Ricketts and Water Production Supervisor Steve Reid. All other council members, Urton, City Clerk Cindy Simpson and TMU Comptroller Rosetta Marsh attended the meeting in person.
Briefs... COVID-19 Update Grundy County has added 50 new cases of COVID-19 in the last week, with cases now totalling 253 since testing began. The Grundy County Health Department reported 63 of the county’s cases remain active. There have also been seven deaths reported due to the coronavirus. The health department noted Grundy County has seen its positive cases rise by 202 since Sept. 1, when 51 cases were reported. Numbers from area counties include Sullivan, 216 (up from 184 a week ago, 30 active) Livingston, 211 (up from 170, 37 active cases, 1 death) Harrison, 130 (up from 110, 20 active cases, 1 death); Daviess, 113 (up from 79 a week ago, 91 active cases); Mercer, 30 (no new cases over the last week); Carroll, 138 (18 active, 1 death); Caldwell, 125 (21 active, 2 deaths); and Putnam, 30 (1 active, 1 death). The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has launched a new COVID-19 Dashboard with more information about testing and positivity rates. The website can be found at showmestrong.mo.gov (click on data, then click on public health). The health department continues to urge the public to take appropriate precautions to avoid the spread of the virus, including good hygiene, social distancing, the use of face coverings in public and limiting attendance at large gatherings.
Ha allowe een Eve en t Can ce elled The annual Trenton R-9 Halloween Carnival has been cancelled for this year. Spokesperson David Burkeybile said the event is being cancelled due to the construction taking place at the high school/middle school complex as well as COVID-19 pandemic concerns. It is hoped the carnival can be rescheduled in 2021. The event is co-sponsored by the Trenton Bulldog Mascot team and the Trenton High School Student Council along with other R-9 classes, clubs and organizations.
Tri--Countty Bo oard To Me eet The Tri-County R-7 Board of Education will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7 in the superintendent’s office at the school in Jamesport. Items on the announced agenda include principal and superintendent reports, the third reading of MSBA updates, COVID-19 response updates, a CD renewal, substitute teacher pay and a budget review. An executive session for personnel is also planned.
National Weather Service
Fall weather is definitely in the forecast with mostly sunny skies over the weekend and highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s. Lows will be in the upper 30s to lower 40s. There’s a chance of rain overnight Friday and into Saturday. Monday’s high at Trenton was 64, Tuesday’s high was 70. Wednesday’s high was 72 with a low of 52. The high on Wednesday at the Government Weather Station near Spickard was 69, the low was 45.
Buil ding, Nu uisance Board Meets The Building and Nuisance Board of the Trenton City Council on Monday night took action involving a building at 1117 Main St., where bricks have fallen from the exterior of the structure. Code Enforcement Officer Wes Barone told the board a gap between two layers of brick on the north side of the building have widened and believes additional bricks will fall off. Because of public safety concerns, the board asked for the building to be moved from the declaration of nuisance category and placed in the certificate of dangerous building category (skipping public hearing and findings of fact), if allowed by city code. The board also asked Barone to write a letter to the owner, John Woodland, asking that concerns with the building be addressed. In other business, the board: • moved property at 1600 Main St., owned by Arnulfo Bavista, to a public hearing. • moved properties at 604 Linn St., owned by Chase Ballard and Ragan Warner; 812 Grant St., owned by Steven and Serenity Leivan; and 1109 Main St., owned by Tammy and Gerald Shaw, to findings of fact. • declared as a nuisance property at 1000 Rural St., owned by Smartbeltz LLC. • reviewed a list of potential properties to be included on the 2020-21 city demolition program list. • heard the monthly nuisance report from Police Chief Rex Ross, who said 107 reports have been addressed this year, with 34 sent for prosecution and 18 cases currently in the court system.
Voter Re egiisttration D eadline Wednesday, Oct. 7 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3 General Election. Voters may register in person at the Grundy County Clerk’s Office, located on the second floor of the courthouse, or online at the www.sos.mo.gov. Grundy County Clerk Betty Spickard is encouraging anyone who is unsure if they are registered to contact her office to determine if they are in the system. A person who checks their voter registration status online at the SOS website may not get an accurate result if the information they enter is not exactly as it was when they registered. For instance, if the person enters “John Public” but is already registered as “John Q. Public” it would likely show that they are not registered. Calling Mrs. Spickard’s office to talk with staff members is the best way to check voter registration status. Her office can be reached at 359-4040, ext. 4.
Uni ted Wa ay Canvassing The Grundy County United Way residential canvassing campaign is now under way and will continue throughout the month of October. Representatives from 10 United Way organizations will be leaving door hangars and donation envelopes at homes throughout Grundy County. The envelopes can be mailed back to United Way at PO Box 146, Trenton, MO 64683. The goal of this year’s residential canvass effort is $3,500. Organizations receiving funding through the United Way include the North 65 Center, the Grundy County RSVP, the Grundy County Girl Scouts, Parents as Teachers, the Third Judicial Circuit Juvenile Office and Juvenile Court Diversion Program, the Grundy County Community Food Pantry, University Extension, Grundy County 4-H and the Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri.
Fa all Hike e Att Crowder Pa ark Crowder State Park will host a two-mile “fall hike” on Saturday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 18. The public is invited to join park staff at the equestrian parking lot at noon or 3 p.m. on each day for the hike, which will include stops at the Thompson Cemetery and Thompson House. Participants will also be able to view fall foliage and other interesting features along the way. Participants can reach the equestrian parking lot by traveling west on Highway 146 for 1.3 miles, then turning north onto Northwest 52nd Avenue and traveling 2.1 miles before turning east onto Dove Lane. Dove Lane makes a 90 degree turn before ending at the parking lot.
What’s Inside... The THS football team will be looking to get its first win of the season tonight when the Bulldogs travel to Polo. See page 3 of today’s Republican-Times for a preview of the Grand River Conference matchup.
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What’s Inside
Sports ....................page 2 & 3 Opinion/Editorial .........page 4 Community ...................page 5 Agriculture....................page 6 Across Missouri ............page 7 Comics ...........................page 8 Dear Annie ....................page 9 Crosswords....................page 9 NASCAR .....................page 11