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FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021
TRENTON
R-T REPUBLICAN-TIMES 75¢
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Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 157th Year - No. 72
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Annualization Will Continue For Now
Rissler Spring Music Program
Superintendent Says Fall Classes Will Be Held In Person, Not Online
A discussion on whether or not to continue the payroll annualization for noncertified staff dominated much of the Trenton R-9 Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. The issue is that while the non-certified staff likes to have their payroll dispersed in 12 checks for the basically nine months of school, the district office staff of Mona Loyd, bookkeeper and Susan Leeper, administrative assistant, said that from the business side and an efficiency point, the practice is not working very well. The board went to the annualized system two years ago and in the first year, any discrepancies in the hours worked versus the hours the employee had been paid for (due to professional development, extra days off, etc.) were reconciled at the end of the year. This year, those discrepancies are reconciled each month. Some staff members, Mrs. Loyd said, don’t understand the system and feel like they are being “docked” pay when that happens. Mrs. Loyd said the goal is to be as accurate as possible, but it’s difficult with the number of non-certified staff members in the district (approximately 65). “We try to be accurate and pay people
Kindergarten and first grade students at Rissler Elementary School will hold an in-person spring music program, while students in grades two through four will hold a virtual program. Kindergarten and first grade students will perform on Wednesday, May 19, in the Trenton Performing Arts Center, located at Trenton High School. The program will be presented one grade at a time and each student will be given three tickets for family members. Families will be asked to sit together and masks are encouraged. Following the performance, families will be asked to leave the auditorium to allow for the next group to begin taking their seats. Kindergarten students should be at the PAC and in their spots by 5:45 p.m. for a 6 p.m. performance, while first grade students should arrive at 6:30 p.m. for a 6:45 p.m. performance. Students in second, third and fourth grades will take the stage and record a virtual program on Monday, May 17. Recordings of the performances from all grades (kindergarten-fourth grade) will then be sent out to families to enjoy the performances.
‘Walkin’ Paws For A Cause’
R-T Photo/Ronda Lickteig
Three retiring educators in the Trenton R-9 School District were honored by the R-9 Board of Education during Tuesday’s board meeting. They include, from left, Debra Young, kindergarten teacher, who has been with the district for 20 years; E’Lisha Gass, library/media center coordinator, who has been with the district for 19 years; and Terri Critten, elementary counselor, who has been with the district for nine years.
for the hours they work,” she said. “When we went to the annualized pay, they thought they would get the same amount, but if they leave early or stay late for something...it won’t be the same.” During the first year, Mrs. Leeper, who takes care of the time sheets for non-certified staff, said she had to keep track of
the differences for the whole year. She said some staff stay for a professional development day, while others don’t have to. It’s up to the building principal to give approval for them to stay or not. Problems also arise when someone runs out of sick leave or other days and are no longer get[See R-9 BOARD, Page 5]
Council Refinancing Three City Loans Measure Will Save Trenton More Than $600,000
The Trenton City Council took steps Monday evening to save the city more than $600,000 in interest payments on three loans. The council approved an ordinance that involves the refinancing of three separate bond issues for the water project, the sewer project and the 17th
BRIEFS
Street Bridge replacement project. Sarah Smith of Gilmore and Bell and Charlie Zitnik of DA Davidson were in attendance, with Zitnik telling the council that because the city was able to maintain its good bond rating during COVID-19 and “exceedingly well-received credit” the bonds were refinanced Monday at a rate that will save the city $658,000 without extending the terms of the loans. He said the refinancing was a full public offering, with individuals and bank investors buying the bonds. Ms. Smith said the collateral
for the three loans remains the same, with the bridge, the revenue from the sewer system and the revenue from the water system being the collateral. The interest on the 2012 water bonds had been 3.2 to 4.4 percent, with the new rate being 2 to 3 percent, while the rate on the 2014 sewer project was 3.2 to 4.75 percent. The new rate is .5 to 3.1 percent and the rate for the 2018 17th Street Bridge loan was 4.42 percent and is now 2 percent. Zitnik said the savings amount is based on the average interest rate the city had been paying and the average rate it will be
paying. He said the city would be eligible to refinance again in 2029 if rates at that time are favorable. The council heard from Scott Newkirk, who lives at the intersection of 22nd Street and Pleasant Plain. He said the truck traffic in the area is causing problems,including damaging his yard. In addition, he said vehicles are speeding through the area, including motorcycles that he said are traveling at speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour. He was not only concerned about damage to his property from trucks that [See COUNCIL, Page 7]
R-T Photo/Seth Herrold
TMS SPRING BAND CONCERT The Trenton Middle School Spring Band Concert was held Monday night at the Trenton Performing Arts Center. The show was performed in three sessions, one for fifth grade, one for sixth grade and one for the seventh and eighth grade combined band. Above, members of the sixth-grade band perform “Alpha Squadron” to open their session of the concert. The concert was performed under the direction of Trenton band director Ethan Stewart.
Trenton High School students have teamed up with the Green Hills Animal Shelter to create a fundraising event on Saturday, May 15. The “Walkin’ Paws For A Cause” will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Trenton High School parking lot. Participants may walk a shelter dog or even bring their own dog. There will also be cats to cuddle and dog treats and baked goods for sale. The cost for participation will be $10 with all proceeds being donated to the Green Hills Animal Shelter.
Special Needs Prom Is May 28
The Gifted Group (Special Needs Individuals of Grundy County) will host a Special Needs Prom on Friday, May 28. The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Black Silo Winery in Trenton. A meal of pork loin, potatoes, baked beans, roll and cake will be provided. KJams DJ services will provide the music for the event. All individuals with special needs are invited to attend. Those who are interested in attending or who are in need of a dress or dress clothes are asked to contact Brenda Thorne at 660-654-0218.
TMS Awards Assembly
Trenton Middle School students will receive their year-end awards in assemblies planned for Friday, May 21 in the TMS gym. Family and friends are invited to attend but are asked to check into the TMS office upon arrival. The schedule for the morning will include fifth grade, 8:15 a.m., followed by eighth grade at 8:45 a.m. and seventh grade at 9:15 a.m. Sixth grade students will receive their awards at 9:45 a.m.
High Prices Halt New Hitting Facility Trustees Reject All Bids, Put Project On Hold For Now A new indoor practice facility on the campus of North Central Missouri College will have to wait a while after bids came in higher than expected for the project. During a special trustee’s meeting held Tuesday, the board voted to reject all bids and put the project on hold until the price of construction materials moderate and more funds can be raised toward the facility. Chief Financial Officer Tyson Otto said an estimate in February of around $800,000 had put the cost of the project at the very end of the college’s comfort zone. The low base bid of $700,000 was submitted by Weldon Construction of Trenton but it had been determined that an error was made in the tabulation of that bid, so the company had sent a formal letter asking that their bid be withdrawn. The difference, said architect Jeremy Proctor of
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
CHAMPIONS AGAIN...
Rain is likely all weekend for the Trenton area with high temperatures in the high 60’s to low 70’s. Rain will continue into Minday with a high temperature of 75. The high temperature in Trenton on Monday was 65 while Tuesday reached 62. The high Wednesday was 66 with a low of 45. The high on Wednesday at the Government Weather Station at the Barton Farm Campus was 65 with a low of 41.
The Trenton High School boys tennis team won its fourthstraight district championship on Tuesday, defeating Carrollton 5-4 in the championship dual. The Bulldogs will take on undefeated Savannah at sectionals. SPORTS, PAGE 2
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Ellison-Auxier Architects of St. Joseph, involved not tabulating a subcontractor and would have made a difference of “a couple hundred thousand dollars.” The high bid for the project came in at $1.3 million. Proctor, who said there were nine bidders for the project, said he believes the bids came in 15 to 20 percent higher than they would have a year ago. After discussing the current price of building materials and learning that an anonymous donor for the project believes it would be wise to wait, trustees took the action to refuse bids and look at it again when prices moderate. In other business, the board voted to pay an invoice from Ellison-Auxier for architect fees for the project in the amount of $43,680, and approved an employee transfer for Amanda Steinman, who will move from the position of recruiter to enrollment marketing specialist. The change is effective on Monday. The board also held an executive session, with no announcement made.
WHAT’S INSIDE
SPORTS ..........................PAGE 2 OP/ED ...........................PAGE 4 NASCAR ......................PAGE 4 CALENDAR .....................PAGE 5 AGRICULTURE ...............PAGE 6 COMICS ..........................PAGE 9 CROSSWORDS ..............PAGE 10 CLASSIFIEDS.................PAGE 11 AREA .............................PAGE 12