An Anderson resident approached the city council at its Tuesday night meeting questioning why his right to vote was denied at the Aug. 8 election.
Kenneth Newhard told the council when he went to vote Aug. 8 he was only allowed to vote for school board because he lived outside the city limits. Newhard said his mailing address is 700 W. Highway 76 and that his physical address is 206 First Street, which he says are both in the city limits.
Newhard said his grandparents live at the 700 W. Highway 76 address and were allowed to vote after at first being denied, even though they have voted on city issues for many years. He said his wife also at first denied, but then she was allowed to vote, but he was not permitted to vote on municipal issues.
Mayor John Sellers told Newhard that the city is not the election authority. Sellers said the county prepares the voter rolls, adding that the county had not informed the city of any changes.
Newhard said he had voted in city elections since returned from serving with the U.S. Army in Korea in 2008 and was very upset his right to vote was denied.
Sellers said the city didn't deny his right to vote. "That was the county," Sellers said.
Newhard immediately left the meeting when told he would have to deal with the county clerk's office.
Bev Largent, deputy clerk of elections, agreed a mistake was made regarding several addresses from the old Jiffy Mart to the west on Highway 76. She said periodically the clerk's office has to upgrade its addresses due to new construction and annexations. She said the rolls could have also got messed up during routine computer maintenance. She said it was over a year ago when it happened and was not found out until the Aug. 8 election.
"It was our error and it has been corrected," Largent said. "But the voter has some responsibility. He cast his ballot (which was for school board only) and went home and then came back wanting to vote again. At this point there was nothing we could do. You can't vote twice in one election."
General Business
Alderman Gene Cantrell questioned why an Anderson police officer was still drawing a check since he had been off work for several months due to health issues. Police Chief Donavon Pierson told Cantrell that the officer had accrued enough sick leave and vacation days over the years to cover his absence.
In another police department issue, the council voted against an offer of $80,000 to purchase the building the police department is using as its office. Cantrell said it would be better to move the office to a location that has been offered for nothing, making the motion on the proposed sale price to "throw it in the trash."
The council discussed a possible volunteer annexation of several businesses on the east side of the city, including O'Reilly Auto Parts, Mustang Car Wash and New-Mac Electric. Sellers said there is a piece of property in the area that an engineer has requested possible water and sewer service from the city.
In other business, the council:
• denied a request from Gregg Sweeten for two telephone poles, noting the city may need them in the future;
• noted the invoice for paving was a little over $87,000, almost $12,000 lower than was bid;
• approved up to $2,000 for repairs to the transmission on the fire department's rescue truck;
• denied the purchase of a pipe-threader at a cost of $4,372.53 for the utility department;
• approved additional holidays of Martin Luther King Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Truman's Birthday and Columbus Day for city employees;
• voted to allow the local Girl Scout troop to place a bulletin board at Dabb's Greer Town Hole Park;
• agreed to acknowledge June 14 as Masonic Home Day of Missouri;
• voted to pursue the condemnation proceedings of structures at 300 Walnut and 314 Cedar; and
• paid bills in the amount of $51,325.03.
General News on 04/17/2014