Southwest City's Board of Aldermen discussed the proposition of a general obligation bond to fund improvements to the streets in town. For the bond to be approved, 60 percent of voters must be in favor of the issue. The expense would then be added to the annual real estate tax until the bond is paid off.
"Every year, you know we don't get enough money to do anything with the streets. The bare minimum is what we're getting," Carpenter said. "And over a period of years of bare minimum, we're gonna have nothing."
"There's no money available the way things are now to do anything with the streets and we don't get any revenue off the streets so it can't be a revenue bond," he noted.
An expert would first come in to identify which roads would need chip seal and which need asphalt. Liberty Road and South Mill Street were two of the streets that were noted as needing attention.
Carpenter also brought up a ditch on Cherokee and Broadway that needs maintenance. He suggested adding a culvert for $4,000.
The council discussed and prioritized other potential city improvements for the coming year. The mayor asked those that live in or frequent town to call City Hall at 417-762-3767 and inform Teri or Missy of any items they believe should be addressed and it will be taken under consideration.
Departmental Reports
Public Works Director Shane Clark reported hooking up the NAPA shop to water and sewer. The Water Department has been working on a leak on Birkes Street that they identified while clearing debris from the ditch. Mayor Carpenter asked if the storm sewer there would need to be flushed as a result, to which Clark replied that he plans to use the fire truck to blow water through the whistles.
The Street Department has been cleaning up the shop on Birkes Street. A heater has been installed and workers are now fixing issues with the water system.
City Clerk Teri Thorpe reported training with the new water billing system. She said the next bill will feature a unique link for each account that will allow them to set up online billing.
In other business:
• After receiving three bids, the council voted to use Al's Auto Repair to service and align the patrol vehicle.
• Thorpe requested a water cooler for City Hall. The council agreed but asked that she provide three bids first.
General News on 02/11/2016