Council Hears Committee Reports

At its regular December meeting, the Holden City Council heard committee reports from the chairmen.

Council Member Julie Fields asked about the Holden library front door door that needs repair.

City Clerk Christy Brown said they are waiting to invoice the library for the $1,000 deductible until the city gets the money from the insurance company.

There will eventually be no out-of-pocket cost for the city, but it is a matter of dealing with the insurance company.

Councilman Ray Briscoe gave an update on the Holden School Board and said that the COVID Response Dashboard is working well.

He added there will be a virtual school play on Saturday, December 12, and encouraged everyone to attend online.

In an economic development update, Briscoe said MoDOT is planning on working on 2nd Street after the start of the New Year.

In a utilities update, Councilman Rusty Kephart reported that Liberty Link has fiber-optic internet now available from West 11th Street to West 20th Street, from Lexington to Market.

In a storm water report, Councilman Jim McDaniel said, the committee is working on creating a Neighborhood Improvement District (NID) for homeowners in flood areas.

The program allows homeowners to have a say in how the government money is spent in their area.

They can put the money onto their taxes so there is no out-of-pocket costs for improvements.

Approval of improvements would take a two-thirds majority vote from the homeowners.

In a police department update, Council Member Elizabeth Weeks said the PD is looking for donations toward the K-9 unit.

Mayor Doyle Weeks reported that December 8 was the first day of work for the new police recruit.

The recruit was the first to participate in the program, where Holden pays for them to attend the police academy in exchange for them joining the Holden Police Department.

In Fire Department news, Councilman Jeremy Knox reported there were 34 service calls in November.

He said the building roof for the new ladder truck is going up the weekend of December 11, depending on the weather.

In a public works update, Councilman Jim Nipko reported that the smart meters have been ordered, but it will be a while before they actually arrive.

The Board of Public Works (BPW) will also need to make some adjustments to the number of meters at apartment complexes to be compliant.

The BPW chose option #4 on the SCEAP grant, according to Nipko.

The engineer will draw up the plan and send to Missouri DNR for approval.

In other business, Mayor Weeks announced that the Hallar Building will now be occupied on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with kids for wrestling.

The building will be sanitized after the meets. The December council meeting adjourned, to reconvene in January.