City council approves new budget

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by Mark Cheffey

The Palmyra City Council Thursday approved an $8.3 million city-wide budget for Fiscal Year 2021-22 starting May 1.

The budget which covers the Board of Public Works, city administration, police, street and parks and recreation revenue and spending, includes a five percent raise for city employees. 

 The BPW budget comprises the large majority of city expenses, totaling $5,912,380 out of the grand total of $8,294,780.

The BPW budget is divided up into electric, $4,216,600, water, $1,079,480, and sewer, $616,300.

The city budget is comprised of administration, $437,795, office, $123,160, police, $700,125, building inspector/safety officer, $43,880, street, $718,800 and recycling, $2,650.

The Parks and Recreation budget amounts to $356,000.

A representative from GFL Environmental, the city’s solid waste disposal service, asked the council to consider renewing its current contract for the last annual option.

Eric Shangraw, marketing manager for GFL Envirornmental, said the last annual option, which would run from Sept. 1 of this year to Aug. 31 of next year, would include a 37 cent-per-month rate increase for residential customers and a 30 cent-per-month increase for senior customers.

Shangraw also asked the council to consider awarding GFL Environmental an additional three-year contract, also with a rate increase, to start after the end of the current contract.

Shangraw blamed the rate increases on increased costs.

The council tabled action on the requests until the next meeting this Thursday, due to the fact that two members of the council were not in attendance.

The council also certified the election results which included the election of council members Ellen Goodwin, Ward 1, Patrick Barns, Ward 2, and Earl Meyers Ward 3, as well as approval of three propositions.

With the formation of a new council, Brock Fahy was appointed as mayor pro tem for the coming year.

Mayor Rusty Adrian asked the council to consider funding a feasibility study for future development at a cost between $8,000 to $12,000. However, no action was taken on the proposal at this time.

Police Chief Eddie Bogue reported his department will be receiving, at no cost, two radar detectors through the Missouri Department of Transportation Blue-Print program, saving the city approximately $6,200. 

The council also heard the first reading of an ordinance that, if approved following the second reading this Thursday, would put the city’s pretreatment of industrial wastes fines in line with state standards.

Due to passage of Proposition 1 by Palmyra voters, City Attorney James Lemons only had to read the introduction of the ordinance rather than the entire document word for word.

Even though only two council members were physically in attendance, the council was able to maintain a quorum by having two home-bound members attend by speaker phone.

Fahy and Goodwin were able to stream the meeting at home and ask questions and vote by phone while joining Earl Meyers and Patrick Barns.

Pam Behring and Andrew Salsman were unable to attend physically or otherwise.