Maryville council receives audit report, approves trail project and South Main agreement

The Maryville City Council heard the city’s audit report at the March 11 council meeting.

Mike Williams, partner at Hochschild, Bloom & Company, LLP, Chesterfield, presented the audit findings of the 2018 business year of Maryville. For fiscal year 2018, the firm’s fee is $40,150 which is split among various funds. Williams gave a review of the comprehensive annual financial report in addition to the firm’s findings of the audit.

In other business:

• An ordinance was approved to execute an agreement with MoDOT to extend the Torrance Street Trail with Transportation Alternatives Funds Program (TAP) funds. The agreement provides a federal cost share for the project of 64 percent, not to exceed $143,259.84. The Maryville budget includes $75,000 in the Capital Improvements Fund for the required local match on the project. The project will lengthen the trail by extending an eight foot wide concrete trail approximately 1,600 linear feet from South Walnut Street to South Munn Avenue.

Construction of the project will physically connect the western trail projects of the hospital to the middle school trail, Spoofhound Trail Extension, the Munn Avenue Reconstruction Project of 2014, and the Munn Avenue Trail Extension, with eastern trail projects of 2008 Safe Routes to Schools, and the Seventh to Ninth Street Trail. By connecting the trail system with the proposed project, residents in adjacent neighborhoods will have pedestrian access to activity centers such as the Maryville Middle School, Maryville High School, St. Gregory Barbargio Catholic School, Northwest Missouri State University, three public parks and St. Francis Hospital.

• Accepted an agreement with SK Design Group, Overland Park, KS, to proceed with the engineering services for the 1.4 mile South Main Corridor Improvement Project for a total cost of $624,210. City Manager Greg McDanel shared an extended report that included a timeline for the project: engineering to be complete by November 1, design completed by March 1, 2020, bids to be awarded by June 8, 2020, construction to begin June 30, 2022 and completed by August 1, 2022. SK Design will also be responsible for full-time construction observation, administrative support, pay applications, change orders, periodic site visits to observe work progress and the final inspection of the project for an additional $333,200.

• A resolution was authorized to allow the city to reimburse itself for expenditures of the capital improvement program from projects such as the South Main Corridor street, installation of new membrane modules at the water plant and the construction and equipping of the public safety facility.

• Issued a temporary moratorium on special use permits for short-term rentals in residential zoning districts pending adoption of revised code regulations.

• Executed a lease with Kansas Golf and Turf, Wichita, KS, for the purchase of 12 pieces of equipment for the Mozingo Lake Golf Course at a cost of $225,000. US Bank, Maryville, will finance the purchase at 3.15 percent annual rate.

Reports

• Northwest Student Liaison Delaney Smail announced the rescheduled dates for the upcoming blood drive as April 17 and April 18.

• McDanel reported city staff and council are speaking to voters about the April 2 ballot question of the proposed use tax; staff is working on possible zoning ordinances dealing with medical marijuana facilities including cultivation, infused product manufacturing, dispensaries and testing facilities; the revenue protection plan with Schneider Electric Buildings Americas Inc. for energy contracting services in replacing the city’s water meters and the public safety facility project is on schedule.

• Assistant City Manager Ryan Heiland told that several area schools are sending their golf teams to the golf simulators at Mozingo Golf Club House at a special rate of $15 per hour.

• City Councilman Matt Johnson asked if the city staff had studied the issues which were described in a recent Northwest Missourian issue concerning the timing of rental leases of apartments and houses when dealing with Northwest students.

• Councilman Jason McDowell applauded the audit report.

• Councilman Tye Parsons suggested social media be used for distribution of Maryville 101 information after the local print media distributes it.