Pickering to buy spare sewer pumps

At the Pickering City Council meeting, January 3, City Clerk Milt Sovereign sought and gained approval to buy up to four spare sewer pumps at approximately $2,200 each.

At this point, most sewer pump failures are electrical. Most of the pumps are repairable but not all. The city now has four spare pumps and two more pumps that could be pulled. The funds to buy the pumps will come from the Pickering American Recovery Act Fund which currently has $31,861.39.

The rest of the funds are planned to be split between the sewer and streets. The city also is going to pump the solids out of the bottom of the septic tanks. The project is going to wait until the ground freezes. The council also approved putting down gravel.

A visitor, Brennon Allen, plans to run for city council. He didn’t file in time for the April 2 election and will run as a write-in candidate. He said he was born and raised in Pickering. Alderman Kevin Leedom didn’t file for re-election.

City Attorney Taryn Henry will visit the February 6 Pickering City Council meeting. The aldermen discussed topics to discuss with her. These include:

• Overturning a 1997 city ordinance.

• Ordinance infractions not paying city legal fees.

• What happened to a $500 fine payment?

• How many times can the city fine a resident?

• Can the city declare a resident has a junk yard?

The Pickering 2024 City Budget was approved based on 2023 figures.

Sovereign expressed concerns on the storage of Pickering past records. The records are currently stored at the Pickering Community Building.

The council approved the Missouri Department of Natural Resources charge of 80¢ for each sewer customer; the annual $30 rent for the bank safety deposit box; and the annual $82 for the USPS postal box.