Frank Myers was introduced
by Sedalia Mayor Elaine Horn as the city's new administrator during a press conference
held Wednesday morning, March 17. A host of city and county officials were
present to greet Mr. Myers, who is moving from Glendale, Mo., to assume the
position vacated by former City Administrator Keith Riesberg. Brian Koral has
served as interim city administrator in the meantime. Frank and his wife
Carolyn have one son, 24.
Frank Myers named new City
Administrator
Sedalia Mayor Elaine Horn announced on Wednesday, March 17, 210
that after a nationwide search and a review of 34 candidates, Frank L. Myers,
City administrator of Glendale, Mo., has been named the new City Administrator
of Sedalia. Myers brings with him 25 years of experience in municipal
government management and a strong background in a number of areas that will
compliment the projects and priorities of the City of Sedalia. Horn said, "We
had a difficult time narrowing our decision down to one, but Myers brings a lot
to the plate he is a welcomed addition to the family of Sedalia."
Throughout his career, Myers has worked to strengthen the
financial condition of the communities he has served. As the first Town Manager
of West Warwick, Rhode Island, he was profiled n Public Management magazine
for his efforts in restoring the town's bond rating and eliminating short-term
debt while building public trust and confidence in local government. In
Crestwood, Mo., Myers worked to eliminate short term debt, streamline municipal
operations, and aggressively monitor expenditures. Myers said he was happy to
be coming back to a blue collar community because he came from a blue collar
family, and he will be closer to his mother who lives in Warsaw.
Myers brings with him experience in community and economic
development, and he hopes to use these experiences to revitalize the downtown
area by bringing new life to the vacant store fronts. Projects completed in
Crestwood under his leadership included the redevelopment of a 5.7 acre site,
the construction of a new retail center and the reconstruction and
rehabilitation of an 8 acre blighted shopping center site. Both of those
projects involved the creation of a Community Improvement District to finance
development cost. Myers has extensive experience in upgrading house stock in
the communities he has served. Myers plans to upgrade the aging housing stock
in Sedalia in a way that is sensitive to the home owners. Other priorities
include addressing the aging infrastructure by harnessing money for roads and
the sewer systems; he also plans to target and attract more retail businesses
and build upon existing advantages like the history of Sedalia, the State Fair,
the college, the industrial park, the hospital, and schools.
Myers has been successful in gaining voter approval of a number of
ballot initiatives and has written on the steps to successfully passing tax
initiatives for the Missouri Municipal Review.
Myers is an active member of the International City/County
Management Association and has served on the ICMA Taskforce on Civics Education
Programs, the ICMA First Time Administrators Taskforce and the ICMA Conference
Planning Committee. Myers is also active with the Missouri City/County
Management Association and presently serves on the Missouri Municipal League's
Finance and Taxation Committee.
Myers holds a B.A. in Organization Development from Ottawa
University in Ottawa, Kan., and a Masters in Public Administration from the
University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan. Myers and his wife, Carolyn, have been
married for the past 29 years and have a 24-year-old son, Mark. Carolyn holds a
Ph.D. in political science from the University of Kansas.
Myers will begin his employment with the City of Sedalia on April
5, 2010. He and his wife will be relocating to Sedalia in the coming weeks, and
they look forward to becoming a part of the community.
Image:
Randy Kirby photos
New banners line
Broadway
Numerous banners
promoting Sedalia's Sesquicentennial went up along Broadway Monday afternoon,
under the supervision of Sedalia Mayor Elaine Horn and Sedalia 150 Committee
Co-chair Kathleen Boswell. Attaching one of the bright red banners, designed by
Sedalia artist Myrna Ragar, were Roger Vieth (yellow hard hat) and Paul
Mothersbaugh (green hat), on West Highway 50 near Industrial Drive. The banners
will be on display through October, Boswell said.
City
Council approves new technology for Sedalia Fire Department
By Kelli Newkirk
Staff writer
On Monday evening, March 1, the
Sedalia City Council approved bids to furnish the Fire Department with computer
equipment and software necessary to enhance the fire and emergency medical run
reporting and tracking. Monte Richardson, IT Manager said this equipment will
bring the Fire Department up to speed with the rest of the City departments,
and the following purchases were approved: Dell Computers for 1) an Enclosure
and UPS ($1,332.59) and 2) a PowerEdge Serves and associated hardware/software
($5,069.40); Midwest CompuTech for two Astaro firewall appliances ($2,011.00);
and ACS Firehouse Services for Fire Reporting Software ($5,285.00). Deputy Fire
Chief Greg Harrell said the new system will allow the Fire Department to set up
multiple work stations where multiple reports can be completed at one time;
these are much needed upgrades.
Council also approved a bid for a 10
ft. dump truck bed from Key Hydraulics in the amount of $5,907. The dumb truck
is used by the Public Works Department.
Finally, a smoke free policy was
adopted by the Council. Mayor Horn said this is a product of the Wellness
Committee, which was established to encourage healthy habits among City
employees. The policy applies to all Municipal buildings and vehicles. City
Administrator Interim Brian Koral said, "If we can convince one employee to
stop smoking, then that is the best thing we can do for that employee's health,
and we hope to do that."
During the pre-council meetings,
Koral presented an overview of the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget proposal. Total
anticipated funds for March 2011 are $23,456,942 compared to $29,313,693
projected balance for March of this year. Several of the City's funds are
anticipated to have significant decreases during the coming fiscal year.
Projected fund balance decreases are as follows: General fund - $1.64 million;
Capital Improvements 2 fund - $343,000; Central Business and Cultural District
fund - $37,000; Capital Improvements fund - $619,000; and the Water Pollution
Control fund - $2.6 million. Koral said this is a realization of the economic
climate that we find ourselves in; however, the City has been able to maintain
staffing levels, no employee positions or salaries have been reduced, and in
fact, the City has been able to improve benefits by transferring to a new health
plan with lower deductibles and better coverage. "The City recognizes its role
as the economic engine in the community to continue to drive the economy in
Sedalia and Pettis County," Koral concluded.
Image:
SFCC Sweetheart Gala raises more than $69,000 for Daum
Museum education endowment
The State
Fair Community College Foundation's second annual Sweetheart Gala Feb. 13
raised more than $69,000 for the Daum Endowment for Education.
More than
280 people attended the event held in the museum and Parkhurst Student Commons
on campus.
Proceeds
from the evening of dining, dancing and auctions go to support the Daum Escape,
an educational event for thousands of area fifth-grade students; artist talks
and art forums; the museum resource center; and other educational opportunities
in the museum.
"Thanks to
all our guests and donors for making the 2010 Sweetheart Gala a wonderful
success," said Jackie Almquist, executive director of the SFCC Foundation,
which sponsored the event. "Last year we raised $35,000, so this huge increase
is amazing. Sedalians definitely showed their support for the arts and the
college!"
Barbara
Lamy Cooney served as honorary event chairwoman. The University of Central
Missouri Jazz Band also provided live music.
A silent
auction featured pottery and hand-painted silk ties and scarves created by SFCC
art faculty and students.
Local
auctioneer Col. Donnie Ditzfeld, who donated his services for the second year,
charmed and cajoled the audience as he auctioned works of art by SFCC faculty,
local artists and students from Camp Blue Sky; a piece of a Dale Chihuly glass
chandelier; and other items donated by audience members.
The
highlight of the evening was the Sedalia Stars dance competition, which
featured couples from the college and the community performing a variety of
dance routines. Last year's Sedalia Stars participants also performed and
judged the competition.
This
year's dancers included Erica Eisenmenger and Jim Buckley; Tracy Mallard and
Don Weaver; Lisa Shoemaker and Max Mitchell; Gena Swearingen and Don Luper; and
Robyn Wadley and David Callis, who won the event with votes from judges and
cash votes from the audience.
DVDs of
the evening's entertainment are available for $10. Local photojournalist Randy
Kirby donated his services to video the dance competition and produce the DVD.
To place an order, e-mail sweetheartgala@sfccmo.edu
and type "Sweetheart Gala DVD" in the subject line.
Sheriff Bond recommends Nixel
By Kelli Newkirk
Staff writer
The 2010 budget reductions have transformed
the operations of Pettis County Sheriff's Office from proactive to reactive.
Sheriff Kevin Bond talked about these changes, as well as, cuts to the DARE
program last Thursday, Feb. 25. Bond recommends Nixel as part of the solution.
Both the jail and the Sheriff's
budgets took 24.6 percent cuts in funding this year; however, the jail side
felt less of a sting thanks to funds carried over from 2009. The Sheriff's
side, which provides the manpower took the hardest hit, "It really set me back
a decade in staffing," Bond explained, "We lost four full-time positions in
road patrol." In addition, two dispatchers were lost, one bailiff, and nine
part-time positions on the jail side.
Bond is making due by moving people
around to fill the most urgent positions. "So far, we've been able to deal with
it pretty well," Bond said, "I have had to dispatch on three occasions and am
scheduled for two more shifts." However, the Sheriff is unsure of what may
happen when the weather warms up, primarily in June, July, and August, which
are peak call times. The Sheriff's deputies are being encouraged to take
vacation time now, before the needs for their services begin to rise.
According to Bond, the jail generates
money by housing inmates for other counties, Cole County being one of the
largest “renters” at this time. Jan. 22 marked an all time high with 177
inmates being housed in the jail, 210 is maximum capacity. Although the jail is
not a money making facility, the funds reimbursed for housing inmates helps to
recoup the rising fixed costs like utilities and insurance.
The DARE program that provides drug
resistance education to public school children has not been cut completely,
however, services have been suspended in four out of five county schools.
Northwest High School is the one county school where the DARE program remains
intact, because a Boonville police officer has volunteered his time to continue
that program. “My intention is to bring back the DARE program when we have the
manpower to be able to do that,” Bond said. "I don't anticipate that next year
it’s going to bounce back, we’re going to have to climb out of this."
Despite the cuts in manpower,
all calls coming into the Sheriff's office have been answered. "The response
time may not be immediate, depending on the urgency of the situation," Bond
explained. People wanting to make a report should be patient and come to
the office to make a report, if possible. The Sedalia Police Department and the
Highway Patrol are available to provide back up to the Pettis County Deputies
if needed.
So,
what can people living in the county areas do to compensate for the losses to
their law enforcement agency? There are a number of recommendations. First,
people should keep their eyes and ears open. "Awareness is the biggest issue," Bond said, "People need to be actively involved, they can write down license
plates of suspicious vehicles and take notes to remember details. If they see a
crime in progress, pick up the phone and call us." The Sheriff, also,
recommends that everyone sign up for Nixel, a free computer based system that
provides the latest in community updates, alerts, news, and other useful
information online or via text messaging or email. Simply visit http://local.nixle.com/county/mo/pettis/
and register to begin receiving updates immediately.
