The Walnut Ridge lift station was completely rebuilt last year, and a new bar screen filtering system was installed to prevent clogs. Despite that, City Administrator Carl Francis reports that wastewater department crews have been working to remove a clog at that lift station. Baby wet wipes are the cause, “as they have been for years,” says Francis. They are an international problem and should be disposed of in the trash instead of flushed.
Informational door tags will be used again in the Walnut Ridge subdivision in an effort get residents to stop flushing the “flushable” wet wipes. And this time, Francis says the wastewater department will try to isolate the source of the wet wipes.
Bob Foos
Webb City officials say they are pleased with the outcome of including surplus vehicles in the annual Joplin public auction.
Eddie Kreighbaum, public works director, said he will be recommending future surplus vehicles be sold in the same manner.
The eight vehicles up for auction brought in a total of nearly $17,000, and after paying the commission, the city cleared $14,920. Kreighbaum said that’s better than what the city would have received by other means, such as advertising for bids.
Monthly sales-tax receipt checks the city receives from the state can vary wildly without reason. An unexpected low month will often be followed by one above the range of expectation.
But a collections check coming in 9.1% low is not what City Administrator Carl Francis wants to see the month before budget planning begins for the next fiscal year starting in November.
For the 11 months so far, total collections are up 1.05% from the same time last year. For the entire year in 2024, collections increased by 6.4%.
Use-tax collections are really a disappointment. They’re down 2.21% from a year ago. While total use-tax collections in 2024 increased 20.58%.
Year to date, all of the city’s sales and use tax collections have only increased 1.1% over the same period as last year, by $73,230 to $6,531,216.
Statewide as of August, total sales and use taxes had only increased 0.8% from the same period in 2024.
The static-to-low collections don’t matter for the current budget because revenue projections are typically set the same as the year that’s ending – as opposed to a best-guess increase.
In other action, the council:
• Approved a plan by Police Chief Don Melton to deal with late delivery of new patrol vehicles by continuing to use the surplussed vehicles until the new ones are ready.
He explained that new vehicles authorized for purchase in November 2024 weren’t received until March and still aren’t in service. There was a delay in safety equipment until May. The latest delay is installation of new radio equipment.
He noted it is working out better to accept the dealership trade-in offer than trying to sell them online.
• Voted to allow the purchase of a new zero-turn mower for the cemetery from Race Brothers at a low-bid price of $4,979.
