Webb City Council approves three ordinances

In Mayor Lynn Ragsdale’s absence, the Webb City Council agenda tends to move along more quickly. He was out of town Monday so Jerry Fisher, mayor pro tem, wielded the gavel.

The council completed passage of three ordinances that will:

• Rezone the southwest corner of Fourth and Devon streets from multi-family to commercial for construction of a garage with office for Quick & Clean Detailing.

• Make it illegal to cut across property to avoid a stoplight. The northwest corner of East and Daugherty streets has been cited as an example of why the ordinance is necessary.

• Make it illegal to urinate or defecate in public places. Police Chief Don Melton verified the law is necessary.

Three budgeted purchases recommended by Melton for the police department were approved. They are for:

• Three in-car video cameras at $5,105 per system ($15,316 total) from Digital Ally, which also supplies the department’s body cameras. There’s an additional $490 annual charge per camera to store the video on the cloud. The camera systems will cost the city only $919 because Melton’s application for a $14,397 grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation has been awarded.

• Four dual-antenna radar units. NRoute will supply the units for $1,882 each ($7,528 total. A MoDOT grant Melton applied for will cover all but $488 of the total.

• Six Dell Latitude 7350 computer tablets. Stronghold Data, the city’s new IT contractor, will supply them for $1,796 each ($10,781 total) and set them up. Melton has been notified that the $8,100 grant application he submitted to MoDOT has been awarded. Budgeted funds will cover the balance, $2,681.

The council also approved the budgeted purchase of a generator and switch for the city’s newest well – No. 15, below the large water tower. Bill’s Electric will supply it for $92,830.

Francis reported in his administrator’s report that:

• The parks department crew is making attractions for the new dog park in King Jack Park and preparing mowers for the upcoming season.

• Wastewater crews are starting to replace five 70-year-old manholes that can’t be sealed by the method the council recently approved.

• Public works staff is in the process of replacing outdated street signs and using a new rock asphalt product to fill potholes.

• He’s hoping to receive results soon from a water-leak detection company whose employees have been moving about town on scooters as they run tests.

• No-parking signs are being installed on the east and west sides of Powell Drive.