The Reporter newspaper, Camdenton Missouri

The Reporter covers Miller, Morgan and Camden County in Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks and is published once per week on Wednesdays.

Published June 17, 2015

Lake Ozark Board of Aldermen actions Tuesday June 9

LAKE OZARK - In other business at the June 9 Board of Aldermen meeting:
* Mike Shepherd - a member of the Lake Race Committee - was effusive in his appreciation for the city’s assistance during the recent 2015 Lake Race boat event held recently on the Bagnell Dam Strip.

“The racers and families were ecstatic with the hospitality,” Shepherd said.

He included the Police Department and Public Works Department in his praise for their assistance with traffic control and parking, specifically mentioning Police Chief Gary Launderville.

Shepherd stated that a large number of traffic volunteers had bowed out at the last minute.

“Two days before the event we were scrambling to put together a traffic volunteer crew,” he said, adding that public works employees and police officers were a tremendous help.

Shepherd also presented the city with a plaque of appreciation for their efforts.

* In addition, a spokesman for the Lake of the Ozarks Watershed Alliance also praised the police department’s efforts during the boat race event.

“Your police force was extremely professional,” she said, “absolutely first class.”

* The board voted to remove two items from the Tuesday night agenda including a discussion and possible action on a contract for the police chief position and a closed session to discuss real estate matters.

The decision was made because newly appointed City Attorney Christopher Rohrer was not present at the meeting.

One resident spoke out about the proposed police chief contract.

“All this talk about contracts is detrimental to the city,” he said. “These are volatile positions (police chief and city administrator) and they need some assurances they’re not going to be let go because of that volatility.”

* The board also voted to accept a Fiscal Year 2014 annual audit performed by Graves and Associates.

A spokesman for Graves gave an overview of the audit process itself and boiled down the results into a single sentence: “In essence, are you better off this year than you were last year?” she asked. “Absolutely you are.”

* A supplemental evaluation of LAGERS benefits for city employees was accepted and placed on file by the board.

“This is the report that we requested from LAGERS for upgrading the retirement benefit plan for our employees from the current level (L-1) to L-3 with a three year salary average at time of retirement versus the current five year,” City Administrator Dave Van Dee stated in a report to the board. “The annual impact in my opinion can be managed as part of our (Fiscal Year) 2016 budget process and will not be as significant if we proceed with the upgrade in the current budget year.”

* The board gave first- and second-reading approval to an ordinance granting a temporary easement agreement with School of the Osage - “This is for construction, the first of a half-dozen easements for our sanitary sewer upgrades,” City Administrator Van Dee said - as well as first- and second-reading reading approval for a permanent easement agreement with School of the Osage.

* The final plat for Fish Haven Apartments was also approved by the board. Van Dee urged city officials to visit the site and “notice the speed in which construction is occurring.”

Tim Haden, Deputy Community Development Director, agreed with Van Dee.

“The Fish Haven multi-family project is well under way and the buildings are now being framed,” Haden said in a report to the board. “The framing could be completed within the next few weeks depending on the weather. I believe the project is moving along as scheduled and will be near complete late 2015 or early 2016.”

* A request from Police Chief Gary Launderville to sell two decommissioned police vehicles was approved by the board.

“The two ‘07 Dodge Chargers were taken out of service a few months ago due to ongoing high maintenance costs,” Launderville stated in a report to the board. “It is my understanding that in the past we have taken vehicles to the auction to be sold. This would be the intent again if so approved.”