A first for El Dorado Springs City Council (prayer)

A minute and a half before the Feb. 6, 2023, City Council meeting, council member Gabby Kinnett said that a group of ladies had approached her and asked why there wasn’t a prayer before council meeting. Kinnett asked if she could offer a prayer and she did. After the meeting Kinnett was asked about it. She said she would continue to offer a prayer before council meeting as long as she was on the council.
The regular meeting of the El Dorado Springs City council began on time with council members Glenda Baker, Kinnett, Nathan Murrell and Mayor Cory Gayman present. Councilmember Jim Luster was absent. City Manager Bruce Rogers and City Clerk Kandi Baldwin were also present.
The council Proclaimed Feb. 13 – 19 as Ronald McDonald House Week. The Ronald McDonald House in Springfield has served the needs of 203 Cedar County families, 107 of which are residents of El Dorado Springs.
Rogers said the proclamation is something the council does every year.
Council members were also presented with the Drug and Alcohol Policy for the City of El Dorado Springs.
During the public forum David Friar wanted to know about city employe’s vacation time, how long had the pool been leaking, how much has the sales tax revenue increased and how often does Rogers call councilmembers?
Rogers reported on the Warming Center that is open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. any time the temperature is 20 degrees or lower. The last time it was open there were 12 – 15 people that came for food and three people stayed overnight. The center is located at the Liston Center on North Main.
Fay Koger, with the Wayside inn Museum, told the council that the Preserve Our Past Society has two big events scheduled for this year. June 3 is Historical Hysteria Day and the Museum would like to have Spring Street closed off. They also need electricity, the use of the Park and the permission to build a fire in the Park.
October 21 is the Chili Cookoff. For that event they also need Spring Street closed off, electricity and the use of the Park.
El Dorado Police Chief Jarrod Schiereck discussed the possibility of having a new E911 system at the police department. He said that currently 911 calls to the police station are routed through the Cedar County Sheriffs office in Stockton. He said that El Dorado Springs has been without their own 911 system since last fall. He presented several proposals for the council to consider.
The council discussed the corner of Fields and Allison Road. The person that lives there has trouble with people not making the curve and ending up in his yard. The council will look into lowering the speed limits and possibly cutting little trenches into the pavement the slow the traffic.
The council discussed the number of vacancies on the various boards the city has. There are six vacancies on the Planning Commission, one on the Parks and Recreation advisory board, three on the Board of Adjustment and three on the Cemetery Board.
Kinnett said she wanted the council to take care of a few things they had discussed in the past and hadn’t taken action on.