True resigns, council sets tax levy

Brad True resigned as El Dorado Springs Councilman and current mayor on Aug. 26 citing personal reasons. His letter of resignation to the El Dorado Springs City Council c/o Bruce Rogers, city manager, is as follows:  Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from the El Dorado Springs City Council as of Monday, August 26, 2019. This resignation also includes all other committees I currently serve on: (1) Picnic Committee (2) Planning and Zoning, (3) Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning commission. For the most part I have enjoyed my time as a City Councilman and Mayor but have chosen to leave for personal reasons. Sincerely, Brad True.   True’s term was set to expire in April 2021

True had been on the council since April 2006. He was appointed mayor pro-tem in 2007 and had served as mayor every year since 2008. He was the council’s representative on the Kaysinger Basin Regional Planning Commission as well as being the vice chairman of Kaysinger’s executive committee. He was also the city’s representative on the Quad Lakes Solid Waste Management District which is administrated by Kaysinger Basin. He was active on the Picnic committee serving as the facilitator and coordinator of the kids’ games in the Park.

Mayor Pro Tem Cory Gayman presided over the Thursday, Aug. 29, meeting.

El Dorado Springs citizens interested in serving on the council can apply at City Hall. The council will appoint someone from the applicants. There is a question as to whether the appointee would serve until the next election in April 2020 or serve out the rest of True’s term.

Along with Gayman, Councilmen Jim Luster, Nick Bland and Nathan Murrell were present as were City Clerk Kandi Baldwin and City Manager Bruce Rogers.

Gayman signed a proclamation from  Cedar County Memorial Hospital proclaiming September, 2019, as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

The council also heard from Fire Chief Bob Floyd about new equipment the Fire Department has purchased.

There was no public forum.

After the Tax hearing, the council voted on the first and second reading establish the tax rates for 2019 at $1.428 per $100 per assessed valuation.

Rogers reported that there was no update on the fishing lake at Nine Wonders. He also said that the city departments are working through the budget process.

Previous meeting: council discusses sidewalk project; medical marijuana

In a previous meeting, Andrew Eckhart of Anderson Engineering presented a change order on the sidewalk project which would add 25 days to ending date of the project. The end date is now Oct 5. Eckhart said the wet weather in May and June delayed the project. Eckhart stated that MoDOT has already approved the change order.

City Attorney Bryan Breckenridge discussed the medical marijuana state laws and regulations. Breckenridge said the main  issue for the city is Amendment 2 which prohibits banning marijuana. It does not allow the city regulation of medical marijuana to be overly burdensome. A facility cannot be within 1000 feet of a school, day care or church. Not a straight line 1000 feet, but it has to be measure by walking a lawful path not “as the crow flies.” Breckenridge said the city will regulate time, place and manor of operation. Marijuana cannot be smoked openly, failure of this will be civil with a fine, not imprisonment.

Rogers stated the time limits are on when the facilities are open and that there will be no smoking on the premises. The building has to have proper ventilation. A licensed doctor has to be the one to prescribe the medical marijuana. The city cannot charge local tax, the facility must have a merchant’s license. The state added a 4% tax which would make the tax 8.225%. Rogers said Breckenridge will work on drafting an ordinance. He said the state is only allowing 22-24 licenses for dispensing per federal legislative district. El Dorado Springs is in federal legislative District 4, which includes Kanas City, Columbia, and Lake of the Ozarks, to name a few.

Rogers said the surplus auction on Aug 10 made $55,000. Rogers said he would put back in each fund the amount that was sold for that department.