CALLAWAY — The Callaway City Commission is scheduled to discuss code enforcement issues — a source of frustration often voiced by Callaway residents — at its meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The first issue is the dual code enforcement and planning position. City Manager Michael Fuller believes a new job description will assuage concerns from commissioners and residents alike, as it includes ambiguous language surrounding code enforcement duties, a supervisory position that supervises just one other person and the name of the position, changed from administrator to officer. Fuller did add that the position will be a senior position in the department because of heightened duties. The commission approved the position as a part of the budget on Sept. 22.
Fuller said the city has a planning consultant on call for any planning complications.
“My original thinking was that we don’t have the need for a new planning director, but I can’t get to all daily planning stuff,” Fuller said, who was promoted to city manager from a previous perch as the planning director.
The commission also may approve an ordinance for special tax assessments for nuisance abatement. The ordinance is one of the final steps in ending the process for liens and instead moving fines and delinquent payments directly to tax rolls.
Now the special tax assessment only applies to future liens.
The city is getting daily calls from banks and collection companies searching for detailed reports on outstanding liens, including full property histories. The commission will hear the first reading of an ordinance instituting a charge for those searches, about $100 and a little bit more for expedited service.
“It takes up a lot of staff time,” Fuller said. “This is not anything unusual. Springfield already has this.”
In other business, the commission will consider:
- A bid from HG Supply for water meters. HG was the only company that met the bid specifications for the $1.5 million project to replace the majority of the water meters in the city.
- A development order for a 12-plat subdivision at Katherine Avenue and Boat Race Road.
- A revision to the rehabilitation of the lift station on Gay Avenue. Fuller said the city will purchase pumps to lower some of the $151,000 estimated cost from contractor Royal American.
- Raising the pay scales for 11 employees that had eclipsed the scale and were thus not given a raise after a raise was approved in the budget.
- A $25 fee for customers who pay their bill between the due date and the date of service shutoff.