2020 Jackson budget calls for increases in water, sewer, electric, trash fees

The Jackson Board of Aldermen on Monday night approved an annual budget calling for an increase in water, sewer, electric and trash collection fees next year.

The rate increases for the sewer, water and electric services amounts to 1.9% above current rates, which, according to city administrator Jim Roach, is consistent with the recent rise in the consumer price index.

The aldermen also approved a $4 monthly increase in the city’s residential trash collection fees, raising it from $6 to 10.

According to Roach, the additional water, sewer and electric fees should generate between $400,000 and $425,000 a year. The effective billing date for the fee increases will be Feb. 1, 2020.

The aldermen approved the rate increases after a brief public hearing at which no one spoke in opposition to fee adjustments.

As part of the city’s $33.8 million 2020 budget, the aldermen also approved next year’s salaries and other compensation guidelines for city employees calling for an average wage increase of about 10% above the city’s current wage schedule. The salary hikes, recommended in October by a municipal salary consultant, are intended to keep wages for city employees competitive with those of similar cities in Missouri and takes into consideration state- and federally-mandated increases in the minimum wage.

Two of the biggest pay increases will benefit Jackson’s police and public-utility employees. Beginning next month, the starting annual salary for an entry-level patrol officer will be $36,255, which is several thousand dollars higher than the police department’s current starting pay for that position.

Jackson’s starting pay for an electrical lineman, which is now between $33,000 and $34,000 a year, will increase to $43,404 beginning in 2020.

Roach said the wage increases will amount to approximately $500,000 in the coming year.

Subdivision ordinance adjustment

The aldermen unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s ordinances that will allow development of property within city limits that lacks access to existing city streets, as long as that property has access by way of a street in any publicly dedicated right of way.

The amendment was approved following a public hearing on the issue prior to the board’s regular business meeting Monday night.

Jackson building and planning manager Janet Sanders said the amendment was created specifically to allow for the development of two parcels of land just north of Bent Creek Golf Course that are within the city limits but have no access to city streets.

The amendment, Sanders said, will also allow development of similarly “landlocked” properties in the future, but those situations would be rare she said.

Although he voted for it, Alderman Larry Cunningham said he was concerned about the ordinance change.

“I don’t like it a bit,” he said. “I’m going to vote for it, but I hope this doesn’t come back to bite us.”

Other actions

In other business during the board’s regular business meeting, the aldermen:

• Approved a motion to accept a bid of $25,382.80 from Power Line Consultants LLC of Farmington, Missouri, related to the relocation of electrical transmission and distribution lines at Center Junction and passed an ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement for the work.
• Rejected, upon staff recommendation, a $28,365 bid from ArcaSearch Corp. for digital archiving of various city documents. The bid was 42% higher than the estimated cost of $20,000 and staff will review the project at a later date.
• Set 6 p.m. Jan. 6 as the time and date for a public hearing to consider a special-use permit request as submitted by Saint Francis Health System for a temporary mobile medical office in a C-2 (general commercial) district at 2130 E. Jackson Blvd.
• Approved a motion to accept the Jackson citywide bridge plan as submitted earlier this month by Smith & Company Engineers of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, under the Missouri Department of Transportation’s bridge engineering assistance program.
• Approved a motion accepting the bid of Jokerst Inc. of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, in the amount of $189,994 in connection with the South Old Orchard Road water system interconnection project and passed an ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement for the work.
• Approved a motion accepting the bid of Metro-Ag Waste Injection Systems Inc. of Breese, Illinois, in the amount of 0.069 cents per gallon related to the city’s 2020 biosolids disposal program and approved an ordinance authorizing a contractual agreement with the company.

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