Altenburg, Frohna pass ordinance to halt consolidation

FROHNA, Mo. -- Frohna and Altenburg moved one step closer to remaining separate, now that city officials in both towns have officially agreed on a legal strategy to avoid consolidation.

City attorneys Thomas Hoeh and Phil Dormeyer worked to draft an ordinance, adopted by Altenburg's Board of Aldermen on Tuesday night and by Frohna's on Wednesday, that sets in motion their plans to jointly pursue a declaratory judgment in Perry County Circuit Court to keep the towns independent.

The decision to reverse the decade-old ballot measure that prompted talk of the towns' consolidation came last month after petitions expressing residents' desire to remain separate showed overwhelming majority support in Frohna and Altenburg.

Due process, however, has proved slower than some residents would like.

"There's really no precedent that [our attorneys] could find," Frohna Mayor Hank Voelker said. "There are clear ways to work toward consolidation, but nothing about how to reverse it."

Dormeyer said a declaratory judgment will likely get the job done, but stipulated the speed of the process depends largely on the judge.

"At this point, we'll probably sit down with the judge and let him know where we're at, give him the history of what's going on," Dormeyer said. "But it depends on how busy the docket is."

He said because both cities officially have adopted the ordinances, the petition can be filed today. He said usually these types of cases come before the judge within a month.

"We're hoping to get it on the next docket," he said, adding all that's needed is to sign the check for court fees, which will be funded equally by both towns as outlined in the ordinance.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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