COMMUNITY UPDATE: HITT THANKED FOR YEARS OF SERVICE

As we start a new City Council term, I want to thank retiring Councilman Dave Hitt for his eight years of service. Dave was a pro-active, effective member of the Council. Dave always looked at all sides of an issue and voted what he thought was best for Jackson. Thanks again, Dave. Your loyal service to our growing city is deeply appreciated.

I also would like to welcome our new Ward 1 Councilman, Phil Penzel. I am sure Phil will work hard to be a fine addition to our Council. I look forward to working with Phil toward the betterment of Jackson.

Re-elected Council members Kerry Hoffman, Larry Hall and Val Tuschhoff all will start new terms in office.

It is my pleasure and honor to begin a new term as your mayor. I will continue to work hard for every citizen of Jackson. My door is always open to you. Don't hesitate to call if you have a question, suggestion or an idea that will make our growing town a better place. One of my goals continues to be the promotion of orderly growth while maintaining our small-town family atmosphere and values.

Our semiannual cleanup-fix-up week will begin Monday and run through Friday. During this week you can put out items for refuse pick up that normally would not be picked up. This pick up will take place on your normal refuse collection day. If you have questions about this special city service, call 243-2300 for more information. Take advantage of this service and help keep Jackson the clean, beautiful city it is today.

Thanks to the area Optimist clubs for sponsoring "Youth in Government Day" again this year. Council members, staff and I all participated with area high school seniors who occupied most city positions for a day. It was a great learning experience for everyone involved and also a lot of fun. I can tell you we have outstanding high school seniors who someday will be leaders of our state, county and city.

We have sent the Missouri Department of Transportation a resolution once again requesting help and ideas on how we can work together to better move traffic along U.S. 61 through our city. This is a state highway, and we must work through MoDOT to make any improvements. We also have asked MoDOT to update the city on current plans and specifications on the proposed upgrade to Highway 72/34. We will keep a close eye on this state of Missouri proposed improvement and would appreciate hearing any comments from the public on this issue.

State Revolving Fund water and sewer bond issue approved projects are going full speed ahead. These ongoing improvements will be a great benefit to our overall city infrastructure. Improving the infrastructure in a growing city like Jackson is a top priority of the council.

The city is also completing an upgrade on the water well in the city park. We intend to upgrade all our wells as needed to better ensure a continued good water supply and quality.

The Council meets at 7:30 p.m. Mondays at City Hall in Jackson. Your comments and suggestions on how we can improve Jackson are always welcome.

Paul Sander

Mayor