JACKSON MAN AIRS COMPLAINTS AGAINST OFFICIALS

JACKSON -- Meetings of the Jackson Board of Aldermen normally are low-key, matter-of-fact affairs. That's normally.

At Monday night's meeting, resident Jack Priest tried to take a poll to see how many Christians are on the board, called on Mayor Paul Sander and Alderman Larry Cunningham to resign and accused City Administrator Steve Wilson of lying to him.

Sander repeatedly told Priest he was out of order because the issues he wanted to discuss are to be taken up at a May 15 hearing. That hearing will be for the rezoning of 53.5 acres of land Priest and others own along the new East Main Street Extension.

Priest and the city are at odds because of complaints about the truck refrigeration units he stores on his land. The city wants him to erect a fence to hide the units from view, though officials say they are waiting to pursue the issue until his administrative options are exhausted.

The city's Board of Adjustments meanwhile has denied Priest's application to construct a building on the land because he wanted to build nearer to East Main Street than the required setback.

He also faces an upcoming administrative hearing with the city over his placement of tractor-trailers on his land. The city maintains he is in violation of two ordinances.

Monday night, Priest contended the meeting should have opened with a prayer after asking for a show of hands of Christians, said Sander and Cunningham have conflicts of interest because both are real estate agents, and claimed the city gave him no choice but to give them his right of way when the extension was built.

"I had a gun held to my head," he said.

Saying the issue was not a subject for debate, Sander added, "You signed all those papers. We didn't force you to sign anything."

Priest also said Wilson promised him there would be no problem getting his property rezoned for commercial use. The Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended commercial rezoning of only part of his property.

"You hear what you want to hear," Wilson said in response to Priest's allegation.

"Do you have anything of relevance that's not hearsay and name calling?" Sander asked Priest.

Priest sat down.

In other business, Sander said recommendations on a final draft of the city's proposed stormwater detention ordinance are expected by the end of April or beginning of May.

Jackson Board of Aldermen

7:30 p.m. Monday, April 17

City Hall

Action Items

Power and Light Committee

Accepted election results of the April 4 Municipal Election.

Approved a depository agreement with Bank of Missouri.

Street Committee

Amended Chapter 19, Article IV, of the City Code by adding a new section to prohibit parking in front of mailboxes.

Amended the parking Prohibited at All Times on Certain Street Schedule Schedule IX by adding new no parking designations and repealing certain specific parking designations.

Set a hearing for 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 15, to consider the rezoning of some 53.5 acres of property situated along East Main Street from R-2 (single-family residential) and R-3 (general residential) to C-2 (general commercial) as submitted by Edna Hawthorne, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Priest, William Francis, Joe Bullinger, Mary Hartje, Pat Tollison and Roy D. Bullinger.

Set a hearing for 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 15, to consider the rezoning of all the property addressed at 2080 E. Main St. from R-2 to C-2 as submitted by Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Huskey.

Set a hearing for 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 15, to consider the rezoning of all the property addressed at 233 W. Jackson Blvd. from I-2 (heavy industrial) to C-2 as submitted by Philip Penzel of Penzel Construction Co.

Set a hearing for 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 15, to consider the rezoning of Lots 1 through 10 and 15 through 24 of West Vale Subdivision from C-2 to R-2 as submitted by the City of Jackson.

Executive session

Held executive session to discuss litigation.