Fire Department Gets Donation
Southwest City’s board of aldermen was faced with a financial blessing and a financial burden during the Dec. 17 special meeting.
Upon hearing news of the city’s out-of-service fire engine and the struggle to fund the purchase of a new one, Cornerstone Bank stepped in and generously donated $10,000 to the fire department. The donation will be used to make a $10,000 down payment on the vehicle, and the city will match funds to buy the fire engine outright.
Mayor David Blake continuously thanked Cornerstone Bank for the kind contribution.
Alderman Joe Carpenter then spoke about the status of the Senior Citizen’s Center. He said City Hall received a letter on Dec. 10 from the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) stating that, after Dec. 31, 2019, the agency will no longer send prepared food to the Southwest City location. The letter cited increasing regulations and costs as the reason for discontinuing food service but noted that the McDonald County Senior Center in Noel will continue to prepare and serve meals on-site as well as deliver to the home-bound within city limits.
Carpenter said he spoke with a representative from the AAA, County Commissioner David Holloway and State Representative Dirk Deaton about the matter and is remaining “cautiously optimistic.”
In the Nov. 14 meeting, the board of directors for the Southwest City Senior Center asked that the city allow the board time to become self-sufficient by funding director Melissa Lance’s salary for a year while the board pays for utilities and insurance.
Carpenter proposed a compromise by way of funding the center for the first quarter of the year.
“That would allow for the center to get stable and we can continue to work with officials to find funding,” he said. “In three months, they should know if they’re gonna make it or not.”
Assistant city clerk Lois Frye said the board knew six months ago that there was a possibility of service ceasing.
“To put it bluntly, the city doesn’t have the money,” she said.
Board members Danielle Smith and Bob Easter arrived to speak on behalf of the board.
Smith noted that a number of local grocers have offered to provide food for five cents above cost. She said, if push comes to shove, she believes the board can pay for utilities, insurance and food temporarily. Smith asked if the city’s remaining CD that was earmarked for the senior center could be withdrawn to fund Lance’s salary.
The council agreed to put the Senior Center and the CD on the Dec. 30 agenda.
In other business, the council:
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employees pay 25% of their individual health insurance premium costs;
8ZZ\gk\[ I\c`XYc\ bid of $1,680 to connect a generator to City Hall; 8ggifm\[ k_\ gifgfj\[ 2020 street budget; I\e\n\[ k_\ Z`kpËj membership with SAM.gov and appointed Alderman Amber Killion as the second point of contact for the organization.