Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Events Street Closure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kearney aldermen approve East Washington street closure for Labor Day races and ask staff to pursue ordinance change
Summary
The Kearney Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a street closure for the Kearney Hall Optimist Club’s Labor Day races on Sept. 1, 2025, and asked staff to draft a change giving at least the city administrator authority to approve special-event street closures.
KEARNEY, Mo. — The Kearney Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Wednesday to allow the Kearney Hall Optimist Club to close East Washington Street between South Grove Street and Jefferson Street on Sept. 1, 2025, for its annual Labor Day races, and asked staff to prepare a proposed ordinance change to permit staff-level approval of similar special-event street closures.
The board’s presiding officer, Presiding officer, Kearney Board of Aldermen, said staff currently lack authority under city ordinance to close streets for special events and asked for a brief consensus to direct staff to draft a modification that would, at minimum, authorize the city administrator to approve street closures for special events. "Does anybody on the board have any issues with that ask and direction?" the presiding officer asked; there were none.
The request from the Kearney Hall Optimist Club was presented as the only regular-agenda personal-appearance item. Representatives from the Kearney Hall Optimist Club told the board they will obtain liability insurance and coordinate logistics. "You have a quorum," said Sunny, city staff member, during roll call. The presiding officer told the Optimist Club she had provided a key card so volunteers could access the city hall restrooms from 9 a.m. to noon and noted the club expects to use a city exterior electrical outlet.
A motion to approve the street closure was made during the meeting and seconded; the board then voted in favor. The roll call recorded that Alderman King, Alderman Spencer and Alderman Movement voted “aye”; Alderman Holt was absent. The motion passed unanimously among those present.
The board also announced it would enter an executive session under Missouri’s open-meetings statute, RSMo. 610.021, citing subsections 1 (legal actions or litigation and privileged communications with counsel), 2 (leasing, purchase or sale of real estate where public knowledge might adversely affect the transaction) and 12 (matters pertaining to negotiated contracts). The open portion of the meeting concluded at approximately 6:36 p.m.
The ordinance-change request is a direction to staff rather than a formal ordinance amendment; any draft code change would return to the board for consideration and formal action if the board chooses to pursue adoption.
