During the city administrator's report, staff said the parking lot behind the senior center is nearing completion and will provide additional public parking — an estimated 46 to 47 spaces pending final striping and layout.

The administrator also announced personnel changes: Alex Fisher is set to start Monday as the new plant operator at the water plant, and Jack Cooley has joined the police department as a recruit and will attend the academy in the coming weeks.

Separately, staff briefed the board on the commercial sidewalk project after Legacy Underground informed the city it would be shutting down; staff said they are coordinating with MoDOT, the bond company and the school and will report back after a scheduled meeting with state officials.

Discussion vs. decision: staff provided informational updates; aldermen did not take formal action on the parking lot or hiring announcements during the session. The council did vote on related agenda items elsewhere in the meeting.

Staff said final parking-space counts will be determined after striping and layout are complete and noted that sidewalk project work is governed by MoDOT rules because the project is state-administered.