Votes at a glance: Hannibal City Council approves airport farm lease, museum lease, website maintenance contract and enters closed session

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal City Council on Feb. 18 approved several measures by voice vote or roll call, including a five-year farm lease for airport property, a revised lease for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and a website maintenance agreement. The council also voted to enter a closed session under Missouri statutes cited on the record.

Key outcomes

- Airport farm lease (Resolution 2535-25): The council adopted Resolution 25-35-25 authorizing a five-year lease with Chase Goldinger for approximately 50 tillable acres surrounding the airport at $12,500 per year for 2025–2029. The measure passed on roll call with all council members recorded as voting yes.

- Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum lease revision: The council approved a revised lease that removes the Molly Brown House lot from the foundation’s leased property and clarifies property ownership and maintenance responsibilities for the Tom and Huck statue. Megan Rapp, director of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, presented the revised agreement; the council approved the motion by voice vote.

- Website maintenance contract: The council approved a 2025 website maintenance agreement with Osborne, Barr and Paramore for $3,350.50, funded from tourism funds (not the general fund). Krish (presenter) said the fee covers agency time for bug fixes and minor updates; the council approved the contract by voice vote.

- Employee Benefit Trust Board: A reading related to the employee benefit trust board was presented and approved; roll-call votes show five yes votes and one abstention (Mayor Pro Tem Dobson abstained).

- Missouri Department of Conservation request: The council discussed a request from the Missouri Department of Conservation to conduct deer harvesting on conservation/City property for disease testing. The council approved the request by voice vote; the presentation noted the harvest would target department-owned conservation property and that safety and logistics would be coordinated with city staff. Specific locations and operational details were not specified on the record.

- Closed session: The council moved into closed session under RSMo 610.021 subsections cited at the meeting; the motion passed by roll call. The mayor named the people authorized to attend the closed session on the record.

Votes and motions (detailed)

1) Resolution 25-35-25 — Airport farm lease with Chase Goldinger - Motion: Adopt resolution authorizing mayor to execute five-year farm lease (2025–2029) for $12,500 per year. - Mover/Second: motion structure presented by staff; individual mover/second not recorded in transcript. - Vote: Roll call — Councilman Phillips: Yes; Councilman Munger: Yes; Councilman Haycraft: Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Dobson: Yes; Councilman Cohen: Yes; Mayor Lotterman: Yes. - Outcome: Approved.

2) Mark Twain Boyhood Home revised lease - Motion: Approve revised lease agreement removing Molly Brown House lot from the leased parcel and clarifying maintenance responsibilities. - Mover/Second: motion made from the floor; mover/second not specified in the public record excerpt. - Vote: Voice vote — All in favor. Outcome: Approved.

3) Website maintenance agreement with Osborne, Barr and Paramore ($3,350.50) - Motion: Authorize mayor to sign website maintenance agreement for calendar year 2025. - Funding note: Tourism funds (not general fund). - Vote: Voice vote — All in favor. Outcome: Approved.

4) Employee Benefit Trust Board reading - Motion: Approve reading as presented. - Vote: Roll call — Yes: Councilman Phillips, Councilman Munger, Councilman Haycraft, Councilman Cohen, Mayor Lotterman; Abstain: Mayor Pro Tem Dobson. Outcome: Approved with one abstention.

5) Missouri Department of Conservation request (deer harvesting for testing) - Motion: Approve department to conduct targeted harvest on department-owned conservation property; coordinate with city staff on safety and logistics. - Vote: Voice vote — All in favor. Outcome: Approved. Details on specific sites, exact timing and operational plans were not specified in the public record excerpt.

6) Motion to enter closed session (RSMo 610.021(1,3,12,13)) - Motion: Enter closed session with specified attendees (council, city manager, city attorney, city clerk, city staff and outside counsel named at the meeting). - Vote: Roll call — All recorded yes. Outcome: Approved; closed session convened.

What this means

Most measures approved on Feb. 18 were routine agreements and housekeeping items that will be implemented by staff: the airport farmland lease will be managed by airport staff and the airport board; the museum lease clarifies which parcels remain under the foundation’s care and which are city-owned; and the website contract uses tourism funds for site maintenance during 2025. The closed session was authorized under Missouri’s Sunshine Law exemptions cited on the record.

The council did not detail operational specifics for the Missouri Department of Conservation harvest on the public record; staff indicated they expect to coordinate safety and logistics and that the targeted harvest will occur on department-owned conservation property.