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Council adopts mutual‑aid, design and lease measures; backs municipal bond tax exemption and approves mayoral appointments
Summary
The Warrensburg City Council unanimously approved a package of ordinances and a resolution, including a mutual‑aid fire agreement with Higginsville, a $120,000 community center design contract, an alley vacation with a utility easement, a $1,800‑per‑year sign lease, and a resolution backing the federal tax exemption for municipal bond interest.
The Warrensburg City Council voted unanimously on a package of ordinances, a resolution and mayoral appointments during the meeting.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of regular meeting minutes dated April 14, 2025 and adoption of the meeting agenda: motions passed with recorded affirmative votes from Council Members Jim Kushner, Eddie Osborne, Susie Littari, Jan Jones and Bruce de Euler (mayor).
- Ordinance: mutual aid agreement with the Higginsville Fire Protection District (adopted). Presenter: Kenneth D. Jennings, fire chief. The agreement formalizes mutual aid primarily for access to Warrensburg’s ladder truck (ladder reaches approximately 100 feet). Vote: unanimous (Kushner, Osborne, Littari, Jones, Euler).
- Ordinance: ratify contract with Warner Neese and Boss Architects to design the Warrensburg Community Center front desk and lobby (adopted). Presenter: Chris Deal, Parks and Recreation Director. Project budget estimated at $120,000, funded with $60,000 from the Marion Glazebrook Estate donation and $60,000 from parks and recreation capital improvement funds. The design phase is intended to be completed in late summer, with construction bid afterward. Vote: unanimous (Kushner, Osborne, Littari, Jones, Euler).
- Ordinance: vacating an east–west alley in the Norwood Park addition with a reserved utility easement (adopted). Presenter: Jason (Interim Public Works). The council heard that the alley will revert to adjacent property owners under state statute language quoted in the staff presentation; existing utilities in the alley will be preserved through an easement and maintenance responsibility will shift to adjacent owners. Vote: unanimous (Kushner, Osborne, Littari, Jones, Euler).
- Ordinance: lease with Rejuve Med for panel B on the Hawthorne District sign (adopted). Presenter: Jessica Vindalo, management analyst. Rejuve Med will pay $1,800 annually for the panel that had previously been occupied by Zaxby’s but was not renewed. Vote: unanimous (Kushner, Osborne, Littari, Jones, Euler).
- Resolution: city support for preservation of the federal tax exemption for municipal bond interest (approved). Presenter: Kristen Dorman, assistant city manager and administrative services director. Dorman told the council that Congress has discussed eliminating the exemption and that the city relied on tax‑exempt financing for projects such as the Maguire Street project (cited as $17,000,000 in municipal bonds). The resolution directs staff to forward the council’s position to congressional representatives. Vote: unanimous (Kushner, Osborne, Littari, Jones, Euler).
- Mayoral appointments (approved). The mayor presented a set of reappointments and appointments to boards and commissions (examples recorded in the packet): Eddie Osborne (reappointments to the Property Rehabilitation Corporation and Arts Commission), Jan Jones (Planning & Zoning, Parks & Recreation), Susie Littari (Diversity & Inclusion Commission; Energy & Sustainability Task Force), Jim Kushner (Warrensburg Convention & Visitors Bureau; Traffic Commission), and others. The council also reappointed Max Reitnauer and Dwayne Jackson to Planning & Zoning through April 30, 2029, and appointed Grant Moore to the Energy & Sustainability Task Force through April 28, 2027. Vote: unanimous (Kushner, Osborne, Littari, Jones, Euler).
Procedural notes: Several items were moved to reading by title only before adoption; motions to move to reading and the recorded roll‑call approvals are included in the official minutes.
What the votes mean
- Mutual aid: formalizes a long‑standing mutual response practice with Higginsville and secures ladder truck access when needed.
- Community Center design: advances the front desk and lobby renovation into design and later construction, with identified funding sources.
- Alley vacation: transfers maintenance responsibility and ownership to adjacent property owners while preserving utility access via easement; staff cited state statute language on reversion to adjacent lots.
- Hawthorne sign lease: generates $1,800 in annual revenue from Rejuve Med for a city‑owned sign panel.
- Municipal bond resolution: expresses the city’s opposition to removing the federal tax exemption on municipal bonds and asks congressional representatives to preserve current law; staff noted the exemption supports financing for local infrastructure projects.
Full vote records and ordinance text are available in the council packet and official minutes.
