Council approves CMAQ intersection project, sewer lining, vehicle purchases and plats; appoints parks commissioner

The Washington City Council on Aug. 4 approved several ordinances, contracts and a planning plat during a second-reading vote, and the council accepted a mayoral appointment to the Parks and Recreation Commission.

Key outcomes at a glance

- CMAQ agreement for High Street and Highway 100 intersection improvements (introduced by Holtmeyer): The council approved an agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for a federal CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) grant to fund intersection improvements. The mayor later described the project as a roughly $2.4 million undertaking and said the city’s share would be "less than a half-million dollars" if the grant is awarded and the current local sales tax remains in place.

- Acceptance of quote for a 2024 Ford Expedition SSV response vehicle and budget amendment (introduced by Patke): Council approved acceptance of a quote from Chris Offenberg Ford to purchase a 2024 Ford Expedition SSV and amend the 2024–25 budget to fund the purchase.

- Upfitting emergency equipment (Public Safety Outfitters LLC): The council approved a quote and budget amendment to remove and install emergency equipment on the new vehicle, as introduced in the meeting packet.

- Sewer lining contract (Visio Sewer of Missouri LLC): The council authorized acceptance of a proposal from Visio Sewer of Missouri LLC for cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) installation on sections of Front Street and lines in Stonecrest and related stormwater work.

- Acceptance of a quote for the purchase of a 2024 Ford Expedition SSV response vehicle and associated upfitting (Public Safety Outfitters LLC): The council approved upfitting work to ready the purchased vehicle for service and amended the budget accordingly.

- Final plat approval: The council approved the final plat for Washington Square Shopping Center Plat 2, which subdivides the parcel containing an existing Taco Bell and includes a previously granted variance on an existing fire lane width.

- Preliminary plat: Planning staff presented a preliminary plat for Supergas and Food Mart Inc. to create a separate lot for a Taco Bell parcel within the Washington Square Shopping Center; the planning commission and board of adjustments had previously approved related variances.

- Mayor’s appointment: The council approved the mayor’s appointment of Russ Vollmert to the Parks and Recreation Commission, term ending Aug. 28 (motion by Patke, second by Coulter).

How the votes were recorded: Each ordinance listed above was presented for second reading and adopted by roll-call vote as recorded on the meeting record. Where a mover and second were recorded in the minutes (for example, the parks commission appointment), they are noted above; several second-reading ordinance votes proceeded directly to roll-call without a separate mover/second recorded in the public remarks.

Why it matters: The CMAQ agreement, if the grant is finalized, would pay most of the cost for a multi-million-dollar intersection project that the mayor said would otherwise require substantial local funding. Sewer lining and vehicle expenditures affect maintenance and emergency response capacity, while the plat approvals affect property ownership and fire-lane standards in a shopping-center redevelopment area.

Record and next steps: The meeting record shows passage of the listed ordinances by roll-call vote on Aug. 4. The mayor and city administrator also announced a budget workshop scheduled Aug. 18; several items adopted at this meeting require budget amendments reflected in the 2024–25 budget adjustments recorded with the ordinances.