Carl Junction aldermen approve 32‑lot Wildflower Estates plat, appoint new officer and accept Leo Club donation

The Carl Junction Board of Aldermen on a unanimous 6‑0 vote approved the preliminary plat for Wildflower Estates, a proposed 32‑lot single‑family subdivision, and later appointed a new police officer and accepted a donation from the Leo Club.

Planning & zoning introduced Case 26‑07 as a preliminary plat filed “by Nick and Tiffany Graten.” A project representative told the board the proposal covers 32 lots along Ivy and Rooney and that engineering work was completed by Jason Ehart of Xanavan with plats prepared by Stuart Nie. “It’s 32 lots running along Ivy and Rooney… plan to build single‑family homes through there,” the representative said, adding that construction could start in late summer or early fall if weather cooperates. The council moved to approve the plat (motion by Walter, second by Carol) and recorded six votes in favor and none opposed.

During public comments after the vote, a resident raised an access concern tied to the plat: the resident objected to a possible road off Gum Road that would cut in front of existing houses and asked the council to consider using Sherry Lane as a safer access alternative that would tie into an existing intersection.

The board also appointed a new police officer. The mayor introduced the candidate, and Police Chief McColl described the appointee’s qualifications, noting the candidate lives inside the city limits, previously worked for Oklahoma probation and parole, tested for Missouri post‑certification rather than attending the academy, and completed a background check with favorable recommendations. The motion to appoint carried 6‑0 with two absentees noted; the appointee recited the oath of office. (The transcript records the appointee’s given name as “Travis” but spells the last name variously as True Love, Prulo and Trulive in different segments; the meeting record contains those inconsistent renderings.)

Earlier in the meeting Valeria Figueroa, speaking for the Carl Junction Leo Club, offered a $100 donation toward a community‑center mural. The board discussed formal acceptance of gifts and then voted to accept the $100 check from the Leo Club. “We voted to use some of our funds that we’ve raised… to donate $100 towards the mural,” Figueroa said.

Council members and staff also reviewed department and committee reports. Police and public‑works staff described storm response and debris clearance after recent storms; officials said a storm siren on Copper Road had been reattached but had not been fully tested since repair. Councilors discussed whether the city’s siren policy should avoid multi‑minute resets (a practice referenced in neighboring jurisdictions) and instead keep alerts active while a threat persists. The council heard updates on a citywide code recodification project (staff reported 419 code items to review with a 100‑business‑day timeline) and an economic development meeting with a retail‑strategy consultant about a roughly 32‑acre property; the meeting record referenced a per‑acre price of $31,250 for initial pricing discussion.

The meeting closed after routine business and an adjournment vote.