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Residents urge safer warming-shelter practices and question local procurement and court staffing
Summary
During public participation residents raised safety and sanitation concerns about the local warming shelter, suggested camera monitoring and volunteer supervision, and questioned recent procurement and staffing decisions including whether staff were compensated for court duties and how a gazebo project was procured.
Several residents used the public-comment portion of the meeting to press the board on shelter safety and municipal procurement and staffing.
Pam Cal, who said she lives outside St. Clair, told the board she brought a young woman to the warming shelter held in the gym and described conditions she considered unsafe: food left out in trash bags and foil pans, no utensils or plates, and no overnight supervision. "There was no one else there all night and the place is open... anybody can come in and attack her or anyone staying there," Cal said, urging improved supervision. She suggested installing a camera that could be monitored by police and organizing scheduled volunteer shifts for food and supervision during overnight shelter operations.
Mayor/board representatives exchanged contact information with Cal and asked staff to follow up.
A second resident raised multiple governance questions: whether a ballot measure to add an alderman could be considered (noting it would not cost the city), whether any staff were compensated for finishing up court duties after the county took over the court, and how a gazebo project was procured. The resident said she had requested design plans, bids and invoices and said she had been told there were verbal bids: one from Jay Rice for about $30,000 and another bid of $7,500 from a company she later learned (per staff) was Dogwood. City staff responded that purchases under $25,000 do not require alderman approval and said the gazebo work cost less than $7,500, with invoices available to board members.
The board acknowledged the public concerns and directed staff to follow up on the shelter and procurement questions. No formal policy changes were made that night; staff said they would investigate and report back.
