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Fayette aldermen approve marshal pay raise, extend MoDOT grant deadline and waive five years of PILOT fees for housing authority
Summary
The Fayette Board of Aldermen on March 24 approved a $70,000 salary for the City Marshal, extended the MoDOT TAP grant deadline for North Main sidewalk improvements, selected a lower-cost workers' compensation insurer, and approved exempting the Fayette Housing Authority from PILOT fees for 2020–2025.
The Fayette Board of Aldermen took several fiscal and administrative actions at its March 24 meeting, approving a pay increase for the City Marshal, adopting an extension to a MoDOT grant project, selecting a workers' compensation insurer, and voting to exempt the Fayette Housing Authority from five years of PILOT fees.
Marshal salary: After the City Marshal presented comparative salary data for fourth-class cities, Alderman David Frees moved to raise the Marshal’s salary to $70,000 effective July 1, 2026; Alderwoman Michelle Ishmael seconded. The motion passed 5–1 on a roll call vote (Ayes: Frees, Gerlt, Cook, Ishmael, Waggoner; Nay: Roll). Marshal Timothy Wells had requested an approximate phased increase during his presentation; the board instead approved the flat $70,000 figure beginning July 1.
MoDOT grant extension: The board unanimously (6–0) approved Ordinance #2026-02, authorizing Mayor Greg Stidham to execute a supplemental agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to extend the project end date for MoDOT TAP-9901(543), a grant for sidewalk improvements on North Main Street. Both the first reading and the second and final reading were approved by roll call during the meeting.
PILOT exemption for Fayette Housing Authority: The board debated a request by the Fayette Housing Authority to exempt PILOT (payments in lieu of taxes) fees. Alderman Grafton Cook noted the city would continue to bear infrastructure and neighborhood upgrade costs and observed that energy-saving measures could reduce utility revenue. Alderman Frees proposed forgiving the prior five years of PILOT payments but not future ones. The motion to exempt the Fayette Housing Authority from PILOT fees for 2020–2025 passed (Ayes: Frees, Gerlt, Cook, Waggoner; Nay: Roll; Abstain: Ishmael).
Insurance and finance actions: The board approved Missouri Rural Services Workers' Compensation Insurance Trust as the workers' compensation provider (6–0), after staff reported a roughly $24,000 higher quote from Missouri Employers Mutual. The board also approved Resolution #2026-06, authorizing invoices and salaries totaling $239,637.23, with fund breakdowns listed in the minutes: General Fund $32,069.01; Electric Fund $185,292.55; Water Fund $14,821.24; Sewer Fund $7,454.43.
Other procedural items: The board appointed Tara Bush to the Fayette Housing Authority Board (6–0), opened several sealed-bid items for leases and mowing that produced no bids (the items were tabled and will be re-advertised), and tabled discussion of a Howard County Regional Water Commission promissory note refund until the next meeting. The board adjourned to closed session at 8:00 p.m.
Votes and motions recorded in the minutes matched the roll-call tallies noted above; no formal appeals or legal challenges were raised during the meeting.
