Hannibal council moves to implement half‑cent public‑safety sales tax; police authorized for software, equipment and one hire

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal City Council on Dec. 2 certified results from the Nov. 4 special election that approved a half‑cent sales tax dedicated to public safety and set the procedural steps to put the tax into effect next spring.

"Having received 1,571 votes for proposition 1 for the City Of Hannibal, 1,111 yes, 460 no, declaring proposition 1 having passed," City Clerk Melissa Cogwell told the council as she read certified totals and asked the body to begin the ordinance process required to implement the tax. Cogwell said the city must adopt Ordinance 50‑15; after notification to the Director of Revenue the tax would begin being collected on April 1, 2026, with remittance to the city in May 2026.

The measure funds police and fire services. Council members gave staff a first reading of the implementing ordinance and directed follow‑up steps for formal adoption and notification.

Why it matters: The dedicated levy creates a new revenue stream earmarked for public safety programs and equipment; council and staff linked near‑term purchases and a staffing adjustment to the new revenue while emphasizing budget timing and carryover savings.

Police funding and equipment

Police Chief Jake Gyunaki briefed the council on several items the department plans to fund in part from the public‑safety tax and existing grant awards. Gyunaki said the department seeks authorization to proceed with a migration to a modern records‑management and computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) system under NECOM’s regional purchasing plan and that securing current pricing requires moving forward before the end of the calendar year.

"The total change order for 1 and 2 is, $43,397.93," City Manager Andy Dorian said when describing related park project costs; Chief Gyunaki separately outlined software and equipment figures. Gyunaki said the new records system (Central Square in the materials presented) would consolidate ticketing, reporting and dispatch information and that the city would not be billed for most of the implementation until the next fiscal year; he asked council for authority to proceed to preserve quoted pricing.

Council authorized the police department to proceed on that procurement on a motion and voice vote; council discussion noted that the public‑safety tax is expected to be part of next year’s budget allocations but that some near‑term obligations could be covered from current savings.

Separately, Gyunaki described equipment purchases tied to grants and standing needs. He said Hannibal received a $50,000 Blue Shield grant and asked to buy rifle‑rated ballistic plates through Leon Uniform Supply for $15,300. "If it saves one person's life, I think the grant money is well worth it," Gyunaki said; the council approved the purchase.

Gyunaki also proposed replacing aging conducted energy weapons under a five‑year service agreement (vendor name in the transcript: "Exxon Enterprises Incorporated") that would cover devices, training, cartridges, batteries and warranty service. The transcript lists an annual cost of $26,029.23 and a five‑year total of $130,146.16; council adopted Resolution 25‑78‑25 to execute the agreement.

Staffing

Gyunaki requested a payroll amendment to add one sworn officer (moving authorized sworn staffing from 34 to 35) to shore up recruitment and prepare for retirements. City staff said there is room in the current budget to cover the hire for the remainder of the year and that additional allocations tied to the public‑safety tax will be considered in next year’s budget process. The council moved the payroll amendment as Bill 25‑079 for follow‑up.

What’s next: Council completed first readings and adopted resolutions required to move the items forward; formal ordinance adoption and contract execution were scheduled as subsequent agenda items. The meeting later moved into closed session for a separate matter.

Attributions: Quotes and figures are taken from statements by Melissa Cogwell (city clerk), Jake Gyunaki (police chief) and Andy Dorian (city manager) recorded in the council transcript.