Rolla council advances student representative ordinance during City Government Week at Mount Pleasant School

Mayor Kevin Juntunen opened a special Rolla City Council meeting at Mount Pleasant School on April 8 as part of City Government Week, saying, "Your presence reminds us why government matters — not as an abstract idea, but as the practical work of keeping our streets safe, our schools strong, and our community connected." The meeting began at 1:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance and introductions of councilmembers and staff.

Students Marshal Jeannotte (third-grade) and Aria Parslow (seventh-grade) were recognized as winners of the "If I Were Mayor" essay contest and read their essays for the council and audience. The mayor described the session as an opportunity for students to observe local government and to ask questions about how decisions are made.

During the meeting Mayor Juntunen told attendees that three new radar speed signs are in the process of being installed in Rolla. He said the signs were proposed by a group of seventh-grade students at a prior special council meeting at Mount Pleasant School in 2025.

The council also considered a City Council Student Representative ordinance. Mayor Juntunen said the ordinance was introduced and "passed the 1st reading." The transcript does not include the ordinance text, an ordinance number, or a recorded vote tally; the mayor said the second reading is scheduled for April 15 at the regular council meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m. on a motion that was unanimously approved; neither the mover/second nor a roll-call tally is recorded in the minutes.

What’s next: the council will take up the ordinance again at its April 15 regular meeting for a second reading and any further action.