Agenda posted for Joplin City Council work session

JOPLIN CITY COUNCIL

JOPLIN CITY HALL

5^th FLOOR COUNCIL CHAMBERS

602 S. MAIN

 JOPLIN MISSOURI

February 8, 2016 5:45 P.M.

WORK SESSION

                                                                                   

Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Joplin, Missouri, will hold a work session beginning at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, February 8, 2016 Joplin City Hall, in the 5^th Floor Council Chambers, 602 S. Main to hear the following topics below.

AGENDA

1.      JHAP Update

2.      Change order policy

3.      Building permit process

4.      Any other business

5.      Adjourn     

Matthew Stewart named new Joplin Police chief

(From the City of Joplin)

City Manager Sam Anselm is pleased to announce that Joplin’s Assistant Chief of Police Matthew Stewart will be promoted to the position of chief of police beginning March 2, 2016. Current Police Chief Jason Burns recently announced his retirement after 20 years of service to the community. March 1, 2016 will be his last day with the City.

Stewart started his police career with the City of Joplin in 2000 as a police officer. During his tenure, he has moved up through the ranks of the department, holding numerous command staff positions and leadership roles. Most recently as assistant chief, he has been responsible for the daily operations of the department as well as the budget for the Police Department. From 2011 to 2014, Stewart held the rank of captain and served as commander for the Special Enforcement Bureau and later served as the commander for the Support Services Bureau. Prior to these positions, he was a police sergeant from 2006 to 2011, and worked as a patrol sergeant. Also during this time, he served as the training sergeant for one year; the internal affairs sergeant for two years; and the investigations sergeant for two years. Throughout this time, Stewart was a SWAT team member, and later served as the SWAT team leader. From 2003 to 2006, as police corporal he served in patrol and was a member of the SWAT team worked as the FTO Supervisor.

“Throughout his career, Stewart has exemplified solid leadership and customer service skills necessary for a top law enforcement official,” said Anselm. “He brings a great deal of experience to the position and will continue to uphold the department’s mission in serving and protecting the public.”

Stewart is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) National Academy Session #256 and has received numerous certifications in law enforcement services and criminal justice. He holds a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Missouri Southern State University and Southeast Missouri State University. He received his Bachelor and Associates degrees from MSSU. He is a member of the Missouri Police Chiefs Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, and FBI National Academy Associates. He has served as a Fundraiser Chairman with United Way and was on the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Joplin Steering Committee.

Trash talk takes center stage at Joplin City Council meeting

Trash rates for Joplin residents will decrease as of April 1, but it will be as a result of dealing with the same company that has had the city's contract for the past decade.

The City Council voted Monday night to reject Waste Corporation of Missouri's bid and return the contract to Republic. City officials had recommended the Waste Corporation of Missouri's bid, but the council rejected that recommendation after discovering the company had sent two separate bids to the city.

Under the deal with Republic, trash rates for Joplin residents will be reduced from $12.50 a month to $11.18.

Crisis counseling available for Joplin students after freshman's suicide

(The following message was posted by Joplin High School Principal Kerry Sachetta this week following the suicide of freshman Presley Ruch.)

Parents and Students, We have learned of the tragic death of one of our students. Our thoughts and hearts are with the student's family and friends during this difficult time.

Below you will find helpful resources for parents on how to talk to your children about death. Feeling sad is a normal response to any loss. If, however, your child displays extreme reactions of avoidance and withdrawal or anger that results in risk-taking behaviors (such as alcohol or drug use), please contact your school counselor at 417-625-5230. We are here to help and have resources available for students and families. For additional information on how to talk to your child about suicide, visit our website at www.joplineagles.org. You can also seek immediate help by calling Ozark Center’s Crisis Intervention Hotline at 417-347-7720.

Talking with Your Child About Suicide

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

The Dougy Center - The National Center for Grieving Children & Families

Members of our Crisis Response team will be available to meet with students individually and in groups on Monday and over the coming days and weeks.  However, we plan to make crisis counseling available for students following the funeral and will share information about that event and its location once it has been scheduled.

Funeral services for Presley Ruch will be held 2 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul's United Methodist Church with Rev. Gary Brooks officiating. The family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Parker Mortuary. Memorial contributions may be made to Golden Paw Animal Rescue, where she was a frequent volunteer, in care of the mortuary.

A complete obituary for Presley Ruch can be found at this link.

Mother wants bullying to stop after daughter's suicide

The problem of young people committing suicide due to bullying is growing and it has hit the Joplin area particularly hard over the past couple of years.

In this powerful report from KOAM's Chloe Leshner, Jennifer Lantz, the mother of Erica Smith, the 12-year-old Neosho girl who recently committed suicide, issues a plea for the bullying to stop..

From the KOAM report:

Skating was one of Erica Smith's favorite things to do. Now her mother circles the rink to warn other parents about the dangers of bullying. Her 12 year old daughter committed suicide earlier this month.

“I wish she could see it, I know she can see it, she'd be amazed at how many people showed up to show that they love her,” says Jennifer Lantz, Erica’s mother.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 24.

KOAM TV 7

Hartzler: Failed veto override effort shows path to eliminating Obamacare

(From Fourth District Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler)

Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) released the following statement in regards to the House vote to override the President’s veto of the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015:

“Today we stood up for the American people by voting to override his veto. While we didn’t reach the two-thirds vote necessary, all is not lost. We have shown there is a clear path to repealing this broken law through reconciliation. There is a path to an affordable healthcare system the people want and deserve. We will continue to work towards patient-centered reform and I am hopeful we can send a repeal bill next year to a president who listens to the people and will sign this into law. The American people deserve more.

Obamacare is hurting Americans. It is causing families to lose coverage they want and forcing them to buy coverage they don’t want and can’t afford. It has increased the costs of healthcare and caused people to lose jobs or have their hours cut. The President is not listening to these hurting families, and, sadly, he has again blocked our efforts to bring them relief. We can do better.”

Reiboldt explains gun legislation

(From Rep. Bill Reiboldt, R-Neosho)

Last week a Missouri Senate committee held hearings on two bills that seek to allow college and university students with a legal conceal carry (CC) permit to do so on our state campuses. Supporters of these measures see them as building on 2014 legislation that lowered from 21 to 19 the legal age requirement for conceal carry permits in Missouri, legislation that was vetoed by Governor Nixon but overturned by the General Assembly and ultimately became Missouri law. They state the overall objective of the proposed new legislation is to maintain a safe environment for our students and give them the right to protect themselves on campuses. In regard to this controversial issue, all thirteen of our four-year Missouri universities and several community colleges oppose the bills.

Senate Bill 731, if approved as proposed, would give students with a CC permit permission to carry on campuses, disregarding any administrative ability to say otherwise. The bill lets institutions opt out of the CC provision if they agree to station armed guards and install metal detectors at the entrances of every building on the college or university campuses. Those opposed to this measure say that it would be extremely costly to comply.

Senate Bill 589, if approved as proposed, would not give institutions provisions for opting out of allowing CC permit holders to carry on their campuses. However, certain areas—i.e., large stadiums and places of worship—would be exempt. SB 589 and SB 731 will also apply to private colleges and universities in Missouri if they receive any state money. Currently, school administrators at both private and public higher education facilities in Missouri may remove persons from campus for carrying a concealed weapon, though it is not now a criminal offense to carry if the individual has a proper permit to do so.

In Missouri a CC permit requires 8 hours of training with a licensed instructor. Several law enforcement officers who testified in opposition to the Senate bills said that CC training does not equip a person to respond to an active shooter situation and CC holders are not prepared for such encounters. However, supporters of the Senate bills maintain that it is not the purpose to respond to an active shooter but only for individuals to protect themselves in the event of a life threatening situation on campus.

Part of the idea of the proposed legislation comes from the 2007 shooting on the Virginia Tech University campus where 32 individuals were killed before the shooter took his own life. A college president testifying in opposition to the Senate bills maintains that, if passed, they would actually make college campuses less safe because, in his opinion, “there isn’t a problem that needs to be fixed.” So far there have been very few incidents of mass shootings on college and university campuses, though there have been multiple cases of assault.

Some of the main concerns as far as CC on campuses center around dormitories and residential halls. Opponents theorize that there could be multiple problems, perhaps in the form of accidental shootings or of weapons being stolen from dorm rooms. In addition, it is estimated that as many as one-half of the students on state college campuses binge drink, which would certainly not be conducive to safe and responsible handling if firearms are present. Another concern being voiced is that of suicide, especially as a result of emotional break-ups in relationships between couples.

All CC laws are regulated on a state-by-state basis, and at this time there are no federal laws dealing with CC except at federal facilities or installations. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, seven states now approve CC on college and university campuses. Twenty-two states leave the decision up to individual schools and twenty-one have banned CC completely from their campuses.

As SB 731, SB 589 and other similar House bills make their way through the legislative process, lawmakers must seriously examine the pros and cons associated with permitting CC on Missouri campuses. We want parents and guardians of students to feel comfortable that their children are in a safe environment when they send them off to our state’s institutions of higher education.

The above mentioned bills are just some of the proposals being considered during this session, but they are a long way from being approved or from becoming Missouri law. Discussions and hearings are continuing.

Brunner releases first campaign ad

(From Missourians for John Brunner)

Missourians for John Brunner this morning announced the launch of a statewide radio advertisement campaign. The ad “Putting Faith Into Action” began airing over the weekend and is the first advertisement to be aired in the 2016 election cycle by a candidate for Missouri governor.

“We’re excited to be the first campaign out of the gate to begin airing a powerful character and values-driven ad to communicate John Brunner’s experience and beliefs to Missouri voters,” Communications Director Mike Hafner said. “John Brunner is a US Marine, CEO, life-long conservative, and missionary who believes in putting beliefs into action to get the job done.”

The ad features Jan Brunner, John’s wife of 39 years, highlighting John’s service as a United States Marine, his decades-long work turning around the family manufacturing business and growing hundreds of jobs, as well as his work as a missionary serving throughout the world.

“John Brunner has quickly emerged as the leader of Missouri conservatives in the governor’s race,” Hafner said. “This election for Missouri’s next governor presents a clear and compelling choice – between Chris Koster, a trial lawyer and a 22-year career politician, versus John Brunner – a US Marine and successful CEO. Missourians are motivated to elect a leader with broad experience whose values run deep. John Brunner has over three decades of military and business experience, and he is ready on Day One to put those experiences into action for the betterment of Missouri.”

The Brunner campaign advertisements to Missouri voters began airing statewide on Saturday, and includes similar character-driven ads on multiple digital platforms including mobile, social, and web media.

To Listen to “Putting Faith Into Action” Please See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RsEfofIDOQ&feature=youtu.be

Script for “Putting Faith Into Action”

JAN BRUNNER: I’m Jan Brunner. My husband, John Brunner, is running for governor.

John always volunteers for the tough jobs...like serving our country as a Marine. He then volunteered to come back to Missouri help his father save the family business.

I saw John struggle and work for decades to turn around his company – to make it successful – and grow hundreds of new jobs.

What you may not know, is that John is a man of faith. John and I met as teenagers in church and this June we’ll be married for 40 years.

John believes in putting his faith into action. So he helps build orphanages and churches – supports Christian missions around the world – and provides scholarships for the children of our fallen soldiers.

You know John Brunner is a successful man. I wanted you to know he is also a good man, with a good heart.

Now he’s volunteering for another tough job – Governor of Missouri. I know he’ll be a good governor because he has a good heart.

DISCLAIMER: Paid for by Missourians for John Brunner

Joplin city manager provides weekly update

(Joplin City Manager Sam Anselm provided the following update to the City Council Friday.)

Good afternoon, everyone. Please see below for this week’s update.

Key Meetings 

-On Monday, I attended the monthly Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce board meeting along with Mayor Seibert. We gave updates on the April election, our citizen’s academy, the solid waste agreement coming to you on Monday, etc.

-On Tuesday, staff in the city manager’s office met with Human Resources Director Dave Allgood to discuss the ins-and-outs of our new volunteer program. The program will be managed through my office, with AtCM Brian Kelly coordinating the program. We are working on marketing efforts with the assistance of our intern, Kaneisha Giles, to ramp up the program. But we had our first interview with a potential volunteer who may help us out at the front desk of city hall.

-Later that afternoon, AtCM Kelly, Parks Director Scott Garrie and Assistant Director Paul Bloomberg met with council candidate Taylor Brown to answer questions he had relative to parks & recreation activities, future plans, etc.

-On Wednesday, I met with Chamber President Rob O’Brian to discuss various economic development efforts. If you haven’t been by there lately, Owens Corning is nearing completion on the demolition of their site, and site grading work has begun elsewhere on the property as they move towards construction of their new facility. We also discussed the progress of the KCUMB medical school project as well.

-Earlier today, AtCM Kelly and I participated in a conference call with Jon Johnson and Chris Fabian to discuss the next phase of the priority-based budgeting process. I anticipate that early next week, I will be sending you a link to a survey to get your input on the results that have been developed after combing through the various strategic documents that have been developed over the past few years. Instructions on how to complete the survey will accompany the link. Once the results have been vetted/agreed upon, you will be given another opportunity to help better-define the results that have been validated by you. For example, one of the results we have identified for consideration is, “Well-planned, well-managed, and well-regulated recovery, rebuilding and growth.” The first survey will afford you the opportunity to state whether you agree with/support this result and by how much, or whether you don’t think it is a result we are here to achieve. The second survey will then ask for your ideas about what it means to accomplish that particular result. So for example, you will be asked to answer the question, “When the city ____, this result will be achieved.” So by filling in the blank (several times), you will be helping develop the definitions and the measures by which we will be able to say our programs achieve that given result. I’m very excited to be entering this next phase of the priority-based budget process. While all of this is taking place, at the staff level we will also be entering into the costing phase of the programs that we have identified. AtCM Kelly will be meeting with PBB staff next week to embark on that phase of the process.

Miscellaneous

-As indicated in a press release earlier this week, the annual leaf pick-up program has concluded for this season. I would like to thank the staff in our public works and parks departments for completing this program.

-Sewer line repair work is underway over at Memorial Hall. The interior plumbing work was completed through the parks department, and we have moved on to repairing the exterior line. The anticipated completion date is the end of next week, which will allow us to reopen all of the interior bathrooms and allow more than 500 guests into the building for events. I would like to acknowledge the teamwork that took place once again between our public works and parks departments for completing this project.

-Finally, we have completed the market study as it pertains to our pay plan. I will be meeting with department heads next week to go over the results and make any last minute corrections, but I anticipate sharing the results with employees and the council soon. As the next phase of the project, I have also asked our staff to do a comparison of benefits among the cities that we have included in the market study, which will be presented to you as well as soon as we have compiled the information.

In the Pipeline

-Just a reminder about the work session scheduled for Monday, February 8th. We will be providing you with an update on the JHAP program, having a discussion about the change order policy, and discussing our building permit process.

Tributes to unsung heroes and to those lost in tornado needed for new book

Carthage Press Managing Editor John Hacker and I are in the process of writing a follow-up book to 5:41: Stories from the Joplin Tornado and Spirit of Hope, with this one signifying the five-year anniversary of the Joplin Tornado.

As with the first two books, this one, which has the working title 5:41: Five Years Later, will include stories from those who lived through the tornado and from those who were involved in the process of rebuilding Joplin. Some will be reprinted from the earlier books, while we will also include new stories, as well as reporting by John Hacker and me. We will also have some updates from those who were featured in the first two books.

This book will also include never before seen photos from May 22, 2011, and the events in the months after the tornado, most of them taken by Hacker. It will also include new reporting from Hacker and me, and as with the first two books, important historical documents of the tornado and the recovery, including reports and speech transcripts.

As with the original 5:41 book, this one will also include the obituaries of those who were killed by the tornado.

But we are also looking for a different kind of feature for the newest book. We want to do more to commemorate two kinds of people.

-We are looking for brief memories and/or stories about those who lost their lives in the tornado.

-We also would love to have memories and/or stories of the heroes, both from Joplin and from outside, who helped in the days, weeks, months, and years following the tornado, the unsung heroes.

-And as I mentioned in an earlier post, we would still love to have any first-person accounts of the tornado and/or the recovery process, and the events that occurred in the years following, including such things as the reopening of Mercy Hospital, the 2012 Joplin High School graduation, the ceremonies that took place on the one-year anniversary of the tornado, etc.

We will need to have these by Friday, February 19.

Those submitting stories for consideration can e-mail them to rturner229@hotmail.com or send them via message to us via personal message on the Inside Joplin Facebook page.

Thank you!