Steelville aldermen addressed concerns on July 20 regarding the installation of speed humps on Keysville Street.

Police Chief Mike Sherman said he has received calls from many people asking who is liable if an accident occurs. He reached out to City Attorney Brooks Kenagy, who is currently out of town. Sherman hasn’t received an answer yet.

Public Works Supervisor Jason Evans said his main concern about installing speed humps on Keysville Street is that most of it is a large hillside.

“If you’re coming down on a decline situation, going around the corner, and you hit a speed hump, and it causes your car to raise up off the ground, and no matter how fast you’re going,…it is going to be an obstacle in the road, and even hitting it at 25 miles-an-hour could shift their car one way or the other,” Evans said.

Sherman said that he is also worried about the narrow streets, which gives drivers less room for error.

Alderman Ward 2 Lula Patterson lives near Keysville Street, and Alderman Ward 2 Jason Ward said that his front porch looks directly onto it. Both agreed that they don’t see many speeders on that street. Ward added that the police ticketing speeders should help deter them.

Sherman said that he misspoke during the July 6 meeting when he said that the electronic speed signs from MoDOT would cost $12,000-$14,000. They are actually $15,000-$20,000.

In police department business, Sherman asked for a policy change for the city’s sponsorship program for new officers. 

“I know that we hire them prior to going to the academy to give them a little time to learn streets and stuff. Then when they start the academy, they’re paid at step one. But I’m just asking if, when they graduate the academy after being at that step one, can they move to step two after they graduate the academy?” Sherman said.

The current starting pay for step one is $17.81, and step two is $18.40.

A motion to bump up the newest academy graduate, Brandon Schneider, to the next step was approved with a 4-0 vote.

His younger brother Ian Schneider also applied for the police department.

A motion to hire him before sending him to the police academy was approved with a 4-0 vote.

The board will look into writing a policy that says officers will be automatically bumped up to the next step once they finish the academy.

Resident Vance Smelser asked for a business license to be able to occasionally set up his Meat for Money BBQ trailer in Steelville.

His plan is to set up throughout parts of Crawford, Phelps and Maries Counties. While he already has a business license for Cuba, he wants the official opening day for his food trailer to be in Steelville since he lives there.

“I’ll do pulled pork, pulled chicken. I’ll do specials of ribs, brisket, burnt ends. We’ll have a variety of sides and other things that we’ll add to the menu as well,” Smelser said.

A motion to give Smelser a business license for his food trailer was approved with a 4-0 vote.

While a representative wasn’t present, a motion to give Continental Siding Supply a business license was also approved with a 4-0 vote.

In other business, a motion to accept an intergovernmental agreement with Crawford County, the county assessor and the county collector to take over preparing tax bills and collecting real estate taxes, personal property taxes and special assessments for Steelville for an agreed-upon compensation was approved with a 4-0 vote. Bill No. 2026-6 became Ordinance 1022.

Evans said the screw pump at the treatment plant has gone out, and the backup, which Evans said has been making noise for 20 years because the treatment plant is aging, is also going out.

Evans got an estimate of $22,800 to fix the problem.

A motion to use $22,800 out of the capital improvement fund to fix the first pump was approved with a 4-0 vote.