Cuba aldermen discussed Ordinance No. 300 on Aug. 18, which covers the appointment of an assistant city marshal.

Mayor Pitts Lesesne named Captain Ben Scharfenberg on July 21 for appointment to the assistant city marshal position after he found an ordinance that required the city to have one.

The aldermen ultimately voted against the appointment, with Ward 3 Alderman Joyce Hartzell saying that the ordinance is outdated and Ward 3 Alderman Jeff Bouse asking about repealing it.

Resident Dan Eidson claimed that trying to appoint an assistant city marshal was Lesesne’s attempt at a power grab since the ordinance puts the assistant city marshal appointment at “the pleasure of the mayor and the majority of the members of the board of aldermen.”

“You managed to find an outdated city ordinance and strong arm you way into the back door of an organization that already has an elected official to answer to,” Eidson said. “It’s clear you have a problem with the way the Cuba (police department) is being run, but trust me, the way you went about attempting to fix it will not end well.”

In response, Lesesne said that part of his campaign for mayor was that he would go through the ordinances and have the board review outdated ones or had time requirements. The appointment was an attempt to align the city with an enacted ordinance, and he followed the proper process.

Resident Jackie Hunt was for appointing an assistant city marshal.

She started by saying that when the aldermen and mayor were elected, they swore an oath to uphold the city’s ordinances.

She was concerned by a quote from Hartzell at the July 21 meeting, where Hartzell claimed she spoke to Police Chief Doug Shelton, and he said that the assistant marshal position was unnecessary.

Since the chief of police is not directly under the board of aldermen, Hunt asked how they keep the police employees accountable without an assistant city marshal who is under the authority of the aldermen and mayor.

Ward 1 Alderman Ray Mortimeyer said that the responsibility of a city marshal is to do things like kiss babies and ribbon cuttings. Adding police chief to the title gives a city marshal the authority to arrest people.

Lesesne claimed that the role of an assistant chief of police is community involvement.

“It has nothing to do with running the police department….It’s strictly community involvement. They literally do all the things that the chief doesn’t have time for,” Lesesne said.

Hartzell said that the city marshal ordinance is outdated and conflicts with Ordinance No. 531, which says the city marshal is in charge of supervising all city police officers.

“All city police officers of the city of Cuba, Mo., shall work under the supervision of the marshal of the city of Cuba, Mo., and shall take directions from him/her and shall assist the Marshal in the discharge of his/her duties,” the ordinance reads.

Mortimeyer’s suggestion was to add the title of assistant chief of police in the ordinance.

A motion to add assistant chief of police in the ordinance failed by a 0-6 vote.

Lesesne said that repealing the ordinance will be put on the Sept. 1 agenda.

In other business, Karina Rice and Kathy Noltkamper, representatives of the 2027 Cuba senior class, addressed the board’s concerns about them holding chicken bingo in the Recklein Auditorium.

They said that the chickens will never be loose in the facility, there will be adult supervision, the chickens are used to being handled and will have an experienced person handling them, a tarp will be put down and a live feed of the chickens will be broadcast so no one has to come on the stage.

Lesesne read a letter from the Missouri Public Entity Risk Management (MOPERM) that said since it isn’t a city-sponsored event, it wouldn’t be covered under the city’s liability insurance. They recommended that the event organizers insure for public liability.

A motion to allow chicken bingo to be held at Recklein if they insure it was approved with a 6-0 vote.