Cuba Animal Shelter Supervisor Sarah Butler told the Board of Aldermen on Oct. 6 that the group was nominated for a Benefiting Animals through Responsibility and Compassion (BARC) grant.

“What this is, is they will help us catch, spay, neuter and release feral cats in town,” Butler said, Animal Care Attendant supervisor. “The current offer is $8,000. That number can fluctuate, but for right now, I’m going to just use that for the example.”

Of that grant, $6,000 would go toward trapping, neutering and releasing the feral cats in town, and the other $2,000 is available to be used for cats within the animal control shelter.

Butler said that it would help the shelter because they are not fixing every animal that leaves. Ward 2 Alderman Russell Crocker pointed out that the adoption agreement says that they must be fixed before they leave, and Butler agreed that they should, but it doesn’t always happen.

“It’s basically a pinky promise we are giving people, but I’ve worked here about a year-and-a-half, and I’ve seen multiple animals returned back to us who have not been fixed after they leave or we get calls that they might be pregnant now,” Butler said.

Police Chief Doug Shelton clarified that the Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic in Rolla, not the city of Cuba, is the recipient of the funds. The Cuba Animal Shelter is responsible for transporting the cats to and from the Rolla clinic.

The grant is only for a year, and Butler estimated that the $6,000 would serve about 80 to 90 cats. They were also told they could set up a donation fund for Carol House to keep taking animals down there after the grant money runs out, which would help since they sometimes struggle to get into their local vet.

“It’s not feasible to hold on to these animals for a month, month-and-a-half, however long that wait list is,” Butler said.

A motion to apply for the grant was approved with a 6-0 vote.

A motion was also approved with a 6-0 vote to hire Tristan Ware as an animal care attendant.

Police Chief Doug Shelton announced that one of the compressors on the police department’s big AC unit went out, and they have to get it repaired.

Shelton presented one bid to the board from Hartley’s Climate Control, LLC for $8,013.79.

A motion to accept the bid was approved with a 6-0 vote.

A motion to accept Bill No. 2242, which authorizes the mayor to enter into a pole license agreement with Socket Telecom, LLC d/b/a Socket Fiber to place equipment, was approved with a 6-0 vote and became Special Ordinance 980.

Bill No. 2243, which will amend the Cuba city code relating to utility rates charged for electrical services and was discussed during the Sept. 1 meeting, became General Ordinance 1256 with a 6-0 vote.

In other business, Ward 2 Alderman Jeremy Rosemann stepped down as the city’s Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) representative, and Ward 1 Alderman Ray Mortimeyer has volunteered to take his place.

A motion to appoint Mortimeyer as the city’s MRPC representative was approved by a 5-0 vote.

Nancy Montgomery’s term on the Cuba Planning and Zoning Committee ended on Oct. 6, and Mayor Pitts Lesesne recommended her for reappointment.

A motion to reappoint Nancy Montgomery to the Planning and Zoning Committee, with a term expiration date of Oct. 6, 2030, was approved by a 6-0 vote.