Mayor Pitts Lesesne began the July 21 Cuba Board of Aldermen meeting by presenting Porter Kimberlin with a plaque in recognition of helping during a bike accident that occurred during the Crawford County Fair.

“If you haven’t all heard, during the fair, we had an accident where a young man crashed his bike,” Lesesne said. “Porter did what everybody hopes that their children will do, and that is to run to an emergency help….This young man was instrumental in making sure that his friend not only lived, but is here with us tonight.”

During public announcements, Covenant Praise Church of God shared that its annual block party will be from 4-8 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Cuba Sports Festival, and Pastor Jeremiah Wilson asked permission for a fireworks display.

According to Article 15, Section 210.2210 of the city’s ordinances, fireworks may only be discharged within city limits by a licensed pyrotechnician and be authorized by the board of aldermen.

Wilson said that Steven Bridgeman coordinates the display through Brummet’s Fireworks.

Lesesne said the pyrotechnician license they presented to the board should be sufficient, and a motion to allow the fireworks display at the Covenant Praise Church of God Block Party was approved by a 6-0 vote.

Lesesne was concerned about the venue. He said that the subdivision near the Cuba Sports Complex has “a couple of brand new babies” and a lot of elderly people.

When he was still an alderman, Lesesne got many complaints about the fireworks in the Cuba Sports Complex, mainly consisting of them occurring too late and being extremely loud. That being said, he asked if it was possible to move the event to Hood Park.

While they are trying to grow the event and want to move it to Hood Park eventually, Wilson said that all the prep work for the event has already been set into motion, and they can’t change the venue this year.

“That is actually the location that I’m wanting to move this event to. As our church is growing…we want to move the block (party) to Hood Park because literally the overall vision is to make it look like a night at the county fair only for free,” Wilson said. “This year, that’s not a possibility. We’ve already got everything in motion to be at the sports complex.”

During the police departments report, Captain Ben Scharfenberg, on behalf of Police Chief Doug Shelton, requested approval to appoint Mark Friedmann as the K9 officer for the Cuba Police Department.

Friedmann will be required to complete four weeks of training, which will cost $2,000, as well as additional expenses including hotel and food.

A motion to appoint Friedmann as a K9 officer was approved with a 6-0 vote.

Lesesne recommended appointing Scharfenberg as assistant city marshal/assistant chief of police.

“I met with Doug and Ben already. Doug said Ben, by confirmation, that he is already doing the functions of…the assistant,” Lesesne said.

Since the position is required by city ordinance, Lesesne asked Scharfenberg if he’d like to serve under the title.

Both Alderman Ward 3 Joyce Hartzell and Alderman Ward 2 Russell Crocker agreed that even though Scharfenberg is covering all the duties of the position, they don’t think the title is necessary.

“We just don’t need that title. We already have the captain title, and he is the second in command,” Hartzell said.

A motion to accept the mayor’s appointment for Scharfenberg to be the assistant city marshal/assistant chief of police was denied with a 0-6 vote.

The aldermen want to look into changing the ordinance.

The board signed a new temporary emergency action plan until a new one is completed.

Cuba partially mirrors its emergency action plan after the county’s, which is currently working on an updated version. Aldermen signed a promulgation statement to use the current action plan already in place until a new updated one has been established.

The city is also required to have an Emergency Management Director (EMD), and Lesesne recommended Public Works Supervisor Michael Montgomery. He will be paid $6,000 for the position.

A motion to hire Montgomery as the EMD was approved with a 6-0 vote. He was then sworn into the position.

One bid for street repair work was received for $389,012.50 from N.B. West Construction.

Comptroller Jennifer Basham said she would look over the bid and see if they can make the budget work.

A motion to table the decision was approved with a 6-0 vote.

One bid was submitted by Rock Ranch Monuments for a monument to be made, delivered and installed at the new pickleball courts in Tangle

A motion to accept Rock Ranch Monuments’ $2,400 bid for a monument to be made, delivered and installed at the new pickleball courts was approved with a 6-0 vote.

Basham presented the council with the city’s six-month financial statement for the board’s approval before it is published in the newspaper. It was approved with a 6-0 vote.

Randy Tiner and Becky Ness reached the end of their terms on the Cuba Planning and Zoning Board, so Lesesne recommended re-appointing them.

A motion to re-appoint Tiner and Ness to the Planning and Zoning Board with a term expiration of July 21, 2030, was approved with a 6-0 vote.

In other business, a motion to accept Bill No. 2230, which authorized the mayor to enter into an agreement with Utility Safety & Design, Inc. for a natural gas mapping system and services, was approved with a 6-0 vote. The bill became Special Ordinance 971.

Bill No. 2231, which accepted the 2027 Fiscal year wages and salaries for city of Cuba employees, became Special Ordinance 972 after it was approved with a 6-0 vote.