The St. James Board of Aldermen certified the municipal election results during its April 13 meeting. The city’s two newly elected and three reelected aldermen took the oath of office administered by City Clerk Linda Cochran before joining the board in a new session.

Incumbent Mark Gray faced challenger Keith Livingstone for a two year term as Ward 2 alderman and won the seat with 58 votes. 

Ward 1 Alderman Tyler Wagnon and Ward 4 Alderman Stephen Hutchcraft were reelected to serve two year terms with 39 and 52 votes, respectively. Margaret Kirgan Roberts was elected to serve for two years in Ward 3 with 41 votes. Marcie Wilson was elected to the one-year Ward 4 term with 48 votes.

In other business, aldermen voted to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and the James Memorial Public Library Board that defines the roles, responsibilities and cooperative relationship in the operation, funding, maintenance and governance of the library.

There has been some confusion in recent years regarding which entity is responsible for what when it comes to running the library. Though the MOU does not change the city’s or the library board’s current responsibilities, it does lay them out in writing to avoid future questions.

Ward 1 Alderman David Bond, who serves as the city’s liaison to the library board, noted that there’s been a high turnover in library directors and employees in the past three or four years. 

“Because of the shifting sands of people working at the library, there was some confusion over who was in charge of what, who makes what call,” Bond said. “And so (City Administrator Leeann DeMouche) decided to clearly define here so that there are no more questions.”

According to the MOU, the library is responsible for establishing all of its policies, hiring and supervising its director, and maintains oversight of all programs and services.

When it comes to finances, the library must prepare and approve the annual budget for submission to the city. The city is responsible for processing and paying all library invoices, credit cards, and processing payroll for employees.

The city owns all library facilities, equipment and property. It provides financial support for the library’s utilities, employee workers compensation, property insurance on the building, liability insurance and IT support.

The library board must ensure all funds are used solely for library purposes. Library employees are considered employees of the city.

“Since I started on council, I feel like this has been needed,” Wagnon said. “I think that a lot of the frustrations that have taken place is just because there hasn’t been a clear outline of what the duties are for both parties.”

The MOU has been reviewed by the library board and was approved by the council unanimously.

During his report to the board, Public Works Director Lyle Thomas reported a notable increase in residential and commercial waste, with sanitation crews collecting roughly 31 more tons per month compared to the same period last year.

The rise has led to higher overall disposal costs, even though the city’s per-ton tipping fee of $59 has remained unchanged. Thomas said the increase is not tied to the city’s spring cleanup and is still unsure of the cause.

In other public works news, the street department has been spending a considerable amount of time clearing out ditches and is once again encouraging residents to manage their yard waste responsibly.

“I’ve stood at this podium for roughly 10 years, and I’ve said every year, please do not put your gumballs in the ditches,” Thomas said. “On the 8th of April, the guys did complete cleaning and re-cutting ditches on a certain street in town, and by Friday, the ditches were full again, of leaves. We’re not going to come back and we’re not going to clean them out continually.”

Yard waste should not be disposed in ditches, as it can cause properties to flood. It should also not be placed in the street. Residents with a curb should leave waste on the backside of the curb or ditch for pickup. Those who live within city limits may also drop yard waste at 325 E. Springfield St.