Steelville City Council discussed on Jan. 20 a proposal made by Dennis and Elaine Bell for a 45-lot subdivision to be built on about 40 acres across from Country Mart and Steelville Telephone Exchange.

According to council members, this would be the first large-scale addition to the city in decades.

Part of the land that the proposed subdivision will sit on lies outside city limits. The plan is for this portion of the land to be annexed in, bringing it into city limits, which will add property tax revenue.

Lots would range in size from a half-acre to an acre and a half. Dennis has submitted a petition to the city.

“He would like to get this project rolling,” Public Works Coordinator and Building Inspector Jason Evans said.

Evans pointed out some areas in the ordinance needing clarification, specifically regarding who will pay for electric installation, but said he sees no issues with the proposal. He plans to meet with the city’s attorney to discuss next steps and thinks it will be a great addition.

“It’s a pretty elaborate plan,” Evans said. “We don’t see plans like that very often. So (Dennis) has definitely done his homework.”

In other news, the council approved restructuring within the police department proposed by Chief of Police Mike Sherman. Sergeant J.W. Hanner will be moving into a newly created lieutenant position and patrolmen Brian Friedmann and Josh Woodall will be moved into sergeant positions.

“With the addition of another employee coming along, this will give us an opportunity to have more structure on each squad and somebody there to help fill in when times get tough,” Sherman said. “Plus, it gives us room for growth within our department.”

Sherman also received approval for the department’s purchase of a used vehicle for $27,900 from the Missouri State Highway Patrol to replace a broken Charger. The money will be taken out of the department’s equipment fund.

Payables were approved in the amount of $574,510.34 by the council. Roughly $280,000 of this amount was for a lead service line survey, which will be fully reimbursed by the DNR. The remainder was for monthly electric, insurance and incidentals.

Evans noted monthly water samples came back good and City Clerk Jamey Griffith reported that out of the city’s 119 previously unpaid business licenses, only four remain unpaid. 

The council’s next meeting will be on Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. in City Hall.