Board of Aldermen Discuss Governmental Concerns, Other Items at Meeting

Maybe it was the nice weather outside or maybe it was the Cardinals game on TV, but whatever the reason may be, the St. Peters Board of Aldermen worked quickly on Thursday night.

The Board met for the first time in October and neither the work session or regular meeting took much time. It wasn't like the Board was hurrying, though, the agendas for each meeting were simply bare.

Two items—one in the work session and one in the meeting—were discussed at length, but no resolution was reached, and won't be reached until a later date.

The first item was brought up by Mayor Len Pagano in the work session. Pagano wanted to make sure that Aldermen using the Governmental Concerns reporting system were following the rules in place and not presenting concerns anonymously. Pagano said this wasn't a rule change, but more a rule enforcement. 

Ward 3 Alderman Gus Elliott said he wasn't happy with the idea.

"I do not identify a resident in any governmental concern, and that's specifically for their protection." he said.  

Elliott said he wanted to make sure residents couldn't go after other residents who file complaints. 

Pagano said that complaints anonymously through the Citizen Action Center.

The Board requested time to mull over the idea, and review the process for submitting concerns. The issue will be brought up at a later meeting. 

In the actual meeting, the Board had the first reading of Bill No. 11-153. After the reading, Pagano requested the Board push the second reading back so he had more time to research the issue.

Bill No. 11-153 modifies city code and regulations relating to vehicle use. The end result of all the changes would change regulations on motorbikes, golf carts and other smaller vehicles. The goal would be to have drivers wear helmets and have insurance to operating the vehicles on city roads with speed limits above a certain limit.

Pagano said that he had been advised to look into the matter more. Pagano said the state of Missouri may be doing something to regulate the issue and was told to not rush into the changes. The Board agreed to push back the second reading to the Nov. 17 meeting.  

After pushing back the bill, the Board voted on the remaining four items. All passed with a 7-0 vote—Ward 2 Alderman Judy Bateman was absent.