Council Hayride

Staff at the Water Protection hosted a tour of the facility for the city council, equipping a trailer with hay bales for seating so we didn't have to walk between buildings to see the equipment.

Refreshments of hot cider and cookies were provided for our "hay ride"as well as hard hats, eye protection and high-visibility safety vests.

Council members didn't stay on the wagon long. We climbed off at each stop to view equipment up close. And we experienced the smell that accompanies the process of treating effluent.

Student Government at City Hall

I overheard a student afterwards saying that she thought the day would be spent listening to old people but instead she had fun.

Thanks to the Downtown Rotary, HyVee and the teachers at Benton, Central, Lafayette, LeBlond and St. Jo Christian  as well as the city staff for providing future voters and leaders an insight into city government.

MML in St. Louis

The mayor, three council members, the city manager, the city attorney and the public works director attended the Missouri Municipal League Conference in St. Louis, utilizing the city van for the first time. Although the vehicle is roomy enough for comfort and conversation, access to the back rows needs some upgrades.

The conference venue and our hotel was in the refurbished St. Louis Union Station. Finding our way through the maze of hotel rooms was a challenge but after the Mayor accidently discovered an executive hospitality suite (with a free breakfast), we quickly learned how to find our way to that door.

Another accidental discovery was the hourly evening light show in the hotel lobby/bar. OK...yes, we were in the lobby/bar the first night of the conference and, yes, we were surprised when the light show started. OK....yes, we returned the next night....ummmmmm.....for the light show.

During the day, we attended informational sessions and talked with folks from other cities in Missouri. Also, Mayor Bill was elected to the MML board. *cheers*

Mayor's Arts Awards

The City shares this award with the Downtown Community Improvement District and the Allied Arts Council.


Apple Blossom Line-Up

Community Alliance Fly-In

The annual fly-in proved especially productive this year. The schedule included visits with two joint chiefs of staff and with congressional representatives from Missouri and Kansas as well as lunch with military personnel. The early morning take-off on Tuesday put us in DC around 9 am but flight delays the following day pushed our return to Kansas City to after 11 o'clock Wednesday night.

MML Legislative Session