POPLAR BLUFF BUDGET PROPOSAL INCLUDES CUTS OF SIX FULL TIME POSITIONSPoplar Bluff City Manager Mark Massingham presented a budget proposal at last night’s Poplar Bluff City Council meeting which includes the elimination of six full time employees.
The cuts would include one employee from the municipal courts, one in the planning department, two in the street department, and two in the Police Department.
Here is Massingham laying out his rationale for the cuts to the city council.
MARK MASSINGHAM:
The three most essential services a municipality must provide to its citizens are police protection, fire protection, and streets. Poplar Bluff is fortunate enough to offer much more than those essentials. We have an airport we’re operating that is vital for the growth of our city, we offer an art museum that has become one of Poplar Bluff’s Landmarks, and we have the Coliseum that offers a venue for concerts, meetings, banquets, and much more and brings thousands of people to our community.
In order to provide those same services we have had to make adjustments to our personnel for the 2017 budget. When we first started working on this budget we had a deficit of $735,000 in the general fund. The budget I present to you has a deficit of $173,761, the current 2016 budget started with a $424,000 budget.
To reduce our budget in general fund, this budget represents the elimination of six full time employees. One in municipal court, one in the planning department, two in the street department, and two in the police department. I didn’t arrive at these recommendations lightly.
Some ask why I haven’t reduced personnel in the fire department. The fire department has lost a total of five employees over the last 15 years. On many days throughout the year the fire department operates with two people at a station. When they receive a fire call, most of the time two stations respond because they are short firefighters. This leaves one area of town unprotected.
These cuts were not taken lightly. We worked on this budget for weeks, even waiting until this last minute to see if our final sales tax report was in, hoping we would not make the cuts, but we still have to.
The budget will be voted on at the next City Council meeting on December 27th.
FILING OPENS TODAY FOR THREE SEATS ON POPLAR CITY COUNCIL Filing is set to open today for multiple seats in the Poplar Bluff government.
Filing for the councilperson seat from Ward Five, as well as two at large seats on the Poplar Bluff City Council will begin today. Anyone who wants to file for the April 4th election can do so at the Office of the City Clerk at 501 Vine Street.
Filing will also begin today for three seats on the Poplar Bluff Board of Education. Anyone wanting to file for the seats can go to the Administrative Building, located at 1110 North Westwood Boulevard.
PUXICO WOMAN ARRESTED ON FELONY CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WARRANT Authorities in Stoddard County have arrested a Puxico woman on a controlled substance warrant.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 35 year old Crystal Kelm was taken into custody Sunday morning on a felony Dunklin County warrant for possession, manufacturing, and distribution of a controlled substance.
Following the arrest, Kelm was held in the Stoddard County Jail.
ALMOST $10,000 WORTH OF JEWELRY STOLEN FROM POPLAR BLUFF BUSINESS Poplar Bluff police are investigating the theft of almost $10,000 worth of jewelry from an area business.
We spoke with Detective Joseph Woodruff with the Poplar Bluff Police Department about the investigation.
JOSEPH WOODRUFF:
Around 5:15 pm on Friday, December 9th officers were notified of a theft from The Jeweler's Bench, located on South Westwood.
After officers arrived, they learned two female patrons had selected several pieces of jewelry to include necklaces, rings, and bracelets, and asked that they be shipped for a wedding. As the jewelry was being placed into a shipping box one of the females concealed one of the bags lying on the counter which contained approximately $9,700.00 worth of jewelry.
After the box was sealed the females left a $200.00 deposit and told the employee they would return with the rest of the payment, however they never returned. Employees became suspicious and opened the box to find a bag missing, and subsequently contacted the Police Department.
The surveillance video showed the two suspects are white females in their late 30’s to early 40’s. If anyone has any information regarding this case or these suspects, please contact the Poplar Bluff Police Department at 573-785-5776.
Pictures of the suspects are available on our Facebook page.
TWO SERIOUSLY INJURED IN BUTLER COUNTY WRECK Two Wappapello residents were seriously injured Monday morning in a two vehicle wreck in Butler County.
Officials with the Missouri State Highway Patrol tell us that the wreck occurred at around 9:30 am on Route T when a vehicle driven by 66 year old Janet Brown, of Poplar Bluff, allegedly rear ended another vehicle.
Two people in the second vehicle, 56 year old Vicky Clemons and 42 year old Joseph Holman, both of Wappapello, suffered serious injuries and were taken by ambulance to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center.
Brown received minor injuries in the wreck.
ROAD WORK UNDERWAY IN STODDARD AND NEW MADRID COUNTIES Route 153 in Stoddard and New Madrid County is being reduced to one lane so Missouri Department of Transportation crews can perform edge rut repairs.
According to MoDOT, the section of roadway is located from Route A to Route 62.
Weather permitting, work will take place today and tomorrow, from 8 am to 3 pm each day.
