Moberly City Council Approves Agricultural Aircraft Permits

Agricultural aircraft operators will now have to pay an annual fee to conduct air traffic business from Omar N. Bradley Regional Airport following a decision by the Moberly City Council on Monday.

All commercial agriculture-related operators that do not have a hangar lease agreement with the city must purchase an annual $500 permit per aircraft to operate from the airport. The city council approved the decision to help recoup airport maintenance and operational costs.

"Each year, several agricultural spray aircraft utilize our airport and take over much of the pad, use the facilities and courtesy cars," Moberly Community Development and Public Utilities Director Tom Sander said.

Agriculture operators also bring in semi loads with the spray chemicals, exceeding the weight of the airport apron and have cracked the back edge of the concrete, he said.

Sander petitioned the businesses using the airport to purchase fuel from the city and to work within city requirements, but had little success. So, he looked into policies at other municipals airports, along with making inquiries to an airport consultant. The permit fee idea was a result of Sander's research and conversation with the consultant.

"We can't force them to purchase our fuel, even though they are using our facility, [but] I can require them to pay a use permit," Sander said.

Permits spell out airport use requirements and failure to follow the permit could lead to an operating permit being revoked.

Sewer and water grants

The council accepted a $954,208 grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to connect sewer lagoons at both Fox Hollow Mobile Home Park and Moberly Mobile Home Park. They will be connected to the city's wastewater treatment facilities as part of the regional sewer system. The project will be completed by April 2022.

The engineering plan associated with the project addresses projected population growth over the next five to 10 years. Pump stations will be installed, rather than gravity sewers.

Director of Public Utilities Mary West-Calcagno

"If the growth has exceeded this predicted window then we look at up-sizing the system," Director of Public Utilities Mary West-Calcagno said.

Firefighter wages

Firefighters in Moberly make 9% less than their counterparts in similarly sized departments, Ross Dutton, president of the Moberly/Macon Firefighters Local Union No. 2671, said at Monday's meeting.

He provided a salary survery and performance report from fire departments in Kirskville, Lebanon, Marshall, Sedalia, Hannibal and Macon.

"The City of Moberly has a contract agreement with the firefighter's union saying we will go through a salary process to determine what will be put into our annual budget for compensation for our firefighters," Moberly City Manager Brian Crane said.

City staff and the council plan to review the survey and report from Dutton as they prepare the 2020-21 budget that takes effect July 1, he said. The city's fire chief also submitted a salary report requesting a 5% increase for firefighters.

"All of this information will be considered as our finance department creates our new fiscal budget," Crane said.

Air Cleaning Technologies Inc. of Bonner Springs, Kan. was awarded a $42,900 system to install sliding track vehicle exhaust removal systems at both the fire department stations. The systems will vent diesel exhaust fumes from inside the facilities to the outside.

In other business:

Mattox Advertising Co. of Moberly was awarded an $11,944 contract to create four 4-by-8-foot new tourism signs to welcome motorists traveling into the city limits. Signs will be placed at east and west U.S. Highway 24 as well as the north and south portions of U.S. Highway 63.

The council terminated a previous contract with Tony Stuart to develop residential lots at 610 S. Williams and 906 S. Williams. The development contract was then awarded to 3 Brothers Construction of Huntsville.

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. of St. Louis was awarded the contract to design plans of the Project Emerald Booster Pump Station. The pump station will address water needs associated with the construction and operations of Plumrose USA, a bacon processing and package facility under development west of the Moberly Five & Drive Theatre.

Orscheln Farm and Home, LLC was granted a license to place a glass recycling container on its parking lot.

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