GAINESVILLE CITY COUNCIL: Multiple residents show interest in vacant city council seats
The Gainesville City Council’s table felt a little emptier than usual during the regular Feb. 11, meeting due to two vacant seats that remain open. But, thanks to a recent surge of interest, it’s likely the table will be back to full capacity next month.
The council, usually comprised of six members (two from the east district, two from the center district and two from the west district of the Gainesville city limits) was operating this month with just four councilmen seated, as west district councilman Seth Collins resigned last year, and there has not been an appointment to fill his seat, and center district councilwoman Renee Schmucker resigned last month due to health issues involving a potential lung transplant.
Three interested in center seat
Schmucker’s resignation leaves a center ward seat open throughout her term, which ends in April 2026.
At the city council meeting this month, City Clerk Lisa Goodnight told the remaining council members (Treva Warrick, Dana Crisp, Teri Edades and Lana Bushong) that three individuals have shown interest in being appointed for Schmucker’s open seat after it was announced that she had resigned.
Those interested are center district residents April Lynne, former city councilman Donald Amyx and Gainesville city resident Brandy Pace. Mayor Gail Reich said that former fire chief Ed Doiron had also considered throwing his name in the hat for the seat but said that he’d appear at the meeting if he wished to be considered. Since he didn’t appear, she said she assumes he decided against it.
Goodnight said that the qualifications to be appointed for a city council position are the same as if someone is filing for an open position: the candidate must be 18 years or older and have lived within the specific district in the city limits for a year prior to being appointed.
An appointment to fill a vacant city council seat comes as the decision of the Gainesville Mayor, currently Gail Reich, after recommendations from the council.
Lynne was the only candidate in attendance at the meeting, and the mayor asked if she’d like to say anything.
“I saw a need. Lana brought it up to me. I think I would do a great job. I’ve lived in Gainesville forever - since 1980. I work at the bank, so I know a lot of financials, and if you guys would give me a chance, I would love to do it,” she said.
The council discussed the candidates, saying that they are thrilled there has been an interest by multiple people, as it’s often difficult to get anyone to file for an open seat.
Goodnight brought up some other vacancies the city currently has that could be filled too.
“We don’t have a planning and zoning committee, and we don’t have a parks committee. These are things we could use people on, and we’ve never had an abundance of people that were interested before - and by abundance, I mean just one or more,” Goodnight said.
The mayor asked Lynne if she had any children, as she could see that being a benefit someone serving on the park committee.
“I have three, 26, 23 and 17,” she said.
The mayor asked her if she would be interested in the park board, and Lynne said she would.
“I’m hoping for grandkids soon. My oldest is married. That would be something that would be neat,” she said.
“I would like to see somebody take the reins and improve the park. Spring’s coming. People complained about it last year. There is quite a bit of work that needs to be done up there. I would just like to see someone do that,” Reich said, referencing the Hoerman Memorial Park, located next to the Gainesville Elementary School.
Crisp asked Lynne which she’d rather do - the city council or the park board, and she said that she’d be happy to serve on either one. “Just wherever I’m needed,” she said.
“We’ve not had anybody [in that position in a long time]. We had a park board, and one of them passed away. Another one got older and aged out, and nobody’s been interested. And we have so many kids around town. We’ve got this little property down where Dr. Klayman’s office was. There’s a concrete pad there, and I’ve been thinking about getting the money together to put a top on that and a basketball goal down there, so the kids could go down there and have something to do closer to town. Kids try to play basketball up here on a slanted lot now, and it doesn’t work very well. But to have something down there on the creek where they could play, that would be really good,” she said.
Crisp said he thought Lynne would be good at either position, on the city council or on the park board, but he thought that Amyx would probably be better suited for the council seat than the park board.
Reich decided to appoint Amyx for the city council seat and Lynne to the head of the park board.
The Times contacted Amyx, who said he was still deciding as to whether to accept the appointment. He hopes to make a decision this week.
Rodgers may be appointed to west seat
Amanda Rodgers, who is the only candidate to file for the seat left vacant by Collins last year, was also present at the Feb. 11 meeting. She is set to take the seat after the April 8 General Municipal Election. Because she was the only candidate who filed for the open west ward seat, and the other open seats on the city council only had one person file for each, the city council does not have to hold an election. Those who filed for the seats will automatically assume those duties after the election.
Although Rodgers was at the meeting, she is not on the city council yet, as she has to wait for the new term to begin to take the seat; however, the council showed interest in appointing Rodgers to fill the remainder of Collins’ term, which ends this April. Then she would continue serving on the council in her own new 2-year term after April 8.
Crisp suggested that the council hold off and appoint Rodgers during the March 11 meeting in order to double check on the rules about the appointment. Everyone agreed.
Other business
Liquor licenses - In other news, Mike Gardner attended the city council meeting to ask the city to transfer the three liquor licenses for the The Antler Pizza and Package (regular liquor license, selling liquor by the glass and selling liquor on Sunday) in Gainesville from current owners Matt and Jamie Bowser to him and wife Heather, who will take over ownership of the restaurant in March. The council voted unanimously to transfer the licenses.
Fire department - The council heard from Gainesville Fire Chief Kevin Piland, who reported that the VFD responded to 24 calls since the previous meeting (17 medical, 1 transformer fire, 3 brush fire and 3 traffic control). He said they are continuing to train at the firehouse and need more volunteer firefighters and first responders. They are accepting applications from anyone interested. Piland said the VFD is also accepting bids for fire department shirts, and anyone interested in submitting a bid should contact him or City Hall. In other news, Piland said that the city looked into placing equipment on the fire department’s propane tank that would allow a local company to read the propane level from their office and automatically keep it filled, but the propane tank was too old to be outfitted with the equipment.
Utility departments - Maintenance Supervisor Mike Davis said that he’s been working to mark public water and sewer lines in several locations for White River Connect, the company that is installing fiber internet lines in the area. Water Specialist Jessi Price said the water loss has improved pretty well. She also noted that the yearly conference she goes to will be held in Branson, which will be much closer to home than usual. Davis said that the wastewater treatment facility alarm has been fixed. Work has not begun on the new facility, which is being paid for through a large grant.
Saddle Club contract - Goodnight said that she was informed that all of the officeholders of the Gainesville Saddle Club have changed, and she wasn’t familiar with the new board members. Lana Bushong said she knew one member, and she would reach out to him about the city’s current contract and negotiations regarding the saddle club’s lease of the land where the club’s arena is located.
Airport Trailer Park entrance road - Bushong gave an update on a request that a city resident made, asking the city to maintain the entrance to the Airport Trailer Park. She said she spoke with the county commissioners, and both the city and county agreed that the area in question is on private property. Bushong called the landowner, who said he wasn’t aware that it was private property, and that he would handle fixing the entrance.
Domestic Utility refund - The council again discussed a topic that was brought up at last month’s meeting. The city received correspondence sometime earlier this year from a company that is seeking a partial sales tax refund on behalf of the Gainesville Health Care Center. From the city’s understanding, the company (who is hired by businesses to help them save money) believes that the portion of the nursing home that includes living and sleeping areas should be taxed at a residential rate for city water instead of a commercial rate. They requested a refund of the difference on behalf of GHCC. The council said they did not have a clear understanding of how they arrived at the figure they are requesting. The city has reached out to its attorney for further advice and understanding in the request.
Delinquent sewer bill update - The city revisited the topic of a resident’s delinquent sewer bill and related request to now hook into the city’s water system. The city council decided last month to allow the resident to hook into the water system with the understanding that she must pay $100 extra per month to satisfy the delinquent sewer debt. In reference to the water portion of the issue, Price said that the city is currently waiting on the resident to dig from their house to the city water meter that has been installed nearby for several years. She said the resident didn’t agree with everything the city was initially asking, so an agreement letter hasn’t been drafted yet. Goodnight said the resident paid an extra $200 last month and told the city she’d hoped to continue to pay that much if she’s able.
Nuisance order violation - Goodnight said that the city attorney is also drafting correspondence that will be sent to a city limit resident who is a persistent violator of the city’s nuisance ordinance. The city says it is asking that the resident’s property be brought up to a safe and clean condition.
Issuance of business licenses - The city conducted its annual vote to offer business licenses to businesses in Gainesville city limits. There were 53 businesses offered business licenses (see listing of businesses in the Feb. 19 edition).
Street project company rating - The council members were provided packets for three companies who are potential candidates to do the extensive grant-funded street repairs in the city. The three companies were Toth & Associates of Springfield, Allgeier, Martin and Associates of Joplin and Civil Engineering Associates, which has offices in Jonesboro and Conway, Arkansas, and Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The council members decided to take the packets home to review before making their ratings.
Equipment requests - The mayor said that the city’s sewer camera had a short, and Davis sent it off to be repaired, which cost $2,968. The city has been using the device for two or three years, and it is no longer under warranty. Davis said buying a new one would cost $12,000 to $13,000.
Davis also said that the radiator split in two places on the sewer jetter, and it cannot be fixed. He said that a new radiator would cost $400, so he’s checking to see if they can find a used radiator that could be installed on the jetter instead.
Next meeting - The next city council meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at City Hall. Meetings are open to the public, and anyone is invited to attend.