Sedalia Council Paves Way for Purchase of Glass Pulverizer, Macro Paver

A public hearing concerning annexation of property owned by Autumn Creek Development, LLC, led off Monday night’s Sedalia City Council meeting, and yielded no comments.

In her report, Finance Director Jessica Pyle noted that net sales for March were down from one year prior to the tune of about $45,000, or 1.5 percent.

A four percent increase for this coming fiscal year was budgeted, creating a variance of $168,000.

The payment that was received in May was lower than last May, but last year’s payment was abnormally high, Pyle noted, by about 11.8 percent. “What we received this month was more average,” she told Council.

The marijuana tax began being collected in Sedalia in October of 2023. “So now we’re beginning to see a full fiscal year comparison,” she said.

The franchise tax for FY 2026 is down $132,000.

Transportation tax is higher due to an increase in gasoline taxes by 5.2 percent, while vehicle sales are higher by 17.2 percent, and higher vehicle fees of 42 percent.

“And the majority of property tax comes in during January,” she concluded.

Under Public Works, Council approved the purchase of a Chevrolet 2500 from WK Chevrolet for the Water Department at a cost of $103,500. WK was the lowest of three bidders.

Also purchased was a 2025 Dodge Ram 4x4 from WK Chevrolet with a service bed. Again, WK was the lowest bidder out of three with a price of $79,999. The purchase price was below budget, it was noted.

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Council approved a grant application from Public Works’ Operations Division to West Central Missouri Solid Waste Management District F. The grant will be used to purchase a commercial-grade glass pulverizer. The pulverizer will be used to process used glass into reusable materials for local construction and infrastructure projects such as roads, trails, landscaping, parks & composting.

In addition, a major component of the venture will be incorporating recycled glass into the City’s asphalt mix, which could increase the total recycled content in paving materials to around 20 percent.  This will also help reduce the amount of glass currently being sent to the landfill.

The grant requires a 15 percent local match (not required at the time the application is submitted).

The grant request is $412,295, and the City’s portion of that will be $61,845. The purchase includes the pulverizer machine, shipping, installation and training. The deadline to submit is May 28.

Public Works also requested the purchase of a macro paver, and Council approved it in its FY26 budget, and was also identified as a priority in the Council’s budget planning session earlier this year.

Council approved the purchase from Stepp Manufacturing, located in North Branch, Minnesota, at a cost of $540,346.71, for the Sedalia Street Department. $9,290 of that is the shipping cost.

Only $430,000 was budgeted for the macro paver in the FY26 budget, which is $110,056.71 shy of the total purchase price.

The supplier noted that the recently enacted Trump tariffs were a contributing factor in the markup. More Trump tariff increases are expected, it was noted.

Staff recommended proceeding with the purchase of the macro paver to support long-term pavement preservation efforts and reducing reliance on outside contractors.

To accommodate the increased purchase price, staff proposed that the number of trucks being bought be reduced from five to four, and downsizing two of those from tandem axle to single axle dump trucks equipped with plows and spreaders.

The purchase will be made through a cooperative procurement process, using Omnia Contract #05-77.

Under Community Development, RJ Lindstrom, representing the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri, requested that the City waive all permit fees associated with new “ProEnergy Teen Center” planned for the 600 block of East Third Street.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held April 5. Construction on the 30,000-square-foot facility, is expected to begin May 31, and will cost approximately $10 million. The project originated in 2022 with a feasibility study, Lindstrom noted.

A vote was taken, and all Council members present voted yes on the waiver for the ProEnergy Teen Center, resulting in a cost savings of nearly $40,000 for the Club.

Two resignations from the Sedalia Public Library were accepted Monday night, including Linda Sundy and Elizabeth Tessone, effective June 30.

They were replaced by two new appointments, including Dr. Kathryn Stanley-Dietzman and Virginia Kehoe.

One new liquor license was approved, which was for Jeff Wimann dba the Sedalia Lions Club for a Lions Club Cornhole Tournament, scheduled for May 31 from 11 a.m., to 4 p.m., at the NuCor Pavilion on the Missouri State Fairgrounds, $15.

Three renewals were approved, including:

*Carlos Enrique Cedillo dba B& B theaters, 4104 West Main, for Sunday Sales and Liquor By The Drink, $750

*Benjamin Chaney dba Smoker Friendly, 1700 East Broadway, for Packaged Liquor and Sunday Sales, $450

*Cathy Geotz dba Break Time #3083, 808 East Broadway, for Packaged Liquor, $150

Under Miscellaneous, Mayor Pro Tem Rhiannon Foster made a motion to amend an ordinance to allow the two dispensaries in Sedalia to close at 10 p.m., instead of the current 8 p.m. Second Ward Councilwoman Tina Boggess seconded the motion, and the full Council will vote on it at their next meeting.

Under Good & Welfare, there were five speakers who signed up to voice their opinions.

Damien Kennedy, 27831 Third Addition Road, said “You all actually took up the ordinance that I was wanting you to take up, and you approved the change, so thank you very much.”

Jerri Nelson, 1002 North Grand, asked the Council to clarify the City’s burn ordinance.

“I recently had two situations where a neighbor had started brush fires, where the fire department responded both times. No citations were given … and they were within 25 foot of a structure. No garden hose, because there is no water attached to the house. They were within 16 foot of a fence … In talking with Fire Chief Irwin, it is the responsibility of each fire truck or fireman responding to the call, to give the citation. They had to put the fires out … Chief Irwin assured me that they would be given citations next time, that it would be properly handled. Well, it happened again tonight. But when they heard the fire trucks, they kindly went over with shovels and got the fire put out,” Nelson told Council.

“They way I read the ordinance, it does not state that strike three and you’re out,” Nelson said. “I do not want this to be the third time for sparks to burn down my house before the fire truck arrives.”

Debbie Covington, 2601 E. 12th, complained about the City not having a finance or admin meeting since March 3, 2023. “But at the April 21 City Council meeting, you all passed an anti-First Amendment ordinance limiting free speech, so when are you all meeting?” she asked the Council. “Why isn’t the public invited to these meetings? … If you all are meeting and you don’t have a quorum, are you doing this to circumvent the Missouri Sunshine Law so the public can’t be a part of it? There was no dialogue, questions or conversations in the Council meeting when this passed. No dialogue between the Council or Interim City Administrator or Mayor regarding this ordinance, so this leads me to believe that you all are either meeting behind closed doors so the public isn’t involved, or you’re still taking orders from our city attorney and project director,” Covington read from her phone.

In his comments, Jack Schibi, 8344 Highway M, Pilot Grove, complained about a letter he received from Code Enforcement.

“I have some rental houses here in town … “and the inspector went out there and my renter put a six-foot tall fence.” He said the inspector then climbed into the back of a pickup and took photos over the fence of the junk ibn the backyard.  Schibi was told that was perfectly legal for the inspector to do that. “I agree with that, that’s probably right,” he said, adding that the renter is cleaning up the back yard. But he said, “I think that’s a little off base.”

In his comments, local businessman David Goodson, 1640 Hedge Apple Drive, referred to the recent “Decorum” ordinance passed April 21, calling it wrong.

“Everybody knows it’s wrong,” he said, adding that the new Council members plus Jack Robinson (who was absent that night) didn’t have anything to do with it. “I would like to know that is that vote came up today, would those Council members  support it?”

Goodson asked the Council ”What’s the chances of you guys repealing this and going back to allowing free speech? Not making people jump through hoops … “If you were doing a good job, you wouldn’t have people at these meetings … When is restrictions to free speech in a public meeting okay? When? I read the Constitution today, I looked up the amendments, I couldn’t find where ‘reasonable restrictions’ to speech is acceptable,” he said. “All if you should be embarrassed by that.”

“It’s all about keeping your word and doing the right thing, and some of you have lost your way,” Goodson stated.

Goodson ended his three minutes by urging Council to “please do the right thing and stop being cowards.”