Mt. Vernon to get new city attorney; Spirit of ’76 new dugouts

City attorney Parrigon to depart as new position as Law. Co. prosecuting attorney awaits
The Mt. Vernon Board of Aldermen passed four ordinances during their meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The ordinances dealt with a wide range of issues, including a general election.

Ordinances passed…
- The first ordinance authorized a general election where four aldermen, one from each of the city’s wards, would be elected for a term of two years. Those who wish to run for an alderman’s seat may file with City Clerk Melissa Aduddle between Tuesday, Dec. 6 and Tuesday, Dec. 27. The election will take place on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
- The second ordinance passed by the board accepted the resignation of Darlene Parrigon as city attorney, effective Dec. 31 of this year, while appointing Toni M. Hendricks as the new city attorney for Mt. Vernon. According to language in the ordinance, Hendricks will be paid $150 per hour while acting in her capacity as the city’s attorney, $75 per hour for paralegal duties and “all applicable costs and expenses.”
- The third ordinance authorized the city to “file an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission dba the Missouri Electric Commission (MEC) on behalf of the City of Mt. Vernon … for waivers under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) … exempting (the) city from purchase requirement regarding qualifying facilities and adopting rules from compliance with FERC’s PURPA regulations.” According to information in the ordinance, the waiver would exempt the city from having to purchase electricity from generating facilities; the MEC would assume that responsibility.
- The final ordinance accepted and approved the final plat of the Moore Ranch Estates Phase One Subdivision and accepted it as a subdivision in Mt. Vernon.

Dugout revamp at Sprit of ’76 Park
During the citizen participation portion of the meeting, Tony Daniels, Billy Bieber and Kade Scrivner requested permission to renovate the softball dugouts at Spirit of '76 Park. They told the board that citizens would donate their labor, and materials would also be donated. After considerable discussion, the board voted to approve the renovation.

In other business...
The board authorized a pay request of $68,723.61 to Emory Sapp and Sons, Inc. for work done on the Missouri Drive Street Extension, and authorized City Administrator Joe Kelley to sign a supplier agreement between the city and Missouri Department of Social Services Family Support Division for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. They also approved a change in personnel policy to recognize vacation days, sick/personal days and city-observed holidays as “hours worked” under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which include them in the calculation of a 40-hour work week and overtime pay for non-exempt city employees.