Holts Summit extends New Bloomfield police contract

FILE: A Holts Summit police cruiser.
FILE: A Holts Summit police cruiser.

The Holts Summit Board of Aldermen approved a resolution Tuesday that will allow Mayor Landon Oxley to sign a five-year extension of the agreement between the Holts Summit Police Department and the City of New Bloomfield.

The original agreement began in June 2018 and had New Bloomfield paying $20,000 to extend the Holts Summit police coverage area to include the city, including patrol routes, responding to calls for service and enforcing ordinances.

That agreement expired in December 2018. At a board meeting in August, a new, longer agreement was discussed, but no action was taken.

At Tuesday's meeting, the board approved the five-year contract for continued police services to New Bloomfield, for which they will pay the city of Holts Summit $38,000 a year.

They will pay in installments, due at the end of each quarter. The contract begins Jan. 1, 2020, and will expire Dec. 31, 2025.

City administrator Hanna Lechner said New Bloomfield approached Holts Summit about continuing the service, and after discussions between the Holts Summit Police Department and the city, they sent it to an aldermen vote.

Capt. Shannon Jeffries said the department decided to extend the agreement so they would be able to continue helping a neighboring community.

Each month, the Holts Summit police give a report to the New Bloomfield Board of Aldermen, Jeffries said, and each month since the agreement began, they have reported 80-100 calls per month from New Bloomfield. Some of these are calls for service where they have been called in, and some are self-generated calls including traffic stops and school patrols.

Jeffries said the amount of calls for services have gone up since they took over the area.

At the Tuesday meeting, the Holts Summit Board of Aldermen also:

Approved a lease and rent agreement between the city and Summit Community Church for the Civic Building.

Swore in Rachel Anderson as city clerk.

Approved a 2019-20 liquor license for the Holts Summit Pizza Hut.

Approved a resolution authorizing the Sewer Department to request statements of qualifications from qualified engineering consultants to provide engineering services for the City of Holts Summit.

Topics for discussion at the meeting included medical marijuana ordinances that will be further discussed at upcoming meetings of Planning and Zoning and the Board of Aldermen as well as possible amendments to the city's alcohol and general business license polices.