At Tuesday's Fulton City Council meeting, the council discussed upcoming local events with residents and discussed several grants.
Kristina Bright, executive director of marketing and communications at Westminster College, and Blaine Pestle, representing the Brick District, requested permission from the council to host the 2023 Brick Blast event.
The event would be on Thursday, Sept. 21 from 3-6 p.m. As part of the event, Court Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets would be closed for the duration of the event. The street would be closed from 1:30-6 p.m.
Drive-through access will remain available for CVS Pharmacy during the event.
Brick Blast is an event for students, faculty and staff of Westminster College and William Woods University that seeks to introduce them to the downtown area of Fulton and local businesses.
The annual event returned in 2022 after being halted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bright said there are approximately 31 businesses participating in the event this year.
The council unanimously approved the request.
Lindsey Pace-Snook and Cole Snook requested the council to designate 902 Court Street as a "Fulton Historic Property."
Crystal Aulbur, president of the Historic Preservation Commission, said the Snooks property -- also known as the Carr home -- was built in 1910.
She awarded a plaque to the Snooks in honor of the property being designated as a Fulton Historic Property.
The council unanimously approved the request.
As part of the council's consent agenda, an event from Lin Diekamp was approved. The approved event was the annual Callaway County CROP Hunger Walk on Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m.
Kathy Nielsen, sports and recreation director at Callaway County YMCA, requested permission from the council to sell concessions at the Morgan Soccer Park for a football jamboree.
The event will be Aug. 26 from 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Council member Brad Leuther is on the YMCA Board, so he recused himself from the vote.
Five votes from the council are necessary to approve a motion. With Leuther recusing himself from the vote, there were not enough council members present at the meeting to vote.
Courtney Doyle, interim director of administration, said the city will handle approval of the request internally.
The council discussed four resolutions, three of which are related to grants for the city.
The first resolution was for the mayor to make application for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) Local Crime Prevention Grant.
This grant would assist in acquiring six mobile data units for the Fulton Police Department.
Bill Ladwig, chief of police, said the department has used this grant money in the past to update computers for patrol vehicles.
The council unanimously approved the resolution.
The second resolution was for the mayor to make application for the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) Grant.
This grant would assist in replacing aging natural gas lines in the city.
The council unanimously approved the resolution.
The third resolution was for the mayor to make application for the Leary Firefighter Foundation Grant.
This grant would be for the purchase of a skid mount water pump.
Kevin Coffelt, fire chief, said this is for the grass truck which responds to grass fires. He said it currently has a homemade skid unit and "puts a lot of stress" on the truck.
The skid unit that would be purchased by the grant is designed specifically for a grass truck.
The council unanimously approved the resolution.
The final grant discussed by the council was for the mayor to enter into an agreement with Southwest Power Pool, Inc. for firm point-to-point transmission services to be rendered.
The council unanimously approved the resolution.
The council also discussed the first reading of one ordinance.
The ordinance would fix the tax rate and levying taxes for the 2023 calendar year.
All taxable property in Fulton city limits would be at the rate of $.5271 for each $100 of the assessed valuation of said property.
The tax rate is to remain the same as in the previous year.
The council unanimously approved the ordinance, and it will have a second reading at the next council meeting. There will also be a public hearing for this ordinance at the next meeting.
The council met in a work session prior to the regular meeting to discuss "department updates."
The next Fulton City Council meeting will be Tuesday, Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. No council meeting will be held on Sept. 12, as the council will be attending the MML Conference.