1. D
uring its April 21 meeting,
the Palmyra City Council
was about to give a first
reading to a proposed ordi-
nance that would empower
the city to issue administrative search
warrants.
City Attorney Chase Hickman said the
entire six-page ordinance must be read
aloud in accordance with the city’s legis-
lative procedures.
“Do you have to read the whole thing?”
Mayor Loren Graham asked, realizing
the reading would take awhile.
Hickman nodded.
“What would be involved if we wanted
to change it to where we just read the
title of the ordinance and the number?”
Graham inquired wistfully.
“I’d have to look, but I think that would
take a charter change,” Hickman replied,
referring to a special election to change
the city’s constitutional charter. That
charter now requires every ordinance
coming before the City Council to be read
in its entirety at two different meetings
before adoption.
“You might look at that sometime,” the
mayor told Hickman.
Then without further ado, Hickman
began reading the ordinance as quickly
as he reasonably could. Eleven minutes
later, he was done.
Two weeks after that — at the council’s
May 5 meeting — Hickman went through
the same ritual. He once again read the
six-page ordinance from start to finish
while the minutes slowly ticked away.
Finally, the ordinance was adopted.
Welcome to the world of city govern-
ment, Missouri style.
Keep in mind that not all of the Show-
Me State’s municipalities require two
complete readings of all ordinances that
come forward. Palmyra just happens
to be one of them — simply because of
constitutional charter provisions the city
fathers adopted in the late 1970s.
Until then, Palmyra had been operat-
ing as a “special charter” city. Hickman,
who became the city’s legal counsel
in 1978, said having a special charter
required the Missouri Legislature to pass
legislation every time Palmyra wanted to
alter its charter or change an ordinance.
This was burdensome, to say the least.
So when the Legislature approved a bill
in the late 1970s that allowed towns of
Palmyra’s size to become “constitutional
charter” cities, local voters granted their
approval. Palmyra then had authority to
pass ordinances whenever it wanted.
“We adopted a whole new city code
once we became a constitutional charter
city,” Hickman recalled. The new code
contained the provision requiring two
full readings of every proposed ordi-
nance. It was based on a model developed
by a University of Missouri law professor.
“So we didn’t dream that requirement
up,” Hickman said. “It was actually sug-
gested in a model charter at the time.”
He said reading ordinances twice in
their entirety is not a bad thing, even
though it takes time. The purpose, he
said, “is to make sure nothing is being
railroaded through” at council meetings.
By reading an ordinance aloud, mem-
bers of the public can hear exactly what’s
being proposed and then decide whether
they want to speak for or against.
“A lot of times people don’t know what’s
going on until it’s been read that first
time,” Hickman said.
Hickman said he wouldn’t recommend
changing the city’s charter simply to
eliminate the two full readings.
“I don’t think it would be worth the
time and the effort” to call a special
election, he said. “That, in and of itself,
doesn’t warrant a change in the charter,
in my opinion.”
Ordinance reading
takes up Palmyra
council’s time
LOCAL NEWS | 3A
| WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016
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EDWARD HUSAR
Staff Writer | ehusar@whig.com
HANNIBAL, Mo. — The
Hannibal City Council on Tues-
day voted to annex and rezone
land on the west side of the city.
Beth Haven Group Homes
Inc. plans to build senior hous-
ing on property at 8976 Coun-
ty Road 412, just south of U.S.
36. The tract is contiguous to
city limits and was zoned for
multiple family.
In an April 22 memoran-
dum to council members, City
Manager Jeff LaGarce said
the intended use falls within
the multiple family classifica-
tion. He said the zoning of sur-
rounding land — highway busi-
ness — isn’t a concern because
multiple family is a less intense
classification. Homes and va-
cant lots now surround the site.
“Growth of contiguous non-
incorporated areas, particu-
larly those located in the ‘do-
nut hole’ regions of Hannibal,
are consistent with the city’s
desire for orderly growth and
development,” LaGarce wrote.
The Planning and Zoning
Commission unanimously ac-
cepted Beth Haven’s applica-
tion last month.
Council members also set
public hearings for two other
annexation requests. The Han-
nibal Board of Public Works
hopes to have property at 6673
County Road 437 annexed and
zoned industrial. The property
is east of the Moberly Area
Community College campus.
Russell Goodhart also has
submitted an application to
have a vacant lot on Stardust
Drive annexed and zoned for
one- and two-family. Public
Works Director Brian Chaplin
said he plans to build “high-
end” duplexes there.
The Planning and Zoning
Commission is set to hear both
requests at 4 p.m. Thursday.
The council’s public hearings
will begin at 6:15 p.m. June 7.
Council members also ac-
cepted a request from the
Mark Twain Boyhood Home
and Museum for alcohol sales
during the museum’s annual
Music Under the Stars series.
The first event is scheduled
June 2.
The council also granted the
Standing Bear Creek Coun-
cil permission to discharge
black powder firearms within
city limits during the Bear
Creek Rendezvous, scheduled
for Aug. 13 and Aug. 14 at the
Mark Twain Cave complex.
By ALYSE THOMPSON
Staff Writer | 217-221-3385
athompson@whig.com
@AThompsonWHIG
Hannibal accepts annexation request
CITY COUNCIL: Beth Haven plans to build senior housing on west side of city, south of U.S. 36
FIRST CATCH OF THE DAY
CARTHAGE, Ill. — The
Hancock County Board has
agreed to sell the Shelter Care
facility in Augusta for $50,000
to a Lewistown, Ill., resident.
Richard McCoy submitted
the only bid for the county-
owned long-term care facility.
The County Board voted
unanimously Tuesday to ac-
cept the bid.
McCoy, who has a nursing
background, said he wants to
reopen the facility as an as-
sisted living center.
“We’re looking to open pos-
sibly around September,” he
said. “We have a couple months
of construction to do.”
McCoy said he hopes the
facility will host activities
throughout the year that would
include the community.
“We’re going to try to focus
more on the clients and try and
make it a place they can enjoy
coming to,” he said.
The county put the facil-
ity up for sale in March after
revenue from its operation de-
clined. It was losing between
$10,000 and $12,000 a month,
and the county was subsidizing
it before it closed at the end of
April.
McCoy said he wants to hire
former employees of the long-
term care facility to work in
the new center. He expects to
hire between 15 and 20 people,
with three-quarters of them
full time.
To coincide with the sale, the
County Board agreed to ad-
vance $10,500 to the Shelter
Care account for final expens-
es and also pay administrator
Stacy Thompson $150 a week
to oversee the premises until
the sale is closed.
Also Tuesday, the Coun-
ty Board approved a bid of
$178,840 from Homeway
Homes of Morton, Ill., for a
modular building to house
EMTs and paramedics on
property next to the county
jail. The building will have
six sleeping rooms, two bath-
rooms, a kitchen and a com-
mon area.
County Board member Don
Little, R-2, said that although
the building was the most
expensive option, it was the
better one, and it already in-
cluded fire sprinklers, which
weren’t included in the other
proposals. The other bids were
$148,056 and $153,400.
“In our consideration as
we looked at it, it’s a quality
home,” Little said. “It’s better
built. Yes, it would cost more
upfront, but I think we will
make it back because we’re
looking at not having to do this
again for 50, 60 years. Its sav-
ings would be in its utilities.”
Little said EMTs and para-
medics preferred the Home-
way Homes plan.
A construction agreement
with the Dakota Access pipe-
line also was approved.
County Board Chairman
Cary Gray said the agreement
would require Dakota Access
to restore county infrastruc-
ture damaged during con-
struction of the pipeline that
will cut through the county.
By MATT HOPF
Staff Writer | 217-221-3391
mhopf@whig.com | @MHopfWHIG
Shelter Care facility in Augusta sold
HANCOCK COUNTY BOARD: Lewistown, Ill., resident wants to reopen it as assisted living center
We’re going to try to focus
more on the clients and try
and make it a place they can
enjoy coming to.”
Richard McCoy, who bought Shelter Care facility
Dennis Zapletal of Quincy pulls in bluegill while fly fishing Tuesday at Upper Moorman Park Lake in Quincy. “I’m surprised there aren’t more people
here,” Zapletal said. “I grew up in Chicago, and if there was a lake like this up there, there would be a thousand people at the lake.” | H-W Photo/Mi-
chael Kipley