The City of Ava will help fund the University of Missouri Douglas County Extension Office this year. That was the decision of the Ava City Council Tuesday night. Acting in response to a request from Angie Fletcher, County Program Director for Douglas County Extension, the aldermen agreed to match the…
During the first business meeting in 2013, the Ava Board of Aldermen took action on three agenda items on Tuesday. The council members also received a report from the Ava Area Chamber of Commerce, and listened to a presentation from the Douglas County Health Department. Two business items addressed by…
The Ava Board of Aldermen met at City Hall Tuesday evening for the regular monthly session of business. Councilmen present for the meeting were Burrely Loftin, Ric Engelhardt and Billy Long. David Norman was absent. In closed session, the board chose to hire Michele Stout of Ava, as a part-time…
By Sue Curry Jones Mayor Eddie Maggard convened the September session of city council Tuesday evening with approximately 20 residents and business owners present for the meeting. The issue under scrutiny was the decision of the planning and zoning commission to approve a conditional use allowance for the Century 21…
By Sue Curry Jones The Ava Board of Aldermen met Tuesday evening for a session of city administration – which included the discussion of issues, payment of monthly bills, and approval of the municipal court docket for July 20. First on the agenda, Park Director Sherry Wallace provided council with…
By Sue Curry Jones The Ava Board of Aldermen met in regular session Tuesday evening, with city council President Burrely Loftin presiding over the meeting as Mayor Eddie Maggard was absent due to illness. Acting on recommendations from planning and zoning, the council unanimously approved revising code designations on several…
By Sue Curry Jones The City of Ava opened their regular business meeting Tuesday evening with John Forrester, of Olsson Associates, updating council members about options for solving bacteria problems associated with the water tower tank south of Ava. The water tank, which stands approximately 160 feet high, was originally…
By Sue Curry Jones Council members adopted three ordinances Tuesday evening during the monthly session of the Ava Board of Aldermen. Two of the bills were annual agreements that re-instated the city’s commitment to fund the Ava Area Chamber of Commerce, and assist the Douglas County Fair Board with a…
By Sue Curry Jones Ordinances to increase sewer and water rates were passed by council Tuesday evening. However, the much-needed increase was adopted at a significantly lower rate than the proposed rate recommended by the firm who had analyzed and assessed the city’s system earlier this year. In April, Carl…
Abandoned wells is topic of discussion. Council members tabled a request posed by city employee Janice Lorrain Tuesday evening during the regular session of city government. Lorrain asked council for permission to apply for a grant of $10,000 – $15,000 for the purpose of hiring individuals to canvas door-to-door in…
By Sue Curry Jones Tuesday evening members of city council and administrative officials were confronted with a situation that brings to mind a phrase we’ve all heard. It’s an expression used when dealing with something unfavorable or difficult to embrace –– the often-heard phrase “bite the bullet now or you’ll…
The Ava Board of Aldermen convened for their regular meeting Tuesday evening, and to administer the oath of office to candidates Ric Engelhardt and David Norman, who were elected to serve as councilmen representing the east and west ward, respectively. Council members also adopted an ordinance accepting the election and…
With only one contested race in the county for Tuesday’s municipal and school elections, the voter turnout was exceptionally low. In the East Ward of the City of Ava, incumbent council member Ric Engelhardt held off challenger Bonnie Evans to keep his seat at the council table. Engelhardt received 48…
By Sue Curry Jones Concluding ten years of service as representative for the west ward, councilwoman Judy Lovan fulfilled her last duty as an elected official Tuesday evening. During the meeting, Lovan was recognized by City Clerk Marilyn Alms who presented the outgoing councilwoman with a plaque noting five terms…
City officials convened Tuesday evening to news that the City of Ava had received a higher than usual evaluation rating from MIRMA (Missouri Intergovernmental Risk Management Association) during a recent assessment from the firm, and on-site visit. In past years, the City of Ava has placed well in the rating…
The Ava Board of Aldermen met Tuesday evening for a brief session, with each councilman present for the meeting. In a 3-0 vote, the council adopted a resolution stating the City of Ava will meet grant-funding guidelines as required by the Department of Agriculture. This opportunity was discussed during the…
By Sue Curry Jones Council approved a resolution to strengthen the application process for new applicants securing services from the City of Ava Tuesday evening. The proposed changes and new standards were discussed last month when Administrative Director Peggy Porter explained that a modification to the city’s utility deposit policy…
By Sue Curry Jones Three properties were re-zoned Tuesday evening during city council meeting and received full approval of the Ava Board of Aldermen. The zoning classification modifications had been reviewed by planning and zoning, and submitted as follows: Property owned by Donald and Pearlie Breshears, 208 SE 8th Street,…
By Sue Curry Jones The Ava Board of Aldermen met Tuesday evening for the first session in 2012, and in spite of the fact it’s cold outside, and warm temperatures are months away, councilmen voted to fill supervisory positions for the City Water Park and the upcoming season at the…
Ava City Council convened on Tuesday evening for their regular bi-monthly business meeting. During the session an overview of the city’s annual audit report was presented by Wayland Mueller, senior accountant with Davis, Lynn & Moots, P.A. of Springfield, Mo. Mueller said the city had received a clean opinion on…
Meeting in regular session Tuesday night, Nov. 22, the Ava City Council formally approved the bypass elimination plan as presented by Mike Pessina of HDR Archer. That plan, however, was amended from what had been presented two weeks earlier, to make the plan more financially palatable for the city. The…
To Satisfy Demands of DNR Much of Tuesday night’s Ava City Council Meeting focused on the sewer system – not the residential issue on the northeast side of town that affects a few, but the city’s wastewater treatment plant that serves the entire city. Mike Pessina, from the firm of…
The Ava Board of Aldermen met on Tuesday for a brief meeting, as the customary executive session was not included on the evening agenda. Based on information presented by Administrative Director Peggy Porter, council voted to implement management controls over the city’s purchasing process, by using a plan advocated by…
By Sue Curry Jones Feelings of frustration, anger and empathy filled council chambers at Ava City Hall on Tuesday evening when approximately 37 people filled the meeting room. Most of the attendees were there to show support for a neighbor or friend in conflict with the City of Ava over…
By Sue Curry Jones The Ava Board of Aldermen adopted an ordinance to amend parking designations at the intersection of North Jefferson and 5th Avenue Tuesday evening during regular session of city government. The revised ordinance, which goes into play immediately, extends the no parking zones on the east and…
The Ava Board of Aldermen created a new position for the City of Ava Tuesday evening when they voted to hire Shawn MacMillan to manage computer and technology tasks for city departments. As Information Technology (IT) manager, MacMillan will be responsible for technology needs, computer systems, programming, data storage and…
By Sue Curry Jones Councilmen and city officials were pleased to hear the statement Tuesday evening that refunding the certification of participation bonds adopted in 2001 would be a worthwhile venture for the City of Ava –– the savings would be about $80,000. Steve Goehl, vice president of public finance,…
The Ava Board of Aldermen met Tuesday evening for a brief session, and except for the approval of bills, the only business decision made during the meeting was the approval of a water and sewer rate analysis study for the City of Ava. The study will be performed by Carl…
By Sue Curry Jones The Ava Board of Aldermen, city administrators and city engineer John Forrester made an attempt to solve a sewer waste problem that has been an on-going challenge since November or December of 2010. During the meeting, residents asked the city for assistance with the sewer leak…
Holding a brief meeting Tuesday evening, the Ava City Council met in a session facilitated by Burrely Loftin, president of the Board of Aldermen. Mayor Eddie Maggard was absent. The central item of focus during the evening was the option to pursue refinancing on the Certification of Participation Bonds which…
Ava City Council adopted the 2012 budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the financial period begins on Friday, July 1. Administrative Director Peggy Porter noted the public hearing was held Friday, June 10, and no comments were received during the session. In the 2012 budget, projected gross expenditures for the…
The Ava Board of Aldermen held a brief meeting at City Hall Tuesday evening, and councilmen approved several of the agenda items without much discussion, as the topics were annual formalities. A resolution authorizing Mayor Eddie Maggard to renew a lease with Southwest Missouri Office on Aging, for use of…
“The PPA that appears on city utility bills is there to stay, no matter what” were the words of electrical engineer consultant Dean Parks, with Barnes, Henry, Meisenheimer & Gende, Inc. (BHMG) of St. Louis, as he advised Mayor Eddie Maggard and city councilmen that the city’s additional electrical charge,…
The Ava Board of Aldermen voted to change the zoning designation of property owned by Randy and Barbara Pennington, 935 W. Washington, from B-2 Central Business to B-3 General Business. The property previously housed the Ava Bowl building. Councilmen also approved new wording for the code of ordinances – parking…
By Sue Curry Jones Administering the oath of office to mayor-elect Eddie Maggard was the main order of business Tuesday evening during the first council meeting in April. Maggard, who defeated incumbent Leon Harris in the municipal election April 5, was sworn in by City Clerk Marilyn Alms. Re-elected as…
By Sue Curry Jones The Ava Board of Aldermen met Tuesday evening and received an update on the current status of electric rates throughout the State of Missouri and surrounding areas. The board also approved the purchase of a mower for the park department. The update on projected costs of …
The Ava Board of Aldermen voted to amend the zoning codes on four city properties Tuesday evening during the first business session to be held in March. The board also listened to reports provided by Judy Shields, director of the Chamber of Commerce, and Sherry Wallace, director of Ava City…
The Ava Board of Aldermen met Tuesday evening in regular session, and with a unanimous vote, council members authorized Mayor Leon Harris to purchase a new backhoe for the city street department. The City also reported receipt of a good quality audit with MIRMA (Missouri Intergovernmental Risk Management Association). Out…
The Ava City Council agreed to split the cost of new tile for the Ava Senior Center at their regular meeting on Jan. 12. Bonnie Evans, director of the senior center, presented a proposal to the council outlining five bids for the project, which would re-tile the floors in the…
The Ava City Council heard their annual auditor’s report at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 14. A representative from Davis, Lynn & Moots, P.C. of Springfield gave a report on the city’s financial statements. The report, which is of June 30, 2010, gave the city an unqualified, or clean…
The Ava City Council approved an ordinance changing the speed limit on NW 13th Street from 25 miles-per-hour to 15 miles-per-hour at their regular meeting on Nov. 23. The ordinance outlines that a petition was presented to the council expressing concerns about fast-moving traffic between Highway 5 and Walmart along…
The Ava City Council was presented with two petitions from area residents at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The first petition was from residents of the Rainbow Ridge neighborhood, and asked that the council consider placing some deterrents to fast-moving traffic in that area. The petition was presented…
The Ava City Council heard updates on many grant applications and the water project when they met in regular session on Tuesday, Oct. 26. For the first order of business, Administrative Director Peggy Porter introduced Kelly Beets from MIRMA (Missouri Intergovernmental Risk Management Association). Beets presented a certification to the…
The Ava City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, Sept. 14. During the public comments portion of the meeting, Craig Carter of the Douglas County Community Foundation spoke about a proposed walking/jogging trail from the new Missouri Ozarks Community Health (MOCH) wellness center to the Ava City Park trail.…
The Ava City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, Aug. 24 in City Hall. The council adopted a conflict of interest ordinance, something that is a legal requirement and is done every few years. The council also voted to enter into a voluntary compliance agreement with the Department of…
The Ava City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, July 10. The council received the information on refunding their 2003 Combined Sewer Revenue Bonds that they approved at the last meeting. The average interest rates now on the bonds will be 3.85 percent, for a total savings of $89,900…
In last week’s Herald article about the Ava City Council, we described the Ava zoning classifications as: “The B3 classification is for commercial businesses, while the B4 classification is for industrial and larger businesses.” The Ava planning & zoning commission’s definition of the B3 designation is: For the conduct of…
[audio:http://www.douglascountyherald.com/wordpress/wk44citycouncil.mp3] The Ava City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, July 27. Two members of the public were there to address the board – planning & zoning commission head Josh Wilber and citizen John Sutton. Sutton has asked the council to review a P&Z request that he submitted and…
The Ava City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, July 13. The council members heard a complaint about a city employee during the public comments portion of the meeting. Steve Goehl of D.A. Davidson Co. Quantitative Group spoke to the council about re-funding the bonds for a sewer project.…
The Ava City Council promoted Trent Murray to lieutenant in the police department by a vote a 4-0 during the closed session of their June 22 meeting. The council also voted to hire Randy Kauffman to work as a wastewater treatment plant operator. However, Kauffman declined the offer, saying that…
The Ava City Council approved the 2010-2011 budget at their regular meeting on June 22. Administrative Director Peggy Porter said no members of the public appeared at the budget hearing, but some employees came, and their concerns and suggestions were discussed. The council approved the budget by a 4-0 vote.…
