Howell County News/ Amanda Mendez

Willow council meets new police officers, hears review of 2022

Police Chief Wes Ellison appeared at the meeting of the Willow Springs Board of Aldermen on Wednesday to introduce two new police officers. These officers are the first cadets to complete the police academy at the City's expense in exchange for a five-year commitment to the city. 
Ellison thanked the aldermen for their support of the department and thanked the community too. 
"I'm hearing good things back from the community and the surrounding agencies," added Assistant Police Chief Alan Lewis. "I feel like we're making a difference."
"I feel like we have a good group," Ellison said.
In other updates, City Administrator Beverly Hicks gave a review of 2022. Last year was a year for capital expenditures, she said. Hicks highlighted the following expenses from the 2022 year:
-$1.3 million in capital and supply/material expenses for infrastructure and public safety
-$220,000 for repairs and maintenance to buildings, grounds, equipment, and vehicles
-$184,000 in workers' comp, comprehensive and collision, and liability insurance
-$1.6 million in employee wages and benefits
-A little over $1 million in grant proceeds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) DR-4317, and Missouri Department of Public Safety, which were all expended, and
-$30,000 to support education and training, including electric journeyman/lineman apprenticeship, water/sewer/wastewater apprenticeships, and police cadets. 
Hicks also highlighted the impact inflation has had on the 2022 municipal budget, noting an 81% increase in fuel/diesel, a 35% increase in energy/utilities, and a 27% increase for inventory/supplies, among others.
Despite these hardships, Hicks said 2022 was overall "a successful year." She pointed to the city employees' willingness to cross departmental lines to help one another.
"You don't see that in every city," Hicks pointed out. 
She suggested that the most notable event in 2022 was attaining the former Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) buildings. The property was surveyed, and the south building was deeded to the Willow Springs R-4 School District for the purpose of a technical education program.
In other items:
-The aldermen heard an update from Main Street Willow Springs, LLC regarding their downtown building. For more on that story, see the front page. 
-City Clerk Heather Duddridge presented a list of city and municipal court records ready for destruction based on the State Statute Record Retention schedule. The aldermen voted unanimously voted to destroy them. 
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