Holts Summit Aldermen wrap up 2020 meetings

City Administrator Hanna Lechner and Holts Summit Police Department Sgt. Brandon Ruediger talk Tuesday night with the Holts Summit Board of Aldermen in an adjacent room due to technical difficulties. Ruediger was appointed as the city's Emergency Management Director during the meeting.
City Administrator Hanna Lechner and Holts Summit Police Department Sgt. Brandon Ruediger talk Tuesday night with the Holts Summit Board of Aldermen in an adjacent room due to technical difficulties. Ruediger was appointed as the city's Emergency Management Director during the meeting.

The Holts Summit Board of Aldermen did their first reading of an ordinance on charging false identification by a minor as a serious offense, among other topics Tuesday night.

The board members, who met partially in person while others joined over Zoom, read an ordinance that would amend the Holts Summit City Code to include a section about false identification with the purchase of alcohol. City Administrator Hanna Lechner said this is something they want to nip in the bud to prevent more cases of underage drinking and ensure businesses selling alcohol are not unknowingly involved in illegal activity, as some fake IDs are hard to identify as counterfeit.

In talking about the budget for the 2021 calendar year, Lechner mentioned numbers would change in next year's budget as the pandemic has affected many aspects of it this year, including when quotes arrived and sickness within the board.

In relation to reconciliation of funds, Mayor Landon Oxley later said the operation of this year's budget has been "pretty good, especially considering the pandemic."

Bill No. 2020-24 was approved concerning the date, naming of offices, designating polling places and other details for the 2021 General Municipal Election. This will continue to be discussed into the new year.

In a new resolution, Holts Summit Police Department Sgt. Brandon Ruediger was appointed as the Emergency Management director, and Holts Summit Police Chief Kyle McIntyre was named the assistant Emergency Management director. Ruediger was previously deputy director in a similar position for a department in Nebraska, so he is aware of how operations should look and how to work with departments like the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He also said the changing of positions won't impact how federal agencies provide assistance in case of an emergency.

"It's not changing how things will look," Ruediger said. "In the event of something happening like a tornado, everybody's going to be here."

The aldermen also discussed plans for Saturday's Reverse Christmas Parade. Lechner said if fewer floats choose to participate, they will need to adjust the time of the parade accordingly. There was recognition from multiple members the idea had disappointed some folks in Holts Summit, but they also wanted to do something to contribute to their holiday season. Oxley mentioned Fulton canceled its Christmas parade this year, but that was not something he wanted to happen in Holts Summit.

"I give a thank you to all the staff," Oxley said. "We're trying to be proactive with social distancing while making something happen."

The board exchanged "Merry Christmases" as they closed the meeting on Zoom and in person - the next board meeting will occur Jan. 12.