Grandmother puncher pleads guilty

Jeanette Browning
Citizen Staff

The Dearborn Board of Aldermen believed it was doing the right thing when it codified the City’s ordinances last year. However, the Board recently got a reminder of why it’s important to read the fine print.

One of the stakeholders in Logan’s Bar in Dearborn attended the Board’s regular meeting Monday evening to protest a 2,900 percent increase — from $25 per year to $750 — in its business licensing fees. The increase wasn’t intentional — it was discovered by both City officials and the bar’s owners when they attempted to renew the bar’s license. The surprise price hike was the result of codification, when Missouri firm Sullivan Publications provided the City with sample ordinances taken from state code. While the City was free to change the actual fees set forth in the sample ordinances, the previous Board did not.

Patty Williams, a lienholder in the bar, was not pleased by this oversight, accusing the Board of not reading the document before approving it as City code.

Alderman Donald Swanstone, the only Board member still on the Board since the codification was approved in March 2009, admitted he hadn’t read that section of the new proposed codebook.

“How can the Board say ‘we didn’t read it, we just signed it?’” Williams said. “What kind of city hall have you got here?”

Swanstone apologized for the oversight, while Aldermen Bill Edwards explained what had happened to the audience and fellow Alderman Mike Snook. The findings of the state petition audit conducted in 2005 suggested the City’s codes were outdated and required codification, so the City hired Sullivan, a Missouri-based company which has completed codification for other area cities such as Platte City. Sullivan provided the City with a large book of sample ordinances which could be tailored to fit the City’s needs. While some areas of the code were changed, the section covering licensing to businesses that sell alcohol was not, resulting in an inflated price tag for licensing.

The problem is easily fixed by an amendment to the code, however Edwards suggested the City wait until after the April election, to allow new Board members to make the decision and review the existing fee schedule. Swanstone and Edwards agreed that the $25 license fee was too low and needed to be updated — though not by 2,900 percent. Swanstone suggested the new Board could look at updating all licensing fees within the City as well.

Swanstone, Ward 1 alderman, has filed for re-election and will appear on the ballot in April, along with candidate Barton Brower in Ward 2. However, both seats for Ward 2 aldermen are up for election, for a one-year unexpired term and a two-year term. The mayor’s seat is also up for election with no filings.

According to the Platte County Board of Elections, no new candidates have signed up to run as write-in candidates. Write-in candidates have until March 26 to register at the Board of Elections office in Platte City.

Grandmother puncher pleads guilty

Jeanette BrowningCitizen Staff

For more of this story check out our printed version of The Platte County Citizen

Jeanette Browning
Citizen Staff