City Administrator Weekly Report | September 6 - 12, 2023

6 days ago

8 min read

About This Report

The City Administrator has prepared weekly administrative reports for the Board of Aldermen since March 2026 to provide regular updates on City operations, finances, projects, and ongoing work.

Beginning with this report, those updates will also be posted to the City website to make the information more directly and consistently available to residents.

The Weekly Report is a plain-language administrative summary and is not a substitute for official Board minutes, ordinances, financial statements, or other City records. Items described as preliminary, under review, proposed, or planned have not necessarily been approved by the Board of Aldermen.

Code Enforcement and Property Maintenance

Inspections: 10

Re-Inspections: 18

Warnings: 10

Cases Closed/Compliant: 10

Extensions: 4

Summons: 4

Warrants: 0

Citizen Contacts: 7

Staff continued inspections, re-inspections, resident communication, and follow-up on active property-maintenance cases throughout the City.
Code-enforcement records continued to be reviewed for complete notes, photographs, notices, and supporting documentation as cases progressed.
Staff continued responding to resident reports involving trees, dumpsters/storage, property conditions, and other neighborhood concerns and routing matters for appropriate inspection or follow-up.
Police and code-enforcement complaint responsibilities were further clarified through guidance intended to help residents and staff understand which agency is best positioned to respond to common concerns.
Tree-related concerns continued to be evaluated based on observable conditions, with professional determinations regarding tree health or structural condition left to qualified professionals where appropriate.

Permits & Development

Permits: 1

Permit Inspections: 0

Plan Reviews: 3 - 2 Passed / 1 Requiring Revision

One new permit application was received during the reporting period for residential fencing.
Three building plan reviews were completed, including two approvals and one requiring additional information or correction.
Staff continued supporting residents and contractors with permit requirements, plan-review questions, occupancy applications, and active permit records.
Coordination continued on more complex building and dangerous-building matters, including requests for supporting structural documentation where needed to complete permit review.
Staff prepared internal home-occupation guidance to help apply current Missouri law alongside existing City business-license provisions. Potential Code updates were also identified for future review.
A resident-facing utility guide was finalized to help answer common occupancy and move-in questions.

Administration & Board Coordination

Meetings Held: September 9th Special Session

Upcoming Meetings: September 16th Public Strategic Planning Session and September 21st Regular Session

Meeting materials, revised agendas, packet documents, public notices, and follow-up records were coordinated for the September 9th Special Session.
Staff continued preparation for the September 16th Public Strategic Planning Session, including revisions to the meeting guide, resident outreach, budget-survey materials, and public information.
Follow-up from the September 1st Board Work Session was distributed, including strategic-planning and budget materials for continued Board review.
Draft meeting-procedure and public-comment materials continued to be reviewed in preparation for Board adoption.
Staff continued coordinating Sunshine Law searches, responsive records, and records-preservation work with the City Clerk, IT provider, City Attorney, and other appropriate parties.

Municipal Court Transition

The City completed a consolidated review of outstanding court-transition items and received written responses from the City Attorney. Staff is now moving from issue identification into implementation.

The City Administrator will coordinate the remaining work, including pursuing St. Louis County and Normandy options in parallel, clarifying interim court responsibilities, and preparing a solicitation for municipal court services.

The goal is to return to the Board with a decision-ready comparison and recommended path in October.

Finance & Administration

Weekly Financial Snapshot - Activity Through September 12, 2026

As of September 12, approximately 69.9% of the fiscal year had elapsed.

Category	FY2026 Adopted Budget	Actual YTD	Progress	Remaining
Revenue	$958,318.00	$623,413.05	65.1% collected	$334,904.95 to collect
Expenditures	$918,862.00	$526,377.10	57.3% used	$392,484.90 remaining within the adopted budget

Revenue collections are somewhat below the straight-line fiscal-year pace, while overall expenditures remain below the annual pace. Remaining budget authority does not represent unrestricted cash available for new spending; City resources also support restricted purposes, existing commitments, and normal operations through the remainder of the year.

Items to Monitor

Street Department expenditures are approximately 81% of the adopted annual budget. Grass-cutting costs are nearing the annual budgeted amount, while tree planting/removal and general street repair remain above their original annual allocations.
Administrative utility, City Hall repair/maintenance, meeting/seminar, and office-supply accounts remain above or near their annual budgeted amounts and continue to be reviewed for recurring costs, account classification, and FY2027 budget impacts.
Debt Service expenditures are approximately 96.7% complete, reflecting the City’s substantially completed annual debt obligations.

Staff is reviewing budget-account mapping in QuickBooks to ensure internal financial reports continue to align with the City’s adopted budget structure.

Staff continued coordination with the auditor and accounting support regarding adjustments associated with the 2024 and 2025 financial statements.

Preliminary research continued regarding banking, treasury-management, and financial-service options. This work remains exploratory; no financial institution or investment provider has been selected and no City funds are being moved as part of the review.

Staff continued reviewing the appropriate procurement process for any future banking or investment-services solicitation.

Research continued into opportunities to simplify invoice intake and accounts-payable workflows through existing financial software.

General Fund Planning

As part of 2027 budget planning, staff is evaluating how much General Fund cash should remain in reserve versus be available for one-time investments.

Staff currently recommends an operating reserve of approximately eight months, or roughly $407,000. Based on a projected year-end available General Fund cash balance of about $500,000, approximately $90,000–$100,000 could remain available for one-time capital improvements or other Board priorities.

This is a preliminary staff recommendation for budget discussion, not an allocation of funds.

Public Safety

At the September 9th Special Meeting, the Board reviewed preliminary cost estimates with the St. John Police Department for possible increases in police presence.

Two concepts were discussed:

An option estimated at approximately $57,000 more annually, bringing total annual police-service costs to approximately $225,000.
A more extensive option estimated at approximately $132,000 more annually, bringing total annual costs to approximately $300,000.

The City’s current annual police-services cost is approximately $168,000.

These were preliminary feasibility discussions only. The Board did not approve a change in police-service levels or authorize additional spending at the September 9th meeting.

The Board also discussed camera-based public-safety tools. Chief Anderson did not recommend adding Flock cameras at this time. Public-safety options will continue to be evaluated through future public Board discussions as service levels, effectiveness, community needs, and cost are considered.

Public Works

The Part-Time Public Works Laborer position has been posted as the City works to add capacity for routine maintenance and seasonal Public Works needs.

While the Public Works vacancy is being filled, staff and elected officials continued covering limited basic needs, including public trash cans and island debris. Recruitment and temporary maintenance arrangements are continuing.

City Island Maintenance

A resident brought a City-island maintenance concern to the City’s attention involving yard debris left following volunteer work.

The concern was added to the Public Works list and has since been addressed.

Island Improvement Proposal

The City received a larger landscaping concept for one of the City islands. Because a project of this size would require budgeting, scope development, and procurement, staff anticipates considering it during the upcoming budget and capital-planning process.

The proposal is not currently scheduled as a separate Board agenda item, and no work has been authorized.

Operations & Process Improvement

Operational improvement efforts continued with a focus on clearer public guidance, records organization, and repeatable administrative procedures.

Activities included:

Finalizing resident-facing guidance distinguishing common police and code-enforcement complaints and where residents should direct them
Completing a public utility guide for residents moving into or within the City
Continuing SharePoint organization and preservation of meeting, contractor, legal, financial, and operational records
Continuing development and refinement of City website organization and public-facing information
Reviewing internal contact lists and access information to keep staff and elected-official records current
Continuing work on meeting-procedure, public-comment, and meeting-recap materials
Reviewing opportunities to improve invoice intake and reduce duplicate manual financial entry
Continuing documentation of City procedures to improve consistency and preserve institutional knowledge

These efforts are intended to make City information easier to find, make routine work more consistent, and make it easier for staff and elected officials to understand how City processes work.

General Operations

City services, resident communication, community outreach, property maintenance, financial operations, Board preparation, and coordination with outside agencies remained active throughout the week.

Staff continued coordination with neighboring municipalities and regional partners regarding shared services and opportunities for collaboration.
Preliminary information was gathered regarding periodic curb and street sweeping, including examples from other communities and potential service approaches. No service arrangement has been selected.
Staff followed up on mowing, landscaping, overgrowth, and walking-path maintenance issues and continued organizing current contractor service areas and responsibilities.
Fall yard-waste services and resident information were reviewed with the City’s waste provider in preparation for seasonal cleanup.
Information regarding mosquito-control services and historical City practices was gathered for Board reference.
Follow-up continued on street-lighting questions and reported tree concerns involving utility infrastructure or potential public-safety issues.
Planning continued for Tree Board grant purchases and the upcoming fall workday, including development of the budget and purchasing process for grant-funded items.
Staff coordinated winter preparation for City Hall mechanical systems, including follow-up regarding boiler startup and maintenance.
Community and intergovernmental outreach continued with neighboring municipalities, service providers, and local organizations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can residents find Board meeting minutes?

Approved Board minutes are official City records maintained by the City Clerk and may be requested from the Clerk at any time.
The City is also working to keep approved minutes available on the City website for easier public access. The Clerk’s official record remains the source for copies or questions about particular meeting minutes.

If the City has substantial cash balances, why can’t all of that money be spent on gardens, streets, or other projects?

A City’s cash balance is not the same as money available for new discretionary spending. Some City funds are restricted to particular purposes, and the General Fund also needs sufficient cash to continue normal operations and respond to unexpected expenses.
For planning purposes, staff currently recommends keeping approximately eight months of General Fund operating expenditures - roughly $407,000 - in reserve. This is a staff recommendation for discussion during the upcoming budget process, not a reserve level already adopted by the Board.
Based on a projected year-end available General Fund cash balance of approximately $500,000, maintaining that level of reserve could leave approximately $90,000-$100,000 for one-time capital improvements or other Board priorities.
The strategic-planning and annual-budget processes give residents and the Board an opportunity to consider those choices together and weigh competing community needs.

Where can residents find the City budget?

The City’s adopted budget is a public record and may be obtained directly from the City Clerk at City Hall. Residents do not need special wording or a particular form to ask for a copy.
Staff is also working to keep current budget and financial materials readily available through the City website as part of ongoing financial-transparency improvements.

Looking Ahead

Upcoming work will focus on the September 16th Public Strategic Planning Session, September 21st Regular Session, FY2027 budget development, municipal court implementation, Public Works and capital planning, completion of outstanding state financial reporting, Tree Board grant administration, financial-services research, and continued permit, code-enforcement, records-management, and operational work.

Questions About This Report or City Records

This weekly report is intended to provide a convenient summary of City activity.

Questions about information referenced here may be directed to City Hall or the City Clerk. Official City records, including approved meeting minutes, adopted budgets, ordinances, and other public records, remain available through the City’s normal records process.