City Administration

| Duties of the Mayor | City Talk | City Connection

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Duties & Responsibilities

The Mayor is elected to serve a four-year term. The Mayor is required to be at least thirty (30) years of age, a U.S. Citizen, and a resident of the City for no less than two years preceding the election.

The Mayor acts as the chief executive office in Third Class Cities in Missouri.  The Mayor is the president of the City Council but can vote only in the case of a tie.  The Mayor does have veto authority over any ordinance passed by the City Council including "line-item" veto, provided a written veto or objection is submitted at the next regular meeting of the Council (subject to Council override).

The Mayor has the authority to appoint all officers or commissions prescribed by law with the consent of the City Council.  The Mayor should actively enforce all laws of the City and has the authority to call on every inhabitant of the City, between eighteen and fifty years of age, to aid in enforcing the laws.  The Mayor has the power to remit fines and forfeitures, to grant reprieves and pardons, and execute all deeds for the sale of real estate.

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City Talk

City Talk – May 3, 2008
By Mayor Bill Jenks

Blog provides opportunity for input on Rolla West Master Plan

When you first hear the term “blog” many different thoughts may cross your mind regarding its purpose, value and intent. But if you were to measure the effectiveness of the City’s new blog (http://rollacity.blogspot.com) recently created so residents can provide additional feedback on the proposed Rolla West Master Plan, you might say it has already helped increase public involvement, discussion, input and interest in the proposed Rolla West project.

While over 150 individuals participated in a series of Rolla West Master Plan workshops held at City Hall April 15-17, including an open house on April 17, the City wants to ensure the public is provided every opportunity to comment and provide additional feedback/input regarding this multi-year, multi-phase project. The Rolla City Council’s vision is that the Rolla West Master Plan will provide a blueprint – a working document much like the Rolla 20-20 Comprehensive Update - for carefully planned, environmentally sound and sustained economic growth that will enhance our community’s quality of life through job creation, enhanced retail opportunities, and an improved transportation network that will improve safety and relieve traffic congestion along Kingshighway and State Highway 63 between Missouri Route 72 and I-44. It will also help Rolla maintain and enhance its stature as the regional retail hub and center of Southwest Missouri.

Blogs are certainly nothing new in today’s ever-changing world of communication where more and more people use the Internet to converse through e-mail, instant messaging and blogging on various topics, projects and issues. To validate this, you can review the results of a recent DirectionFinder, Citizen Survey conducted by ETC Institute in the City of Rolla that revealed that the percentage of adult residents in Rolla who are using the Internet from home has increased from 64% in 2002 to 73% in 2008. The survey results (available on the City’s Website at www.rollacity.org and at City Hall, 901 N. Elm Street), also reveal a significant increase in the number of individuals in the community who are viewing the City’s Website for City news and information.

As of Thursday, May 1, the City’s new blog, which can be accessed at http://rollacity.blogspot.com had received no fewer than 10 comments, and counting. While the City hopes there will be a lot more comments posted in the days to come, we are encouraged to see several insightful comments that the City and HNTB Corporation will consider when finalizing the preferable Rolla West Master Plan. One of the benefits of the new blog is that it conveniently provides Internet users with quick and easy access to the three alternative Rolla West Master Plan drawings that were created and developed during the community-based workshops held at City Hall in April.

In addition, the blog also provides a link to an in-depth article that describes the Rolla West Master Plan and process. Links from the City’s Website at www.rollacity.org will also take you to the Rolla West Master Plan blog.  Additional comments and feedback regarding the Rolla West Master Plan can also be provided by contacting Steve Hargis, Director of Public Works, at (573) 364-8659 or at shargis@rollacity.org. HNTB Corporation will consider your comments and suggestions when developing and finalizing the preferred Rolla West Master Plan, which they will formally present to the Rolla City Council and the public later this summer.

In closing I’d like to remind everyone that many city and community-wide events are planned today, Saturday, May 3, including the Fourth Annual Kids Fishing Fair (8 a.m. to 12-noon) at Ber Juan Lake in Ber Juan Park behind The Centre (1200 N. Holloway St.) and a Tennis Block Party that will be hosted by the Parks and Recreation Department from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ber Juan Tennis Complex (located at the corner of 14th and Holloway Streets) in Ber Juan Park. Both events are free and open to the public. For further information, please call the Parks and Recreation Department at 364-4278 or visit the City’s Website at www.rollacity.org/events.shtm.

Sincerely, William S. Jenks, III, Mayor

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City Connection
(A monthly update from the City of Rolla to the Business Community)

Tour of Missouri
to showcase Rolla &
St. James to world

Rolla Mayor Bill Jenks hopes you share in his excitement in the recent announcement by Governor Matt Blunt and Lt. Governor Peter Kinder that the City of Rolla and St. James will be host cities for the 2008 Tour of Missouri international professional cycling event to be held Sept. 8 through Sept. 14 across the state of Missouri. This announcement is great news not only for Rolla, St. James and Phelps County, but the entire Meramec Region.

The amount of national and international exposure this 7-day, 600-mile point-to-point race will bring to our region alone is staggering. Perfectly positioned between the Olympic Games in Beijing in August and the World Championships in late September, the Tour of Missouri (Sept. 8-14) is projected to attract spectators from around the world. At last year’s Tour of Missouri people from 73 countries caught part of the event via live webcasts and more than 350,000 showed up on roads of the event. More than 22 million people watched the event on television, and there were a total of 487 million hits on five Websites that provided special coverage on the Tour of Missouri.

This year’s Tour of Missouri will field 120 of the world’s top cyclists, many of whom raced in last year’s inaugural race and were very happy with the terrain, the Show Me State’s abundant landscapes, and friendly hospitality. The race is sanctioned by the International Cycling Union and USA Cycling, the international and national governing bodies for cycling. From an economic development perspective, last year’s Tour of Missouri generated more than $26.2 million of which $21 million was from outside the state. It is projected that considerable tourism dollars will be generated during the Stage 4 Finish in Rolla (on Thursday, Sept. 11) and Stage 5 Start in St. James on Friday, Sept. 12.

This high-profile event will give the residents of our communities a rare opportunity to see some of the world’s best professional cyclists in their own backyards. And attending the event is free to the public; an added benefit to those in our area who have never had the opportunity to see an international pro cycling event such as the Tour de France, Tour of Italy, Tour de Georgia or Amgen Tour of California.

The cities of Rolla, St. James and Hermann join nine other cities that will host either a stage start or finish during the second annual Tour of Missouri, where racers sign in for the day’s stage, give interviews, and sign autographs for the public. The race will showcase some of the state’s most beautiful roads and rolling terrain, where the state’s rich history, and diverse scenery will be showcased at the race’s start in St. Joseph, site of the legendary Pony Express. The race then heads to Kansas City, Clinton, Branson, Lebanon, Rolla, St. James and Hermann. It culminates with a blockbuster weekend with stops in St. Charles and the finish in St. Louis with the Gateway Arch as a backdrop.

For more information on the Tour of Missouri, please visit the Tour of Missouri’s official Website at www.tourofmissouri.com. The City of Rolla’s Website homepage at www.rollacity.org also has links to this site, as well as race route information, photographs of the Jan. 30 Press Conference in Jefferson City, and other information relating to the race.
  
Rolla Public Works Dept.
displays 100th Anniversary
St. Pat’s Banners on Pine St.
Members of the City of Rolla’s Traffic Division displayed 25 green and white banners along Pine Street and the downtown festival area on Feb. 8 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of St. Pat’s at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

The 51-inch by 18-inch vinyl banners, which were designed and produced in the Traffic Department’s sign shop, include a green shamrock with the words “100th St. Pat’s” and the words “Best Ever.” The City’s logo and the Missouri S&T logo are also included, as well as the year 1908 and the year 2008, which commemorate the 100th Anniversary of St. Pat’s.

Numerous events and festivities are planned by Missouri S&T to celebrate this year's “Best Ever St. Pat's” – an event that is “100 years in the making.”
   The well known, and widely attended St. Pat’s Day parade will be held March 15 at 11 a.m. on Pine Street in downtown Rolla. In keeping with tradition, Pine Street will be painted green the morning of March 15 for the St. Pat’s Day parade.

For a complete list of St. Pat’s Day festivities and events, visit the Missouri S&T Website at www.mst.edu.

City Council gives
green light to
Rolla West Master Plan
 The Rolla City Council unanimously approved a motion at the Feb. 19 City Council meeting to award the Rolla West Master Plan contract for professional services to HNTB.

The concept of developing a fifth western interchange along the I-44 Corridor in Rolla (known as “Rolla West”) just west of Martin Springs Drive was first proposed by City staff at the Dec. 11, 2006 City Council workshop. This proposal, which will be a long-range, multi-phased project, will greatly improve traffic flow, safety and economic development in the Rolla community and I-44 Corridor.  The Rolla West area consists of over 720 prime acres of developable industrial and commercial land that would attract numerous big box stores and national retail outlets to our area. It would also move the City’s commercial and industrial center closer to Fort Leonard Wood where numerous Rolla and Phelps County residents work and commute from on a daily basis.

Part of the Master Plan component of the Rolla West project will include the hosting of a three-day workshop by HNTB to work with staff and officials as well as other community stakeholders to identify and map up to three alternatives for future development scenarios based on the 2007 Development Strategies Inc. Market Study. Based upon an evaluation of these scenarios and based upon public input during the workshop, the HNTB team will develop a preferred draft Development Plan. This information as well as the information contained in the Development Strategies Market Study will be used in the development and adoption of a Development Master Plan for Rolla West, which will then be presented to stakeholders and the general public. As soon as the dates, times and location for the Master Plan workshops are finalized, this information will be announced to the public and posted on the City’s Website at www.rollacity.org. 
   The first phase of the Rolla West project included a master agreement with HNTB for professional services to assist the City of Rolla with the Rolla West Project beginning in September 2007, including assistance with the Highway 72 Extension Project. That task was completed in December 2007 and the Missouri Department of Transportation is considering cost sharing with the City in construction of this facility.

City asks business owners
and residents to help
‘Keep Rolla Beautiful’
The City of Rolla’s downtown and business district are the most visible, highly traveled, and vital areas of our unique and special community.

So naturally the City is always looking for ways to beautify this important area of our community and eliminate any unsightly litter or loose trash in our streets and roadways. In that light, Rolla Mayor Bill Jenks would like to pass along a friendly reminder to residents and businesses alike, to please place all loose trash in tied plastic bags before placing into trash carts or dumpsters.

Blowing litter has a way of accumulating and becoming unsightly.  When trash containers are emptied on windy days, loose trash can easily be carried off by the wind.  Styrofoam packing peanuts, loose papers, shopping bags, etc. can all be very difficult to contain once a strong wing catches them.

It is for this reason that the Rolla City code (Chapter 18, Section 18-7) requires the placing of loose trash in tied plastic bags for collection.  We ask that residents and business owners please do your part to prevent unsightly litter by simply placing all waste in plastic trash bags.

A clean, beautiful city is something we always strive for. Please help ‘Keep Rolla Beautiful.’

Series of Town Hall
meetings draw
interested citizens
More than 105 residents and members of the Rolla community attended a series of three Town Hall meetings held on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29 and Feb. 6 at The CENTRE, Rolla Technical Center and Ridgeview Christian Church.

Public input and participation is an integral component of the 10-Year CIP planning and development process and the City appreciates all the feedback and comments we have thus far received.

A copy of the draft 10-Year CIP was available to review at the meetings, as well as displays and maps showing various projects City departments are working on. A copy of the draft plan is also posted on the City’s Website at www.rollacity.org/cip, as well as a comment form you can download and forward to City Administration.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the City's 2008 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), please call City Administration at (573) 364-1384. 

Collection of yard
waste resumes on
March 3
The City of Rolla’s Solid Waste Department will suspend the free pick-up of bagged leaves from Dec. 14, 2007 through March 2, 2008.

Collection of yard waste (leaves, grass, clippings and small sticks) in brown paper bags will resume on Monday, March 3, 2008. Residents wishing to dispose of these materials during the winter suspension can use the composting facility located at the Phelps County Transfer Station, or arrange for a special pick up for a fee.

For more information, please call the Solid Waste Department at 364-6693.

Free Spring Clean-up
set for April 5 in Rolla
The City of Rolla Solid Waste Department will hold the annual city-wide “free spring clean up” on Saturday, April 5. If you wish to participate, all items must be placed near the curb by 6 a.m.

Examples of items that will be accepted include furniture, microwaves, televisions, old clothes, and household trash. Items that will not be accepted include appliances, water heaters, yard waste, tires, or construction debris such as sheet rock, shingles, concrete or rock. Loose items should be placed in boxes or bags and small pieces of lumber should be bundled.

We ask that you do not place your roll-out container to the curb, because during this special spring clean-up it will not be emptied. If you have any questions, please call the Solid Waste Department at (573) 364-6693.

New Household Hazardous
Waste facility open to public
Rolla residents who have household hazardous waste materials such as car batteries, used oil or antifreeze, or other toxic, poisonous or flammable products can now dispose of them free of charge at the City’s newly constructed Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

Funded through a $6,900 grant awarded to the City by the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, the facility is operated by the City’s Solid Waste Department at the Rolla Recycling Center located off Old St. James Road. Access to the Household Hazardous Waste facility can be made via McCutchen Road at the back entrance to the Recycling Center.

Use of the facility is encouraged by all Rolla residents, however, this is strictly a residential service; business and commercial waste is prohibited.  If you are interested in using the facility, please make an appointment by calling the Rolla Recycling Center during normal business hours at (573) 364-6693. Deliveries will be accepted by appointment only. When you call, please be prepared to describe the types of materials and quantity of each that you wish to drop off so that our staff at the Recycling Center can make arrangements to receive and properly store your materials at the facility.

A substance is considered hazardous when it contains ingredients or a combination of ingredients that can be harmful to the environment and/or human health. HHW products may ignite easily, react or explode when mixed with other substances, or may be corrosive, toxic or poisonous. There will be a limit of 30 gallons of liquids per household per visit. For a complete list of items that will be acceptable to drop off at the facility, please contact the Solid Waste Department at (573) 364-6693 or visit the City’s Website at www.rollacity.org/waste.

The new Household Hazardous Waste facility will be open to residents in the Rolla/Phelps County community as well as the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski, and Washington counties). There is also a new HHW facility located in the City of St. Robert in Pulaski County.

The new HHW facility will replace the very successful one-day collections that were co-hosted by Brewer Science and the City of Rolla at Brewer Science, which is located in the HyPoint Industrial Park east of I-44 in Rolla. The new HHW facility will result in a major improvement in services for the residents of the region at no additional cost. This service will be more convenient, accessible, and safer for the public and employees alike, and reflects the City of Rolla’s commitment of “going green.”
    

 

    

 

 

 

  

 

 

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