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Schneider Reads Veto Message On City Charter; Council Considers Other Matters, Bills
(July 26, 2011)
By Carol Arnett
It was a light agenda at Monday’s City Council meeting, with no public hearings and only one new bill. However, Mayor Tom Schneider read his veto message on the Charter Review Commission bill, and several residents spoke about the bill. The council had passed the Charter Review bill by a 5-2 city council vote earlier this month.
It would take a six-vote majority of the council to override the mayor’s veto, which is unlikely to happen before the two new members take office following ratification of the Aug. 2nd special election.
In his veto message, Mayor Schneider stated he was put into this position by the majority of the current city council during the infancy of a new administration. Schneider noted that several former council members and former members of the original charter commission opposed the review commission.
Rosemary Davison was on the original charter commission. “My opinion was not asked,” she said. “I noticed that several people contacted the mayor to support his veto,” she said. “I also noted that several no longer live in Florissant.” She said that she would not go into their communities and tell them how to run their cities.
The council passed a bill that will allow the McDonald’s restaurant at 3165 North Highway 67 to remodel. This is the restaurant near Shop N Save. It will undergo a renovation similar to the recent one at the McDonalds at highway 67 and I-270.
The council held a second reading on a bill setting the salary of the Municipal Judge. Councilman Tim Lee asked for a continuation of the bill, saying that the council had received e-mails regarding the bill and a substitute bill at approximately 5:30 that evening. He said he would like to give everyone more time to review the issue.
The council approved a request by Christopher Sanderson to keep a red fox as a pet at 745 Lilac Lane. Sanderson attends school in Normal, Illinois, but wants to bring the fox home when he visits his parents.
The council passed a bill that transfers $1300 from the Council Accounts fund to the Travel and Training fund. Council President Keith English explained that the council receives a fund for expenses. He said that since he hasn’t used much of his, he wanted to transfer the money so to the travel fund so that the City Clerk could attend an out of town training session.
During the Council Announcements section, both Lee and Councilwoman Karen McKay asked Schneider to reinstate the Council Action program that used to run on the government channel. In the program, one council member would go over what happened at the meeting. Lee also noted that the program was used for general updates, such as information about new enhancements to city parks.
Schneider ordered the program off the air shortly after becoming mayor. He said at the time that it was due to a personnel issue.
