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Schneider Vetoes Judge’s Salary Bill; Florissant to Refinance Some Bonds
By Carol Arnett
Florissant Mayor Tom Schneider vetoed a bill that would lower the salary of the Municipal Judge after the next election. Schneider read his veto message at Monday night’s council meeting.
The bill was passed by the council at the last meeting. It passed with eight members voting in favor and none against. It would have set the city municipal judge’s salary at $50,000 after the Nov. 8th election. Dan Boyle and Kevin Kelly are seeking the judgeship in that election.
In his veto message, Schneider said that he had been contacted by members of the legal profession in the community, who questioned the legality of the bill. He said he had asked the council to reconsider their vote and spend more time studying the issue. When he didn’t get a response from several council members, he vetoed the bill.
After the meeting, Schneider repeated what he said in the veto message. “I want to make sure it’s legal,” he said.
In other matters, the council passed a resolution that is the first step in refinancing some existing bonds. City Attorney John Hessel explained that the resolution authorizes the underwriters to proceed with the first step in the process of refinancing.
“The city will save money by refinancing,” Hessel said. He also explained that the money from the bonds is legally limited to certain projects. The money cannot be moved to the general budget fund.
Councilman Tim Lee added that the city cannot take additional bonds with this refinance. “It is strictly a refinancing,” he said, “but we want to move quickly while the rates are low.”
The council will take the next step in the bond refinancing at a special meeting next Monday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. The council will also vote on overriding the mayor’s veto of the bill concerning the salary of the municipal judge.
In other action, the council also transferred money from several accounts to other accounts. This is not uncommon towards the end of the city’s budget year. The fiscal year runs from Dec. 1 to Nov. 30. Among the moves was a transfer of $13,000 from the account for ice and snow removal to the gasoline account for Public Works, and $15,000 from the debt payment account to the gasoline and oil account for additional gasoline expenses.
