New Bloomfield mayor admits problems and promises openness in Thursday’s meeting

According to New Bloomfield Mayor Terry Shaw, Tuesday’s meeting was canceled for two reasons: a potential lack of quorum and a posting error with the document signature posted on the City Hall’s door.

Terry Shaw, the new mayor of New Bloomfield, said the potential lack of quorum came from City Council members saying they would not be able to make it. Secondly, an inappropriate title was placed on the signature line of the meeting posting.

Shaw said the title was city clerk’s, and the person who signed it is currently not the city clerk and is a temp employee provided by temporary agency who is going through her evaluation period.

Shaw stated Thursday the council will then vote if this new temp employee is a suitable employee.

With a temp agency it removes any subjectivity from the qualification process and provides a detailed background screening.

Cheri Wilson, a resident of New Bloomfield, said she can’t see how anything is different with Terry Shaw as the new mayor.

“It appears they are still trying to sneak stuff through. For instance, the city clerk. If no one had caught the fact that she was already going to give a report and that she had signed the agenda before she was actually hired, they would not have said anything,” Wilson said.

Shaw stated it was best to cancel Tuesday’s meeting so that residents of New Bloomfield did not have any additional thoughts of impropriety.

“We’re walking a tightrope here and going through changes. I want people to give myself and the council the benefit of the doubt that we are trying to bring a new fresh start and improve relationships, but how can I if I’m not even given the chance?” Shaw said.

Shaw said he was sworn in as mayor June 4 but was out of town from June 8 through June 18 for a previous commitment made before he even knew he’d be taking office.

“In Thursday’s meeting I will be responding to many of the issues that have been brought forth both prior to and since my acceptance as mayor. I’m open to listening to their concerns and hope they are equally as open to listening to my responses and solutions,” Shaw said.

The city’s mayor told ABC 17 News about the city’s finances.

“There are two funds: city general with income provided from such things such as property tax, utilities taxes, use taxes from other utilities and sales tax, plus taxes that are paid on automobile purchases and others. I want people to know city general budget is limited by what I just mentioned. However there is a second financial division, which is water and sewer with funding provided by the rates paid by users. The cash flow in that side of the budget is significantly more than city general,” Shaw said.

Shaw said that by law, water and sewer funds cannot be used to pay anything other than water and sewer expenses.

“As far as salary is concerned, the city superintendent is paid mostly from the water and sewer fund because most of his duties involved water and sewer. The funds required by law enforcement are required to come from city general funds. The city clerk’s salary comes largely from city general, with some funds with water and sewer because a portion of that job description involves water and sewer billing,” Shaw said.

According to Shaw, the Holts Summit Police Department is under agreement to provide law enforcement services through the end of the year.

In the next six months, the mayor said, the City Council will be evaluating the direction the city needs to go with law enforcement for the upcoming year and the future.

The City Council meets Thursday at 6 p.m.