Two public meetings will be held later this month to allow Weston residents to give city officials their thoughts on city leadership.
The meetings are tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 at the Bluejay Room at the West Platte School District headquarters and at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27 at the Weston First Baptist Church. The meetings are held in conjunction with a recent citizen survey sent out to Weston residents. One of the central issues of the survey was whether or not Weston needs a city administrator – a prospect that has been up for debate in Weston for years.
Consultant Michael Soler of Executive Workforce Consultants was hired last September to create a job description, advertise for and recruit candidates for a full-time city administrator position. By November, aldermen terminated the search, then redirected Soler to instead perform an audit of city employees and conduct a citizen survey. Soler is expected to act as facilitator during the public meetings.
The Weston board of aldermen met Monday, Feb. 11 and discussed several subjects of note in addition to the upcoming public meetings.
City attorney Jeremy Webb said he planned to start meeting with property owners abutting the downtown city park. Previously, instead of acquiring the property closest to the park, the city entered into 99-year leases with the homeowners. Over the years, the leases have proven an obstacle to selling the properties, and create additional paperwork for the city. Webb said he wants to begin the process of cleaning up ownership of the rights of way.
The board was also informed that the city is losing sales tax revenue through various small-vendor events, such as Applefest and events hosted at the Weston Burley House. Vendors either do not charge sale tax, or fail to remit the collected sales tax to the city. Webb was instructed to send letters to the Chamber and Weston Tobacco, advising them that their independent vendors are required to collect and remit city sales taxes.
Beer and pizza delivery may be on the horizon for Weston residents. Corey Weinfurt of Weston Brewing Company spoke to the board about the concept, stating the duel deliveries are gaining popularity in other communities. Current city ordinance does not prohibit delivery of beer along with pizza, but does require the purchasing party make the transaction in person, at the restaurant. Webb said the ordinance can be amended, but the delivery driver will be required to check the identification of the purchaser upon delivery.