The Perryville Board of Aldermen went through the process of certifying the April 8 election when it met in regular session Tuesday, April 15, at city hall. City Administrator Brent Buerck briefly presided over the meeting in the absence of Mayor Larry Riney, who was out of town.
In the absence of the mayor and the board president being unelected this cycle, the board elected Ward 3 Alderman Dave Schumer as a temporary chairperson to oversee the next couple of items on the agenda.
Certification of the election began with a reading by City Attorney Art Pistorio of County Clerk Jared Kutz’s unofficial election results for the board of aldermen. Ward 1 incumbent Alderman Seth Amschler and Ward 3 incumbent Alderman Dave Schumer won reelection in unopposed races, while newcomer Kate Martin defeated Ward 2 incumbent Alderman Douglas Martin with a vote of 147 to 120.
Following the election's certification, City Clerk Lydia Rellergert administered the oath of office to Amschler, Schumer, and Martin, who then took their seats on the board of aldermen. Once the board reconvened with the newly elected members, Alderman Schumer was nominated and elected by the aldermen to serve as president of the board, overseeing the rest of the meeting.
After the consent agenda was approved, the board entered into a fee agreement for fire protection services with the Rural Perry County Fire Protection Association and approved the first reading of an ordinance to accept an easement deed from Patricia Amschler, Mark Amschler, Jill Abernathy, and Christi Shafer related to the northeast outfall sewer project, which had been delayed while the property navigated the probate process.
The board also approved the first reading of an ordinance amending the city budget for the fiscal year 2024-25. If ultimately approved, it will formalize necessary budget transfers throughout the year. All the projects had prior board approval. This is the cumulative result of those individual transfers.
Committee reports or updates were heard from public works, public safety, finance, liaison and economic development, and City Administrator Buerck covered a lengthy list of items in his bimonthly report. Other reports were heard from the city engineer and Perryville Chief of Police Direk Hunt, who informed the board that the department had interviewed three applicants for open positions on the force and would begin testing them within the following week.
He said, “Hopefully, we will be able to get back to full strength because we can accept two more officers for our department.”
The open session concluded with board members discussing any concerns they had.
