Greg McGrew shows pictures and information to Police Chief Anthony Parker that indicates he has been fined for something other officials and officers are doing. Clerk Mary Vaughn is also pictured. Staff photo by Trina Bell [Click to enlarge]

Greg McGrew, who had recently been cited for driving a vehicle that displayed Arkansas tags, asked the council and the police chief why no one else was being cited for the same thing.

"The car is in my mother's name, it is properly registered and insured," McGrew said. "She has loaned me the car. "I don't understand what the problem is, especially since she pays taxes in both Arkansas and Missouri," he said.

During the meeting, McGrew asked permission to approach the council, at which time he presented it with pictures of countless city and law enforcement officials whose family members live in Cardwell and have Arkansas tags on their vehicles.

One picture McGrew showed Chief Anthony Parker was of a county officer whose girfriend's personal vehicle displayed Arkansas tags, and the officer is driving a vehicle that is not registered in Cardwell. "What about this here?" McGrew asked, as he handed the picture to Parker.

"That is his son's truck," Parker said.

"My question is, how come other people can use a family members vehicle and it is OK, but it's not OK for me," McGrew said.

Parker wrote down the names of multiple people who McGrew showed was doing the exact same thing as him. "I'm not here to try and get others in trouble. That's not it at all," McGrew said. "I just want to know why I get chased down and ticketed for it but no one else has to worry about a thing."

Another thing McGrew touched on was the fact that many of the names he gave to Parker who are residents of Cardwell, did not pay any city or county taxes, while they have a local address.

"I could understand if it was about the city not receiving any taxes, but I pay my taxes," McGrew said. "Look at all these who live in the city limits of Cardwell who don't pay a dime in taxes. "Pretty suspicious huh?"

Tags and taxes weren't the only thing discussed last night. Mayor John Prince advised everyone in attendance that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources had sent a copy of the letter mailed to Larry Brewer, owner of the former Brewer Brothers Bulk Plant facility.

The letter dated March 6, 2008, addressed to Brewer answered many of the questions surrounding the contamination in and around the bulk plant property.

Paragraphs highlighted in DNR's letter included responses such as:

* This observation confirm the department's original theory that contaminates were preferentially following the water line trench.

* While the department agrees that "future" contamination originating at the Martin Oil Service Station source area has been isolated, it does not agree that the threat to homes in the area has been characterized or mitigated. Since the pipes are full of petroleum, above risk-based target levels, and the pipes have not been removed nor their location characterized, a potential threat exists from previous discharges from the pipes and the residual contaminants within the pipes.

The department asked Brewer to submit a work plan within 30 days from the date of the letter to locate the full extent of the iron drains pipes, to characterize any associated contamination both along the pipes and at any current and previous discharge points, and to remediate the potential danger from petroleum leaching into the environment from the pipes.

After Prince read the letter aloud so everyone could be properly advised on DNR's plans, city clerk Mary Vaughn advised the council that the city's budget was not being followed.

"As of February, we are $1,600 in the hole," Vaughn said. "We've allotted certain amounts in each department but we're not sticking to them."

Vaughn advised the council that the worst of the departments would have to be the water and sewer department. "We are so over budget in this department that if we maintain the guidelines, Charlie will only have enough money to have part-time help 12 and a half hours a week," Vaughn said, "and that's for the remainder of the year." Vaughn said the city is going to have to make sure that it doesn't spend more than it is taking in.

Prince announced the Department of Natural Resources will be holding a public hearing beginning at 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at the city hall. Our next regular meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., April 10, 2008.