Belle aldermen table police contract discussion

By Roxie Murphy, Staff Writer
Posted 12/18/19

Belle aldermen voted 4-0 Dec. 10 to table the decision to outsource Belle’s police services to Maries County until Jan. 14.

The meeting that began with nearly 70 citizens, several holding …

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Belle aldermen table police contract discussion

Posted

Belle aldermen voted 4-0 Dec. 10 to table the decision to outsource Belle’s police services to Maries County until Jan. 14.

The meeting that began with nearly 70 citizens, several holding signs proclaiming they support their local Marshal Joe Turnbough, was off to a rocky start. They felt the Dec. 4 town hall meeting on the police contract was not enough time to voice their concerns to the board or for the board to make a decision. Citizens also felt the board’s advertised decision not to discuss the topic during the regular city meeting was unjust.

Aldermen listened to at least five citizens make statements of opinion and several more interrupt to ask questions during public discussion at the meeting. When Aldermen Jeanette Struemph tried to clarify a budget matter and misconception that the city gave up the school resource officer contract to pay Maries County to have a resource officer on the Maries R-2 campuses, she was met with resistance. Arlin Ellis interrupted her.

“I thought we weren’t talking about that other meeting?” Arlin Ellis asked, saying Struemph was talking about the Dec. 4 town hall meeting.

Struemph said she wasn’t going to sit by while everyone thinks they are taking budget money from the marshal and giving it to the county.

“Well, we can’t talk, why should you be able to talk?” Deena Ellis asked, while others laughed, saying it was a “cut.”

“I’m talking about the budget,” Struemph said. “We did not lose anything from our budget because we did not gain anything. We did not take it away from the town, the school did.”

Belinda Rector asked Mayor Josh Seaver if she could ask one question, and Seaver told her to go ahead.

“The money that you were going to pay Maries County to take over this town, why don’t you use that money and enforce our police department?” the Rector asked.

The Belle Police Department’s budget would be used to fund the Maries County police contract if it passes.

Seaver said he didn’t know how to respond to that.

Daryl White Sr. and Rehna Britton said they wished the board would slow the process of the vote and take the time to inform the people.

Later Seaver tried to address some of the misconceptions he said were being spread around town. Alrin Ellis and Deena Ellis said they were not going to listen to the mayor speak and left. Other citizens went as far as to call the board’s side nothing but “senseless accusations against the marshal without proof.”

“There are some things that have been on my mind, and it has been weighing on me pretty heavy, so hopefully this clarifies some misinformation,” Seaver said. “I hope you guys listen to what I have to say. Agree with it, don’t agree with it is neither here nor there.”

Seaver’s public address was printed in the Dec. 11 edition of The Maries County Advocate.