By Mallory Herrmann
citydesk@lstribune.net

The Lee’s Summit City Council had a late start to their Nov. 13 meeting. Mayor Bill Baird called the regular session to order more than hour after its scheduled start time, due to their scheduled closed session running long. The first order of business was removing an ordinance from the agenda: the council was scheduled to hear a presentation on the ongoing efforts to establish a new pay and classification plan for the city and to vote on its approval.

Baird asked that people not read too much into it, but that the city still has work to do on the plan. He said that the council needed additional information, facts and figures from staff before holding a vote. Baird stressed that they are still committed to implementing the new pay and classification plan.

The council did pass an emergency ordinance to address an issue with the Langsford Road bridge rehabilitation project. A corrugated metal pipe running under Langsford was discovered to have been eroded beyond repair. The pipes are located at Langsford’s intersection at SE Ridgeview Drive, just east of Missouri Highway 291. Dirt can enter the split and eventually cause a collapse, which would lead to additional infrastructure damage. In order to excavate and replace the eroded pipe, the stability of the second pipe will be compromised and so both pipes will be replaced.

The additional work has an estimated net increase of $22,215 to the project, bringing the revised contract to an amount not to exceed $386,530.50. The work is being done by Bartlett & West, Inc. and began on Oct. 16.

Councilmember Rob Binney voted against the ordinance. All councilmembers were present at the meeting. At the meeting’s close, the council entered a second scheduled closed session.