Parsons Police Chief Bill Rowe talks with Parsons City Council about the Police Department’s Use of Force Policy. Parsons City Attorney Pat Nichols said the policy is required by insurance and said it outlines the use of force.
PARSONS – After hearing from Parsons Police Chief Bill Rowe and Parsons City Attorney Pat Nichols, Parsons City Council unanimously approved the department’s Use of Force Policy. Nichols said the policy is required by insurance and said it includes topics including use of handcuffs and TASERS. Nichols said he reviewed the policy and recommended it be approved.
“It is a pretty good policy,” Nichols said.
He also presented two more policies that needed re-adoption included the emergency operations pursuit and fire arms qualification policy.
“These need to be re-adopted,” Nichols said. “I am comfortable with all aspects of these policies.”
Council unanimously approved and re-adopted the three policies.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Parsons City Council voted to distribute the William Mahan Harman Memorial Funds. These support four entities including the Parsons Cemetery Committee, the Parsons Parks and Recreation Commission, the Five Rivers Public Library Board Inc. and the Benefit of the Citizens of Parsons Committee. Available funds for this draw from the William Mahan Harman Memorial Fund were $922,000.
This year, every Parsons City Councilperson submitted a funding proposal and each of those were read and discussed. The Parsons City Cemetery Committee initially requested $105,000, the Parsons Parks and Recreation Commission requested $222,972, the Five Rivers Public Library Board Inc. requested $128,200 and the Benefit of the Citizens of Parsons Committee requested $630,521.97. Requests were $164,693.97 more than the amount of funds.
Council members agreed to the following distribution – $95,000 for the Parsons City Cemetery Committee, $215,000 to the Parsons Parks and Recreation Commission, $100,000 to the Five Rivers Public Library Board Inc. and $512,000 for the Benefit of the Citizens of Parsons Committee.
Items in the BFP fund include $97,000 for construction at the Splash Park Site; $25,000 for GIS mapping, $34,000 for pump replacements at both lift stations; $50,000 for street paving; $23,500 for purchasing a 2005 GMC Dump Truck; $35,000 for a lease purchase payoff for the Chevy Dump truck and excavator; $70,000 for Parsons Police Department salaries and benefits; and $37,667.59 for the City of Parsons Rainy Day Fund.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, the upcoming events were announced:
-April 1 is Make It Shine Day and folks are asked to help clean up.
-May 1 is the Celebrate Parsons event. It will be held at the First Baptist Church in Parsons and tickets will go on sale soon.
-June 30 PRO ON TRAC will host a cake walk.
-August 12, PRO ON TRAC is making plans for a Parsons Harvest Dinner.
-May 1 to 5 is the City of Parsons Annual Spring Clean Up Week.
-April 15 at 1 p.m. is the Easter Egg Hunt at Mill Race Park in Parsons. It is sponsored by the Parsons Parks and Recreation Commission and the Friends of the Parks of Parsons.
The next Parsons City Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 4 in Council Chambers on the first floor of the Charles W. “Bill” Rosenau Municipal Building.
