City of Gainesville discusses new $300,000 grant, digital city mapping, rate increase and more

As long as water comes out of the sink and toilets flush as they should, most people living inside the Gainesville city limits don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the day-to-day operations of the municipality. But one look behind the scenes of the city’s four-employee staff reveals a juggling act of shifting duties, often complicated by aging infrastructure and sparse early records that create a never-ending flow of tasks that need to be completed to keep the water flowing. 

Employees, council and services

Gainesville currently employs four full-time workers: city clerk Lisa Goodnight, water specialist Jessi Price, maintenance supervisor Mike Davis and maintenance worker Josh Easterday. The employees work at City Hall on the northwest corner of the square. A part-time employee, Cooper Friend, who’s still in high school, also works during the summer months and throughout the year when his schedule allows and the city needs the extra hands.

Gainesville is currently looking to hire another full-time maintenance employee. For more information about the job, call City Hall at 417-679-4858.

The municipality is governed by the Gainesville Board of Alderman, sometimes referred to as the City Council, which includes center ward aldermen Treva Warrick and Renee Schmucker, east ward aldermen Lana Bushong and Dana Crisp and west ward aldermen Seth Collins and Jeff LaMar. Mayor Gail Reich leads the meetings. The Board of Aldermen meet at 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at City Hall. The meetings are open to the public. 

The city provides water and sewer to city residents for a monthly fee and maintains the city streets and various city-owned properties, including Hoerman Memorial Park, off Highway 160 near the Gainesville Elementary School. The city also facilitates residential trash pickup, contracted through GFL (Green For Life) Waste Corporation, and it coordinates with the Gainesville Volunteer Fire Department, which receives some funding derived from Gainesville city tax revenue. 

The city does not provide electricity services like some nearby municipalities, including the city of Ava. Instead, Gainesville city customers, like most other Ozark Countians, are serviced by White River Valley Electric Cooperative, which maintains an office in Gainesville. Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative serves residents on the east side of the county.

Other incorporated municipalities in Ozark County include the village of Theodosia and the village of Bakersfield. The rest of the county, including Dora and Thornfield, do not have incorporated municipalities, and residences and businesses in those areas have their own private water wells and septic/lagoon systems. 

An odd jigsaw of city limits

Gainesville encompasses about 3 square miles of land, with one central circular-shaped ward and an east and west ward that extend in either direction. 

Today’s city staff members don’t know how the original city limit lines were drawn when the city was first incorporated, but the boundaries are far from clean cut.

“It almost seems like they just went and asked people, ‘Do you want to be in the city limits or not?” Goodnight said. 

Some areas that seem as if they should be inside the boundaries actually are not  – and some areas outside the city limits are hooked into the city’s water system. At least one non-city property on MM Highway near St. William’s Catholic Church is completely surrounded by city property, making it an island of non-city land.

Water is provided to all customers and businesses within the city limits, and sewer is provided to some areas of the city while other Gainesville residents maintain their own septic tank or lagoon. Non-city residents who opt in to the water system pay a double water bill to offset the lack of tax revenue from those homes. 

The Times met with city employees recently to get an update on several local projects that are in the works. Those projects are described below and will also be described in upcoming editions of the Times. 

Lick Creek bank stabilization

Gainesville was recently awarded a grant that will fund a $302,575 project to stabilize the bank of Lick Creek near the city’s wastewater treatment facility, located behind the Mansfield Building Supply store on the south side of Highway 160 in town. The $2.45-million wastewater treatment facility, paid for with USDA Rural Development grants and bonds, was completed in July 2020. 

According to Mayor Gail Reich, the city began working on  the wastewater treatment facility after stricter regulations were enacted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in 2011, making the city’s former lagoon-only system non-compliant. Construction began on the facility in April 2018.  

The bank stabilization grant is being made through the Community Development Block Grant program. Smith and Company Engineering from Poplar Bluff is heading up the bank-stabilization project. The grant was awarded at 100 percent, meaning the city won’t have to provide a cash or in-kind match. 

“When the flood of 2017 happened, the floodwaters came down Lick Creek and there’s a corner. It [the creek] didn’t make the corner,” Goodnight told the Times. “It pushed all the rock, all the [creek] bank, away, and it flooded the [city’s] lagoon system. Now that the protection from erosion is gone, with every flood, every high-water incident, there’s more and more erosion there.”

The flood that Goodnight referred to was the April 29-30, 2017, flooding event that many have called a “1,000-year flood.” The high water swelled the North Fork of the White River, Bryant Creek, Lick Creek and the many other tributaries in Ozark County, washing away bridges, homes and riverside resorts. 

After the flood, the South Central Ozark Council of Governments (SCOCOG), a nonprofit agency that provides grant writing and other municipality help to a seven-county region, including Ozark County, reached out to the cities within its service areas.  

“They asked all the city clerks to explain to them, in our terms, what happened to our city. I told them about how everything flowed down the creek. There was one video of a [semi] trailer being swept down the creek . . . there were just so many things, septic tanks, gas tanks. It was just awful,” Goodnight said. 

During the flooding event, a large tree was washed down Lick Creek and got lodged inside one of the city’s lagoon cells. 

“There’s one cell [of the lagoon] that we have now that we don’t know what all is in it, but we do know the tree ended up there. That’s how much infiltration of water the lagoon system sustained. That can’t happen,” Goodnight said. “It’s a shame that all of that [sewage] ended up in the creek, but at that time, there were personal septic tanks in the creek and personal lagoons that had also washed away.”

The grant will reconstruct a portion of the stream bank that was badly damaged. The bank will also be “reinforced with a type-2 rock blanket placed over a geotextile fabric to serve as armoring for the bank,” according to SCOCOG. Native trees and vegetation will be planted on the riverbank to slow the velocity of future flood waters.

“The stabilization won’t be just hauling in rock. It’s going to be a complete study of the soil, the bank strength that’s needed for that flow of water and the height in association with the sewer treatment facility,” Goodnight said. “The creek-bank erosion is a long-term issue that’s just going to get worse, and the funds were available, so we’re so happy that we were chosen.”

New digitized computer mapping system

Another exciting and much-needed improvement is the city’s newly developed digital mapping program, which has been a very helpful tool for employees and contractors. The mapping system was provided through Missouri Rural Water Association (MRWA), a nonprofit organization that provides support and expertise to local rural Missouri municipalities. 

“They do so much for us,” said Price, the city’s water specialist. “We are so thankful for their services, most of which they provide free, except for the yearly membership fee we pay.”

MRWA came to Gainesville in April and May of this year and conducted the digitized mapping process using satellite-based GPS to create an accurate depiction of the water, sewer and street systems. The result is accessed through the detailed software Diamond Maps, which uses a Google map of the city of Gainesville with an informational overlay of the city’s various elements. 

“So I can go in and pick what I want to see,” Price told the Times. “I can click to only see water, and it shows all of our water lines and where they run. Or I can go in and say I only want to see sewer, and it shows that. Then we can take a screenshot of it and send it to engineers or other people working on projects with us, and they have an immediate view of it also.”

Price said the software also allows the staff to click a specific water meter or residence, and the software can immediately direct them to exactly what lines run to that specific home. 

A “markup” tool has also been helpful, allowing staff to provide digitally drawn instructions and markings on city utility maps to help visually convey what exactly the city needs to show various contractors. 

A measuring tool allows Price to click one area of the map and draw a line to another area, and the program automatically provides accurate measurements between the two points. 

“So we can pick the measurement in feet, and we can say we need to know how far this manhole is from that manhole, and in the click of the button we know,” Price said, adding that before the new software was implemented, the city’s maps were decades old. 

 “The newest map we have in the office is from the 80s, and it pretty much just had water [line information] on it. The newest sewer map is older than that. It was produced sometime in the 1970s,” she said.

Price said the 50-year-old sewer map was still fairly accurate because the sewer system has not grown much since that time. The 40-year-old water map, on the other hand, was very outdated as many new residences have been built in the city limits since the map was made. There were no other written records of the new additions, meaning employees often had to guess about the system when issues arose. 

“This mapping system has made all of our lives easier, and we’re continually inputting information, so it’s all in there and will be available for anyone to see years from now,” Price said. 

Rate increase

One hotly debated topic that has been discussed on social media recently is the city’s water and sewer rate increases. 

“The rate increase has been a topic both ways, so we’d like to give an explanation,” Price said. “The City Council voted to have a rate increase that was effective in May this year. Nobody actually saw it on their bills until June.”

Price said the city commissioned a “utility rate study,” which was completed by an independent company that determines whether the existing utility rates are sufficient to meet all of the utility’s needs or whether the rates need to be increased to create a balanced flow of money in and out. 

“They recommend you get one done every two years, just to see where you’re at in reference to employee costs, insurance costs, product costs. . . . We have to buy the pipe and pieces to fix all the leaks, and we’ve seen those prices go up considerably in the last year,” she said. 

MRWA conducted the utility rate study for the city free of charge.

“Our rate study was really, really bad,” she said, explaining that the study found the city’s utility costs were not paying for the municipality’s expenditures. “So we knew we were going to have to raise the rates, no matter what. So we went to three or four different cities about the same size and economic markup of Gainesville and asked what their rates were. That way the council had something to judge off of that was relevant to a town our size. We went with the smaller end of what MRWA recommended, and we plan to look at it again in two years to see how our income is then compared with expenditures.”

Price explained that commercial and residential water usage fees are the same. Commercial in-city businesses do pay higher taxes though, she clarified. 

Water rate increase: Before the increase, the cost for water in Gainesville was a flat $11.50 minimum for the first 2,000 gallons of water and $2.50 per 1,000 gallons after that. The rate increased to $13.50 minimum for the first 1,000 gallons (instead of 2,000) and $3.50 for every 1,000 gallons after that. Those outside the city limits who use city water pay a double water bill. A $1 per month per residency surcharge is also added now. The money from the surcharge is being held in a special fund that is to be used only for water-related maintenance and expenditures such as meter replacements or emergency work to the water lines. 

Sewer rate increase: Before the increase, the cost for sewer in Gainesville was a minimum $17.50 with $3.50 for every 1,000 gallons after that. The sewer prices were raised to $20 minimum and $5 for every 1,000 gallons after that. 

“It hasn’t jumped a lot, but it’s both of them at the same time. So if you have both, it’s more noticeable,” Price said.

$145K in ARPA funds

As part of the American Rescue Plan Act (APRA), all cities in the United States will receive funding aimed at helping ease the spread of covid-19. Gainesville was initially expected to receive around $133,000 in covid funding; however, Goodnight says the city was notified recently that the funding has increased to $145,891 because some other municipalities across the nation have opted out of their share of the funds. The money is dispersed in two parts. The first half was received last month, and the second disbursement will be made next year. Funds have to be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026, before they’re subject to recapture by the federal government. 

Goodnight says she receives information about ARPA frequently.

“I won’t say I get something every day, but I’d say that three to four times a week I receive something about ARPA,” she said. “When you read it all, it really makes you concerned that you understand everything just right so you can help guide your council about spending the money.”

Goodnight says the money can be used in a lot of creative ways in cities with large staffs. 

“There are lots of ways to spend the money if you have the resources to do the things they’ve suggested. You could have small business loans but only if you had enough people to do the surveys and the application processes. But here, it’s just us. We don’t have [the manpower] to do that. I’m so incredibly thankful that they’re including infrastructure,” she said.

Goodnight said that the federal employees tasked with helping disperse ARPA have spent a long time talking about how to define infrastructure, and they only reached a definition in the last few weeks. Goodnight says the City Council is possibly looking at using at least some of the money on water and sewer systems. 

“They’ve made the argument that there’s been such a change in our habits [due to covid], that there are more people home . . . more children home, more people working from home; people are shopping at home, buying gas at home. That means there’s more usage on that infrastructure. So they feel that it’s a valid, reasonable thought that our infrastructure is already deteriorating and that it’s going to deteriorate more. And they’re exactly right,” she said. 

Goodnight says she anticipates that more defined terms and conditions will be released over the next months that will help give cities and counties more direction on how to spend the funds. 

After the adjustment for cities that have opted out, the village of Bakersfield is expected to receive $45,805, and the village of Theodosia is expected to receive $53,877. 

New billing system

Price said that many city customers are not familiar with all the options that are currently present with the city’s new billing software for water and sewer usage. The new software was implemented in April 2020 and offers customers various ways to pay, including cash, check, online credit card payment and automatic withdrawal. 

“Customers can also go online and view their bills. They’ll be saved on the program forever. They can pay online while they’re at it, just whatever works for them,” she said. “We can also email statements instead of sending them through the regular mail. Because of the way the mail has been the last couple years, people don’t get their bill right away. By the time they get it and put their payment back in the mail, it doesn’t get to us by the 10th [of the month, the due date].”

The city says approximately 430 residences and businesses use water and/or sewer in Gainesville, and they currently send out around 100 of those bills through emailed invoices. Another 50 or so accounts have chosen automatic withdrawal. 

“With automatic payment, it just saves the city on stamps and envelopes. So it’s a good thing,” she said. 

Price said there is a fee to process a credit or debit card online or over the phone. Automatic withdrawal is free. 

Sidewalks and planters

One topic that residents often mention to city employees is the built-in flower beds that adjoin the sidewalks on the Gainesville square, specifically the planting and care of the beds. 

The sidewalks and planters were part of a beautification project that was funded through a Missouri Department of Transportation grant in 2007-08. The construction was completed in August 2010. 

According to an Aug. 22, 2007, article in the Ozark County Times, the city of Gainesville received a grant for $240,850 and provided a $64,025 match for the project. The project paid for the funding to remove and replace sidewalks on three sides of the Gainesville square (west, south and east) that were non-ADA compliant at the time. The north sidewalk was ADA-compliant and so was not eligible for the funds. 

The 2007 Times article said, “According to the grant application, the existing sidewalks around three sides of the square are not built to ADA (American with Disabilities Act) standards and are currently in poor condition.

“The grant states that both pedestrians and school children are at risk of tripping and injuries, and persons in wheelchairs need better access to county and city buildings and other area businesses in the downtown area.

“City leaders also hope for positive environment and economic impact from the project,” the 2007 article said.  

Although the current city staff was not involved with the city when the beds were built, they say they are under the impression that the city worked with business owners, and many said they would provide plants in their sidewalk beds. 

“But some businesses have changed hands, and other managers have retired since then,” she said. 

A May 23, 2012, Ozark County Times article says, “Gainesville city employees . . . water flowers shop owner Charlene Schlotzhauer planted in the sidewalk island in front of her business, Old Ford’s Village Market. Gainesville Mayor Don Luna said if merchants and business owners will add flowers to the islands, now filled with gravel, ‘we’ll do the best to keep things watered.’” 

Goodnight says that although the city’s small staff doesn’t have enough time to maintain planting displays in the beds full time, periodically it does hire someone to weed, plant and help spruce up the beds, including just before Hootin an Hollarin in September this year. 

See next week’s Times for an update on the city’s water system.