Fourth Miss City Board of Directors Meeting – October 21, 2025

The Fourth Miss City Board of Directors convened for its regular meeting on October 21, 2025, to address routine administrative items, discuss significant infrastructure expenditures, and address public concerns regarding fiscal responsibility. The meeting featured intense debate over the cost estimates and scope of a new vehicle wash facility and revealed a budget shortfall for the municipal water slide project.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1A (Insurance Resolution): The board reviewed a resolution regarding reinsurance with Everest. Director Christina Kasavis expressed strong concern that the reinsurance cost with Everest is increasing by 49 percent this year, citing it as a major cost driver regardless of service levels. Director Josh Kasavits asked if other insurance routes had been explored, to which HR Director Eric Garvin and a consultant responded that the current bid was the lowest available due to a large claim exceeding $2 million and 35 percent increases in pharmacy expenditures.
• Item 1B (Renewable Natural Gas): Approved with a general concern raised by member Joe Elskin regarding the lack of competitive bidding for chemicals used in water treatment. Director Good clarified that three suppliers were contacted, but only one submitted a bid. The Mayor noted that while competitive bidding is preferred, there are sometimes no options for essential chemicals.
• Item 1C (Employee Insurance): Discussion continued regarding the self-funded plan. Director Kemp expressed that while they accept the current provider is the lowest bid, they inquired if incentive programs could be implemented to reduce premiums over time.
• Item 1D (Vehicle Wash Bay): TABLED. Director Josh Kasavits and Mayor moved to table the item requesting the low bid of approximately $1.6 million. They argued that the board must review all submitted bids and the full scope of costs before approval. Director Christina Kasavis strongly opposed the project at current cost estimates, stating that spending $2 million on a car wash while advocating for rate hikes is unacceptable and erodes public trust.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Joe Elskin: Expressed full concern regarding the lack of competitive bidding on multiple items and questioned the return on investment for spending money on budget items. He argued that the city should first exhaust all cost-cutting measures before approving contracts without multiple bids.
• Lavon Morton: Expressed agreement with the motion to table Item 1D, stating that the board must see the numbers for the higher bids and the engineering estimate before proceeding. He clarified his position that while affordable projects are good, the total cost (frame plus equipment) must be known in aggregate before approval.

Discussion Items

• Vehicle Wash Bay (Item 1D): Director DeWayne McDonald provided background, stating the project is part of the 2024 Capital Improvement Program, funded by the equipment sinking fund. He explained the project includes an automatic, no-touch wash to improve truck maintenance, worker safety, and street cleanliness by preventing mud and debris from leaving the landfill.
  • Bidding Details: Three bids were received for the building, slab, and utilities. The low bid was ~$1.6 million, the high bid was ~$2.3 million. The bid excluded the washing equipment (estimated at $400,000-$500,000), which would be a separate future item.
  • Speaker Positions: Director Josh Kasavits and Director Kasavits expressed full opposition to approving the project without seeing the full cost of equipment and all bids, citing fiscal responsibility and the need to review the $700,000+ difference between low and high bids. Director Christina Kasavits expressed full opposition to the project's scale relative to the current rate hike study, calling it "disorganized" and a reason why "people hate government."
• Water Slide Project: Director George Kit Savis raised concerns about the project's disorganization and the fact that only 4.74 out of 4.2 million projected dollars have been spent on slides and assembly, leaving a shortfall for construction.
  • Financial Status: The project has received $2.6 million for slides (plus sales tax), $509,000 for assembly. Construction bids received were $3.2 million and $2.8 million.
  • Speaker Positions: Director George Kit Savis expressed full opposition to continuing the project as currently funded, suggesting the board be "ready to sell those slides" and "take our loss" since the $4.2 million original estimate was inaccurate. Director Kemp agreed from a business standpoint that "all the costs should have been brought up front" before purchasing the slides.
• City Administrator Search: Director Lee Kemp proposed a process where HR identifies the top five to eight candidates based on executive and government leadership experience to conduct initial screenings before the board's next steps.
  • Speaker Positions: The Board expressed general support for the proposal, with Mayor noting they would provide specific criteria (e.g., business-oriented, conservative) to HR to guide the initial screening.

Key Outcomes

• Motion to Table: Passed to table Item 1D (Vehicle Wash Bay Construction) until the next regular meeting to allow for the review of all bid documents and equipment cost estimates.
• Motion to Approve: Passed unanimously to approve the remaining Consent Calendar items (1A, 1B, 1C).
• Appointments: The Board unanimously adopted nominations for:
  • Advertising and Promotion Commission: Director Lee Kemp (Serves in that position).
  • Fire Code Board of Appeals and Adjustments: Mr. Carl Nevin.
  • National League of Cities: Mayor (Voting Delegate).
• Administrative Directives:
  • Mayor directed staff to investigate the non-functional railroad crossing sign (Route 47) at Zero Street/Walmart area.
  • HR Department authorized to begin initial screening of City Administrator applicants alphabetized by the board.
• Next Meeting: A study session is scheduled for October 28, 2025, in the main room.