Maryville Village Board accepts resignation of Fire Chief May

By Kathy Turner

Maryville Fire Chief George May on Wednesday officially submitted his resignation to Village Board members.  

Chief May will leave the department on March 24. He has been with the Maryville Fire Department since November 1996 and outlined in his letter the many accomplishments of the department in the years he has been with the Village. The board will address the vacancy in the department.

The Board also received letters of resignation from Greg Collins and Brendon Heaton. Greg has served on the Police Pension Board of the Village and was asked by his employer to resign because of potential conflict. Brendon is a Firefighter/Paramedic in Maryville and will move to a similar position in Collinsville.  

Several ordinances authorizing water service and pre-annexation agreements were approved by the Board. They are for the properties location at 205 Woodridge in Collinsville and 130 and 153 Ridgemoor Drive in Glen Carbon.  

Another ordinance addressed the annexation of property located at 6105 State Route 162 in Maryville. The property is contiguous with the Village limits and will now be identified as part of the Village.

Finally, the Board approved Ordinance 2023-14 which addresses Adult-Use Cannabis cultivation, processing and dispensing within Village limits. The ordinance is designed to tighten up Village codes and guidelines regarding adult-use cannabis in the Village.  

Resolution 2023-05 was also approved at the meeting. It offers support of TIF districts and is in response to current state legislation.  By passage of the resolution, Maryville sends the message that they find TIF Districts a vital part in economic development in the region.

The Board voted to reject all bids for the Water Treatment Plant Stabilization project. All bids submitted were well over budgeted estimates for the project. The Board will revise the RFP and reissue requests for bids at a later date. 

Three new probationary volunteer firefighters will join the Maryville Fire Department. Jacob Altenberger of Maryville, Bryant Robinson of Collinsville and Joel Wallschleager of Glen Carbon were approved by board action at the meeting.

The board approved the purchase of a 2023 Ford Interceptor for the Village Police Department. Cost is $50,550 through the state-authorized dealership of Morrow Bros. This vehicle will replace a police car totaled in an accident in December. 

The Board authorized the purchase of a new timekeeping system for all Village staff and employees. The system will be provided by Paychex and will allow for online, mobile and time clock recording of time by the employees. It is the goal of the village to wean employees from the time clock usage within the first year to eliminate equipment that has proven inefficient and has high maintenance costs. 

The next Discovery Series will feature Building a Parade Float. It will be held on March 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Carstar Maryville Building.  

Staff reports were given. Building and Zoning issued 11 permits in the month of February. The fire department responded to a total of 122 calls for service. 

A village resident attended the meeting to express concerns over a new state law regarding home and business smoke detectors. 

The resident is in the process of completing a home renovation that included installation of new detector units in a hardwired system. The new state law, effective January 1, requires that all homes/businesses installing or maintaining smoke detectors must include 10-year batteries either as the main source or a backup source for hardwired systems. 

The resident questioned the requirement and the authorization of the village building inspector to enforce the law.  

Mayor Short advised the resident on the details of the law and read the portions of the law that addressed her particular renovations and concerns.  

The next meeting of the Board will be held on Wednesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m.