LOUISIANA, Mo. – A special Louisiana City Council meeting was called by Mayor Tim Carter on Thursday evening with three agenda items including the vacant seat in Ward I, additional street projects and an invoice from the Missouri State Auditor.
The first agenda item stated “Ward I appointment,” so an emergency restraining order was filed in Pike County Circuit Court on Thursday morning on behalf of Heather Wernowsky by her attorney, Nick Fregeau. Wernowsky was impeached and removed from office with a 5-1 vote of the council during an administrative hearing on Tuesday, January 20th. The six-page request outlined Missouri State Statutes that have not been satisfied following an impeachment, including a finding of facts for judicial review. The request for injunction requested the city not be able to fill the seat for at least 15 days and to allow for extensions as necessary as Wernowsky seeks relief in the matter.
There was no appointment discussed at the special council meeting that was called on Thursday. Instead, Carter announced that the seat in Ward I is open and invited citizens from that ward who are interested in the position to reach out to him or the city clerk.
The council moved on to the next agenda item at the special meeting which was the addition of six portions of city street to be paved later in March when the weather breaks. The additional areas are being covered with funding available in the city budget.
“It’s time to get these streets taken care of,” noted council member John Phillips.
The council voted 7-0 in favor of the additional work.
The final agenda item for consideration at the special council meeting was an invoice from the Missouri State Auditor’s Office. Carter shared an invoice of about $65,000 has been billed to the city for an audit that was conducted on the heels of the city being fined for failing to submit an end-of-year financial report in 2023.
Carter told the council the $65,000 bill is very high and he questions the hours that were reported. He indicated that he plans to “go back and forth” with the state before the council takes action on the matter.
The special council meeting closed less than 10 minutes after convening.