The Green Park Board of Aldermen met on May 18 for its monthly public meeting. Here are a few of The Call’s highlights from the discussion.
Karl Lambrechts resigns from aldermanic seat, Planning and Zoning
Ward 3 Alderman Karl Lambrechts submitted his resignation letter, which was publicly announced at the May 18 meeting. Lambrechts is stepping down from both his aldermanic seat, as well as his seat on Green Park’s Planning and Zoning Committee.
His resignation comes only a month after he was appointed by the Board of Aldermen to the vacant Ward 3 seat. Lambrechts was appointed on April 20 after the position was vacated by Mayor Joe Monteleone upon his election as mayor. It was his first time serving as alderman, but he has been a member of the Planning and Zoning Committee since March 2024.
The reason for Lambrechts’ resignation has not yet been made available. The Call is in communication with the city of Green Park, and more information will be disseminated as soon as it becomes available.
Green Park rental properties must pay for their own trash removal
The board also passed an ordinance requiring rental property owners to pay for their own trash removal. The city shoulders the cost of trash removal for residential properties, but Green Park businesses must pay the waste service themselves.
“The people that own these properties are businesspeople,” Ward 1 Alderman Michael Broughton said during initial discussions at a March 16 board meeting. “Their business is providing a place to live to people who pay them.”
The ordinance states that non-owner-occupied residential properties — or rental properties — will be responsible for “payment of all solid waste service charges.” Green Park’s contracted waste service, American Eagle, will still service these properties, and the city will bill the rental property owners annually as a way of “reimbursing” the cost, so to speak.
“Charges shall be based on the cost to the City as charged by the City’s solid waste contractor for services for a non-owner-occupied residence,” the policy states.
To learn more about the discussion behind this policy, check out prior reporting by The Call.
Green Park will bank with Regions Bank
Green Park’s money will be moving into Regions Bank, following a months-long search for an adequate banking service. The city originally solicited bids at the beginning of the year, but when no banks bid for their service, city clerk Theresa Pfyl took the initiative to the banks.
The city has long held a small account at Regions Bank, and Regions operated as their “temporary solution” as city staff searched for a more permanent place to keep the city’s money. But after comparing interest rates and fees, the Board of Aldermen approved a resolution to bank with Regions.
Previously, Green Park was banking with Simmons Bank, but there were processing and verification issues between Simmons and Sikich, the consulting firm that employs city accountant Anna Cadmus. As a result, payments could not be made electronically from the city’s account. This led to a complicated issue that prevented Green Park from paying payroll taxes. Now, that issue should be solved. For more information on the situation, check out prior reporting by The Call.
