BELLE — During the rescheduled Belle Board of Aldermen meeting Monday night, Mayor Steve Vogt told fellow board members and visitors that Marshal Joe Turnbough would not be present.

“He said he took off work last week and has to make that up,” Vogt said. “He also said he would take off for court tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct. 20) night.”

The city’s regularly scheduled Oct. 13 city meeting was rescheduled due to a lack of a quorum with one alderman gone to support their senior and a second gone due to a bus break down in Lebanon.

Vogt said Turnbough told him that he has police logs to turn in Tuesday prior to court, as well as finish up on nuisance violations and informing certain businesses that their city license is late.

“Is it a recommendation or a requirement that our marshal be here?” Alderman Sundi Jo Graham asked the mayor.

In September, the board passed an ordinance outlining what the city expects from whoever holds the marshal’s office, including an activity call log, being present for city meetings, and working at least 40 hours a week.

Vogt said the marshal is supposed to be at every meeting.

“So he is supposed to be here today, correct?” Graham asked.

Vogt said yes.

“And he didn’t call until today to tell you he couldn’t be here?” Graham asked.

Again Vogt said that was correct.

“So (Turnbough) has had six days and decided today that he was not going to be present at tonight’s meeting,” Graham stated. “I just wanted that clarified.”

Graham said Turnbough knew last week when they rescheduled the meeting that it would be Oct. 19, but didn’t make arrangements and waited until the morning of Oct. 19 to say he would not be available.

“I want that noted,” Graham said. “Also, this document that Steve (Vogt) gave me last week from the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) — have you guys seen that?”

Alderman Jeanette Struemph and others shook their heads no.

“So it is from the Missouri State Highway Patrol that they have completed a review from the Missouri State Highway Traffic Accident report — nothing has been filled out from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, 2019.”

Struemph said they have talked to Turnbough about that issue before. Graham said according to the letter the department did not forward any cash reports during the physical 2019 year.

According to the letter sent by the state, the lack of response is “contrary to your previous history. The response is not only required it is also vital to record Missouri’s 2019 crash experience.

“I understand that he is not here to explain this, but my question is ‘if it is required, what liability are we carrying as the city council for this not being done?’” Graham asked.

Alderman Tony Gieck said that would be a good question for the MSHP. Vogt said if the marshal doesn’t fill out certain reports, then they can’t qualify for any grants.

Graham said she printed off a copy of the state statute requiring the reports to see what the report should include and who is required to submit it to whom.

“I don’t know what you want to do with that, Joe isn’t here to talk about it tonight, but it’s not right that we have gone a year without submitting these reports,”Graham said.

Struemph pointed out that they were almost done with 2020.

Vogt said they were trying to rectify Turnbough’s computer to work with the Crime Star report system. Alderman Courtney Abel said access to the Crime Star system has nothing to do with the late reports.

“They don’t have to go through Crime Star,” Abel said.

“I spoke to a Maries County Deputy the other night for a brief second and asked how they fill out their Stars report and they said with a PDF,” Graham said. “So you don’t have to have any special login information or computer program for it. You just do it.”

Abel said they could also print out the pages and fill them out.

Gieck said the program is also a racial profiler program.

“That’s all I have to say at the moment,” Graham said.

Abel asked where they were with the activity log. Graham said she asked Turnbough about them last week and he said he had them on his phone but didn’t know how to print them. Graham said Turnbough wouldn’t show her the logs but said he had shown the mayor.

“He also stated he was not filling out of his mileage as part of the daily log because he uses his personal vehicle more than he uses his police car,” Graham said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Struemph said. “It shows how much work he is doing by mileage by how much he is using the police car.”

Graham said Turnbough stated that he didn’t want to take his police car because there is a tracker on it.

“I asked (Turnbough) what he was talking about and who would want to put a tracker on his car and he said he didn’t want to talk about it, he was saving that for court,” Graham said. “He said he had to jump the car the other day, but to my knowledge he has not brought anything more to us to try to get it fixed.”

Graham said she didn’t want to talk about the issues without Turnbough being present, but wanted the public to be aware of the issues.

“He signed a document stating he was going to provide us with daily logs,” Graham said. “He signed that document in July or August and has yet to provide it.”

Struemph asked how much longer the city is going to pay someone $37,000 a year for not doing anything.

“I think he should get the opportunity to stand here and tell the public why he is not complying with anything,” Graham said. “I hope he comes to the next meeting.”