BLAND — Bland Mayor Pro Tempore Merrilee Spurgeon and Alderman Joe Ridener were the only officials who attended the April 25 special city meeting.

“Due to extenuating circumstances that we’ve learned today, we can carry a meeting alone with me and Joe even though there’s no other aldermen here,” Spurgeon said. “It’s a unique situation, and we’re just going to have to get through it. We can’t address a lot of city business like we will at our next meeting, but we have to move forward. We’ve called those who are in powers, and they said that this is the way we had to do it.”

During the meeting, Spurgeon suggested appointing a new alderman. She said the Missouri Municipal League (MML) had told the city that two aldermen could do that.

“Under all normal circumstances, a quorum is needed for official business,” Stuart Haynes, MML’s director of administration and policy, later told The Maries County Advocate. “That’s not a normal situation.”

Haynes cited Missouri statute 79.280, which says the acting mayor may call a special meeting with remaining members of the board to appoint someone to fill a vacancy until the next regular municipal election.

“We do need three people,” she said.

She asked City Clerk Diane Decker if she could make a nomination, and Decker said as an alderman she could.

Spurgeon said she would like to appoint former alderman Ned Steiner, who attended the meeting as a member of the public, as an alderman, “even if it’s temporarily.”

“Ned’s been there before,” Ridener said. “I’m good with it.”

Ridener made a motion to appoint Steiner and Spurgeon seconded it. Decker swore in Steiner as an alderman.

The board accepted Jim Carpenter’s verbal resignation. Spurgeon said he did not provide a reason for resignation. The aldermen also accepted Matt Dittman’s verbal resignation, which was due to his health.

“They have their reasons, and Matt’s I understand deeply,” Spurgeon said. “We’re moving forward. That’s nice.”

Spurgeon said that Kenny Sullinger’s resignation from the mayor seat left an opening that the board would need to appoint.

“We can either appoint a mayor or we can hold off on the mayor,” she said. “At this point, we will appoint a mayor later on. We don’t have to until the next election. We’ll cross that bridge after we get our aldermen set up.”

Ridener agreed that it was best to wait to appoint a mayor until the city had a full board of aldermen.

Spurgeon told the public that the city would take suggestions for potential aldermen.

“We need somebody that stays,” she said. “We need somebody that will show up.”

The board had another special meeting scheduled on Monday (May 1) to address vacancies for mayor and alderman. During that meeting, the board appointed John Hollandswoth to replace Dittman and decided to withhold appointing another mayor until the April 2024 election. Spurgeon will serve as both alderman and mayor pro tem until then.