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Officer reinstated in Bismarck

Aldermen hear wind power proposal

By CHRIS CLINE
Daily Journal Staff Writer

Saturday, October 11, 2008

BISMARCK — A Bismarck police officer who was suspended indefinitely in September is returning to work. The Bismarck Board of Aldermen voted to lift the suspension of Jason Cox during a closed session meeting on Thursday.

The officer was suspended because of a brush with the law that occurred on Sept. 2 in Farmington. Cox was arrested by the Farmington Police Department for committing assault in the third degree. Bismarck Mayor Dennis Mayberry said Cox was reinstated Thursday night because he has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

"The board wants to give Officer Cox one more chance," Mayberry said. "We had a lot of residents come forward following his suspension and say he was a good police officer."

Cox was previously suspended from the police department in 2006 after he was indicted by a St. Francois County Grand Jury for felony stealing. He had been accused of stealing two amplifiers and a subwoofer valued to at least $500 in June 2003.

In July of 2007 Cox was reinstated to part-time status with the department because the indictment was reduced to a misdemeanor charge.

The board also hired three additional part-time police officers during closed session. Brandon House, Tyler Hendrick and Amy Brenneke were hired.

During the regular board meeting, Keith Colwell addressed the board about equipping the city with wind power generators.

Mayberry said there was some confusion with the agenda because Colwell’s proposition was listed as an emergency backup, but actually it would be the city’s regular source of power.

"We have a lot of questions that we would have to have answered before we would consider this," Mayberry said. "Right now we have a sewer project we are dealing with and our plate is pretty full."

Mayberry said a cost estimate for the windmill generators was $244,000.

“That is for three of them,” he said. “That would provide enough power for the entire city.”

A representative of the firm Crouch, Farley and Heuring presented the audit report. The accounting firm gave the city a clean audit and said there were no major problems.

The board approved the annual Halloween parade scheduled for Oct. 31. The city’s fall clean-up dates were also approved for Oct. 22-24.

A request from the Senior Center to pave the parking lot in the rear of the building was approved. Mayberry said the senior center will pay for the paving, but needed approval from the city because some of the paving will be on city property.

The board scheduled a meeting for 4 p.m. Oct. 21 to open bids for storm sirens.

During the departmental reports a new federal mandate was discussed in which police officers, firefighters and other emergency personnel will be required to wear special safety vests when working along a roadway.

The board asked each department to get a count of how many vests they are going to need for the next meeting. Mayberry estimated each vest will cost the city $32.

Chris Cline is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at 573-431-2010, ext. 114 or at ccline@dailyjournalonline.com.

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