Marthasville officials last week were reassuring residents that they won’t be punished for late utility bills while the city searches for a new clerk.The resignation of two city clerks has forced city hall to close its doors and caused a delay in processing payments and sending out new bills, Mayor David Lange said.Many residents received utility bills last Friday that were due the next Tuesday, he said.During the Marthasville Board of Aldermen meeting Wednesday, June 21, Lange apologized for the inconveniences the resignations have caused for residents, and suggested waiving any late fees for June utility bills.“It’s not the customers’ fault for these inconveniences in utility billing,” he said.Aldermen approved the proposal 3-0, with Alderman Nick Lange absent.Mayor Lange said the city is accepting applications for the open clerk position and anticipates hiring someone in the near future.“In the meantime, the city has retained the services of temporary bookkeepers to fulfill the city clerk’s duties,” he said.Interim City Clerk Bonnie Nordwald resigned May 26, nine days after getting the job. She was preceded by Lisa Irwin, who resigned May 15 because of what she called a “stressful working environment.”Irwin herself only had the post for about a year. She replaced Carla Heggemann, who was forced out in May 2016 and is currently suing the city for wrongful termination.Budget FrustrationThe lack of a city clerk and closure of city hall had the unanticipated effect of stalling discussion of Marthasville’s next fiscal year budget.When Mayor Lange asked if members of the public at the meeting had any comment on the proposed 2017-18 budget, several attendees said copies of the budget had never been published and asked how they could comment on something they hadn’t seen.Lange replied that copies of the budget had been available at city hall for two weeks. That didn’t go over well. Frustrated residents loudly pointed out that city hall had been closed since the end of May.After continued pushback, the board of aldermen agreed to postpone the budget discussion until Wednesday, June 28, at 7 p.m. Those at the meeting were informed that they would receive copies of the budget if they left their contact information.A number of residents are eager to examine the budget because saving money was a major justification of the board’s recent decision to eliminate the city’s police department. That move has created strong backlash from residents.Critics likely will be on the lookout for proof that the city has enough money to reinstate the department, which only employed one full-time and one part-time officer.Marthasville’s budget must be approved by June 30, before the beginning of the city’s fiscal year.Former EmployeesLisa Irwin spoke during the city board meeting, refuting previous statements that she had resigned due to the turbulent relationship between city leaders and her husband, Trei Irwin. She reiterated that she left due to actions and emails from certain board members.“I loved my job here, and it was the hardest decision I had to make,” she said. “But when you have to leave work upset, crying, it’s not worth it.”Former Public Works Director Brad Landwehr also spoke. He restated previous accusations that his position had been eliminated because he criticized Mayor Lange and Alderman Dan Grafrath.He alleged Grafrath tried to blame him for contaminating a number of water quality test samples over the previous five months.Landwehr noted that since he was fired in May, two more water samples had failed quality tests.Records from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which oversees water quality reports, indicate samples taken from water lines at city hall on May 30 and Depot Street on June 7 showed the presence of microbial bacteria, which could potentially indicate more serious contamination. A test at city hall on June 7 was clean.City of Marthasville