Parking will be prohibited on all of Elm Street in Wright City. The decision was reached Dec. 10 after aldermen voiced concerns over whether emergency vehicles could reach residences and the park. Parking is already prohibited on Elm Street from the railroad tracks to Fourth Street. A small portion of the street had not been added to the city ordinance after the street was extended to Ruge Park several years ago. The new stretch where parking on the street will not be permitted is from Fourth Street to Ruge Park. The board voted 3-1 to restrict the parking on Elm Street. Alderman Tom Black was the lone board member in opposition. The board was expected to vote on an amendment to the ordinance Dec. 30. "There is a lot of traffic going through there that can't get through because somebody is parked on the side of the road," Alderman Angie Reynolds said. Black said he visited the area in question earlier in the week prior to the Dec. 10 meeting and didn't see any problems with the parking arrangement. "The only way they can park down there is if they park out in that street," he said. "I'm not going to park my car out in the street. If you're going to park on the side of the street, you are going to park in the ditch. Nobody is parking in the street." Mayor Roy White also questioned the need to restrict parking. He asked Police Chief Henry Matthews about the number of complaints received, but a definite answer was not provided. Matthews recalled only one instance where the city had problems driving through the area due to parked cars. "I just don't want to see the whole city plastered with no parking signs," White said. A resident inquired about how the city was going to deal with overflow traffic from the park when the summer youth baseball/softball leagues begin. Visitors had to resort to parking on Elm Street due to the lack of parking, she said. Aldermen Jamey Abercrombie said the parking situation at the park can be reviewed in the future if a problem exists. "The immediate concern is the safety," he said. City to Begin Charging Elected Officials for Sunshine Requests Elected officials in the city may be charged for Sunshine Law requests that are not associated with board approved projects. The announcement was made by City Clerk Christine Martin at the Dec. 10 meeting. She said elected officials can be charged the same as any other record request that is received by the city. Pursuant to Missouri's open meeting law also known as the Sunshine Law, the city can charge reasonable time it takes to research records and the cost of copying which is 10 cents per copy. An estimated cost can be provided to the person requesting the records. Following a motion by Abercrombie, aldermen voted 4-0 to add this as a policy to the city's adopted Sunshine Law ordinance. White told The Record city officials are trying to crack down on his inquiries into reviewing records. Up until now, he hadn't been charged for research time or copies. In Other Action * Three personnel changes were made in the police department, as Jordan Exum was rehired as a full-time police officer. He previously served in a full-time capacity until recently moving to a part-time role. The resignations from officers Bud Chrum and Jeffrey Tiemann also were accepted. Police Chief Henry Matthews said Tiemann resigned due to medical reasons. No reason was given for Chrum's departure. * The board voted 4-0 to purchase safety equipment for workers who are lowered down into manholes. A tripod and winch system used to lower workers will cost $1,958 from Schulte Supply. The safety mask assembly and two gas detectors will cost $40.96 and $2,110, respectively, from Corro-Tech.