The Wright City Board of Aldermen approved an ordinance amending the city’s subdivision and land development code.

The amendments are primary technical changes to the city’s current code that were suggested by the city’s Building Inspector Lance Bauer and City Attorney Paul Rost and the city’s hydrology engineer BFA Engineering.

Some of the amendments removed contradictory language in the code to ensure consistency, Mayor Michelle Heiliger said. One of the changes recommended by BFA was to remove the requirement in the city’s code that developers use concrete swales in detention basins as the city already had a requirement that swales be maintained.

Another change relating to increasing the thickness requirements for streets as the city has had to replace some streets due to insufficient thickness, Heiliger said.

Following a public hearing on the matter in which no one spoke, the board voted unanimously 4-0 to approve the amendments.

The board also voted unanimously to approve Premier Pyrotechnics Inc. to perform the fireworks show for the city June 27. The cost is the previously agreed upon $10,000 figure. There were three bids submitted from Premier, J&M Displays and API. The discussion revolved primarily around who provided the largest number of shots in the longest period of time. City Clerk Abbie Ogborn said she recommended Premier due to their proposed 20-minute show time, which she noted might be a bit shorter once they come up with an official plan for the show, and the larger number of shots provided by the company within the $10,000 budget set by the city.

In other matters, Heiliger told the board that a large tree had to be removed from block 5 of the Wright City Cemetery. She said it was a large tree that had previously been struck by lightning and there was some concern that one of the large limbs on the tree could fall on a number of headstones in the cemetery. Heiliger said the cost to remove the tree was $4,500 and was performed by Reid’s Tree Service. The cost to remove the tree will be shared equally between the city and the Wright City Cemetery Memorial Society.

Thursday was also the formal swearing in of new Ward 2 Alderman Russ Lyons, who assumed the post previously held by Ramiz Hakim, who chose not to run this election cycle. As Lyons was the community member on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, Hakim will assume the Lyon’s former role on the board. That change was approved by the aldermen by a 4-0 vote. Lyons will also assume the role of Wright City Park Board liaison, a role previously held by Alderman Karey Owens. Owens and Heiliger were also sworn into their current roles during Thursday’s meeting.