Hannibal City Council applying for grant to bolster digital advertising in ‘five to 10 states’

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal City Council unanimously approved an application for an up to $120,000 marketing match grant that would bolster the city’s digital advertising for fiscal year 2026. 

“2026 is going to be a big year for us,” Tourism director Trisha O’Cheltree said. “We have FIFA in Kansas City, we have the 150th anniversary of the publication of Tom Sawyer … and some other things.”

Advertising would be placed in print, television, radio and digital outlets in “at least five to 10 states,” according to O’Cheltree.

Louderman swore in Cameron Hampton, the newest officer for the Hannibal Police Department (HPD). Louderman said he believed it was the sixth officer he’s sworn in since taking office roughly a year and a half ago, and that it was “one of the better things” he gets to do as mayor.

The council unanimously approved the purchase of 33 ballistic vest outer carriers in the amount of $7,537.86 from Leon Uniform Company by the HPD. Hannibal Police Chief Jacob Nacke said the department’s existing uniforms, which have been worn by officers since 2006, place much of the weight of the officers’ gear and equipment on their waist, leading to discomfort and long-term back pain. The new uniforms will distribute the weight more evenly.

A five-year contract service renewal with Missouri Network Alliance, paid monthly in the amount of $525, was unanimously approved for fiber and internet services for the HPD.

An emergency ordinance was unanimously approved to allow a runoff election next Tuesday, Apr. 22 to elect the next 2nd Ward Council Member. The winner will replace longtime councilman Mike Dobson, who was absent at Tuesday night’s meeting.

April Azotea secured 164 votes in the April 8 municipal election, while Tammy Riley followed closely behind with 147 votes. Because none of the three candidates secured 50 percent or more of the vote, a runoff election between the top two candidates is required by the city’s charter. (Earl Hughes III only secured 14 percent of the vote.)

Robert Koehn, 3rd Ward Council Member, reminded constituents that the polling locations and hours for the runoff election will be the same as they were for the April 8 election.

Two agreements with software company Avenu Enterprise Solutions, LLC were unanimously approved by the council. City Clerk Melissa Cogdal expects this to be the city’s final year in business with the company, as the city is in the process of implementing new operating software.

“We will need to keep our old software in addition to our new operating software for a bit of time to make sure that all the data is secured and we can get to the older data as needed for audits and that kind of thing,” Cogdal said.

One contract is a renewal for $31,723.68 and pertains to application hosting and tech support. The other is a sales agreement for $8,000 and will extract the city’s data from Avenu’s software to their new system.

Lastly, a one-year contract agreement with Civic Plus in the amount of $7,547.40 was unanimously approved for the service of social media archiving services, which is required of the city under the Missouri Sunshine Law. The agreement will cover archiving for Hannibal City Hall, HPD, Hannibal Fire Department, Hannibal Tourism and Hannibal Board of Public Works. 

Cogdal said that switching the services to Civic Plus from the city’s previous contractor for the work, SHI, will save the city $1,090.18 annually.

In other action, the council also:

• approved a special event application, pending insurance, for the 49th annual Hannibal Folklife Festival to be put on by the Hannibal Arts Council Oct. 18-19;
• approved an easement with the property owners of 116 North Street to complete the construction of a sanitary sewer service and an accompanying change order in the amount of $24,762.52;
• approved an ordinance to accept the dedication of a private alley running parallel to Eighth Street and perpendicular to Lyon Street to public use;
• heard recommendations of appointments to the Mark Twain Home Board from Louderman for Steve Viorel, David Jackson and Sherri Steinmann, all for terms to expire in Nov. 2032; and
• heard an approval of an appointment to the Parks and Recreation Board from City Manager Lisa Peck for Chris Harsnell, for a term to expire in July 2026.

The meeting concluded with the council heading into closed session in accordance with subsections two and 12 of RSMO 610.021, which pertain to “leasing, purchase or sale of real estate by a public governmental body where public knowledge of the transaction might adversely affect the legal consideration therefor” (2) and “ sealed bids and related documents, until the bids are opened; and sealed proposals and related documents or any documents related to a negotiated contract until a contract is executed, or all proposals are rejected” (12).