If you sent a message to a Hannibal City Council member but didn’t get a response, this might be why

HANNIBAL, Mo. — If you have sent a message to a member of the Hannibal City Council through their contact form on the City of Hannibal’s website but didn’t get a response, they might not have received it.

The city has now updated the councilmen’s contacts with personal email addresses after discovering the previous contact forms on the website were not working.

They discovered the contact forms on their website were down when former Councilman Jim Van Hoose tried to contact Councilman Charlie Phillips and did not receive a response. He emailed Phillips directly, who responded quickly and let Van Hoose know he didn’t receive the email from the contact form.

After Van Hoose alerted interim City Clerk Melissa Cogdale, she tested the system by emailing the councilmen through the form. None of them received it.

During last week’s council meeting, VanHoose mentioned his concern about other patrons who have tried to contact council members without response.

“Those who are trying to get a hold of the city might think they are being ignored,” he told the council. “For about a month, I thought I was being ignored.”

The city has added a note to the contact page for councilmen, informing the public that the submission forms for city council members are not working. They are in the process of getting the website updated.

“If the clickable e-mail links do not work on your computer/device, please copy and paste the e-mail address directly into your e-mail program,” the note says. “If you would like your council member’s phone number, call City Hall at 573-221-0111 and someone will be happy to provide it for you.”