The Town of Liberty held a special called meeting on Monday, April 14, where the board voted to hire a new secretary treasurer, following the previous secretary’s announced retirement.

The board voted Laura Foutch to succeed Charolette Bratten, who had worked in the position over the past 46 years. Foutch will earn a monthly salary of $800, working out of the town hall at 10 hours per week. The board will allow Foutch to set her working hours.

The board voted 4-1 to pay Bratten for the months of March, April, and May for work already done, and for Bratten’s help transitioning Foutch into her new position. There had been an attempt to combine the position with that of tax collector, but the motion failed a second.

With the transition, there were questions raised during the meeting over still missing town records at town hall. While town business had been conducted at Bratten’s home and work for most of her time in the position, a recent comptroller report identified that all the records should be kept at one location, at town hall.

“In the February meeting, when we extended her (Bratten) to February 28th, she said she would have all city property (records) up here by February 28th. Have the records been brought up here yet from her house?” asked Alderman Kendra Stanford.

“Not for the last six months, because we are still working trying to get everything together and up here in a timely manner,” Mayor Audrey Martin responded.

“But the records still need to be at town hall,” said Alderman Stanford.

“And they will be,” answered Mayor Martin.

Stanford pointed out that in the comptroller’s report 35 years’ worth of city records should have been brought to town hall last January 2024.

“That’s my concern with the new recorder coming in because she needs all of this stuff to be here to do her job,” said Alderman Stanford.

“Everything will be here by the end of the month, but the last six months are not here,” said Mayor Martin.

Mayor Martin and Charolette Bratten told the Smithville Review after the meeting that all the records in question will be taken to town hall very shortly.

The town board also heard from realtor Mike Eaton who asked that the city donate back to Citizens Bank of Lafayette a portion of the parking lot of the Liberty State Bank location, at 311 East Main Street. The lot had previously been owned by the bank, but donated to the city in 1947 for $1. The measure was supposedly done for liability reasons.

Liberty State Bank closed its Liberty location last summer, and Eaton said a prospective buyer, Tony Bates of Bates Ford in Lebanon, would like the parking lot returned to the original deed. Bates has recently bought properties in Alexandria, with plans for new businesses in the area.

“During a title search it came to our knowledge that in 1947 Liberty Savings Bank gave to the town of Liberty, for a dollar, the parking lot so the city could have extra parking. We would like to ask for the city to quick claim that deed back over to Citizens Bank of Lafayette. The bank actually owns 18 feet from the door out which is basically the drive through window spot. That is all the bank owns and the rest of the parking lot is the town of Liberty’s,” said Eaton.