MALDEN, Mo. — A new energy agreement could bring nearly $5 million into Malden over five years. The Malden City Council approved the agreement Monday night while also moving forward with a roughly $2.5 million airport improvement project, discussing street and cemetery maintenance, addressing code enforcement concerns and receiving an update on work at Well 6. The energy contract was among the most significant financial actions of the meeting. The Board of Public Works previously approved the agreement before forwarding it to the City Council for final approval. City officials said the contract involves selling available electric generating capacity and is expected to generate approximately $4.8 million to $5 million during the five-year period. “It’s going to help take care of our future,” Councilman Philip Santie said during the discussion. City Administrator Jeff Mitchell said considerable work went into negotiating the agreement. “Thank you guys for approving that contract,” Mitchell said. “Drew worked real hard on that. I mean, he did a lot of homework, research, made all the phone calls, and it’s been a process that we’ve been doing for a while.” The contract will not immediately begin producing revenue. “It won’t go into effect until June because that’s when that next cycle starts,” Mitchell said. “We should receive our first monthly payment in July of next year.” City Attorney Jonce Chidister said the amount received will fluctuate seasonally under terms of the agreement. The contract provides for different capacity levels during summer and winter months, although officials said the overall agreement averages approximately 9 megawatts. Council members emphasized that Malden’s ability to generate electricity gives the city an asset it can sell while retaining capacity needed for its own operations. “We’ll be able to sell more down the road, so that’s good,” Santie said. The council unanimously approved the agreement. Council members also cleared the way for substantial improvements at Malden Regional Airport. Officials said bids for a runway paving project were received April 30, with Apex Paving Co. submitting the low bid. The project engineer and Missouri Department of Transportation reviewed the bids and recommended awarding the project to Apex. The council approved an ordinance authorizing an agreement between Malden and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for a state block grant involving Runway 14/32. The grant provides up to approximately $2.5 million for airport improvements, with Malden contributing about $135,000 from airport funds. Malden Mayor Denton Kooyman stressed that the local match does not come from the city’s general operating money. “Airport funds have to be used for airport purposes,” he said. “They’re not coming out of city funds.” After approving the grant agreement on two readings, the council approved awarding the paving project to Apex. Street conditions also drew attention Monday. A resident asked the council to consider improvements to Towery Street, describing potholes that could potentially damage vehicles. Mitchell said the city already has plans for streets needing work and would add the area for consideration. “We have a list of streets that we need to do on our next paving cycle,” Mitchell said. “We’ll add it to the list and have it checked out.” The problem, he said later, is manpower. “The city side, we’re shorthanded,” Mitchell said. “I’ve got a whole list of the potholes and streets that need fixed.” Mitchell said one part-time employee has been working when available and another person is going through the employment process. “Right now, I’m just shorthanded on the Street Department,” Mitchell said. “But it will get taken care of. We just have to get some people. We’ll get it worked on.” A resident also questioned problems with a traffic signal along Missouri 25, saying motorists sometimes wait 10 to 15 minutes for the light to change. Mitchell said the signal is a Missouri Department of Transportation matter rather than a city-operated traffic light but agreed to contact MoDOT. “I’ll reach out to MoDOT and see if we can look into it,” Mitchell said. “Can’t promise you anything like that, but keep a heads up.” Council members also raised complaints about maintenance at city cemeteries. Councilman Bo Beckett said residents had contacted him about grass and weeds around headstones. “I had a few people call me about the cemeteries, you know, the grass and weeds and all that,” he said, adding some residents reported having to trim around their family members’ headstones themselves. Mitchell said the complaints were new to him other than one recently brought to his attention and agreed to look into the matter. Code enforcement generated a broader discussion about whether people connected to city government should be treated differently when their properties are subject to enforcement. On Councilman Santie raised the issue, saying the city must apply its property standards consistently. “It’s going to be hard for the city of Malden to enforce something if we have employees and people that are tied with the city until we get that done,” Santie said. Mitchell explained that potentially dangerous buildings must go through an established legal process. Code enforcement identifies structures that may qualify as dangerous, after which the matter goes before the building commissioners for a hearing. “The building commissioners decide what to do with the building after that,” Mitchell said. That can ultimately include demolition when a structure constitutes a health or safety hazard. Mitchell said several properties are already on the city’s list for possible condemnation or designation as dangerous buildings. “There’s a lot of them,” he said. Santie asked whether city employees, council members or others connected to city government receive the same treatment as other property owners. “The employees would follow the same program as everybody else,” Mitchell said. “The process would be the same.” Santie said consistent enforcement is important to maintaining public confidence. “I feel like maybe some city employees are taking advantage of the code enforcement,” Santie said, characterizing it as his personal opinion and saying the city needs to determine how to address the situation. The city also continues work on its water system. “The Well 6 project has started,” Mitchell said. “That part is in the works.” He cautioned that the project will take time but said residents should begin seeing progress. “It’s going to take a little while,” Mitchell said. “But it is starting, so hopefully we’ll see some things starting getting accomplished before long.” Mitchell also offered an upbeat assessment of Malden’s recently opened splash pad. “Looks like a bunch of kids are enjoying that,” he said. “I see them over there every day, so I think the splash pad is a pretty good hit with kids.” Drainage near Walmart and Harps Foods also came before the council. Mitchell said the city had contacted the property owner responsible for an area near the drainage problem and someone was expected to clean out the drain. Mayor Denton Kooyman, meanwhile, updated the council on the Ward 1 council vacancy. Kooyman said two people have contacted him expressing interest in the position. He plans to meet with them after returning from a trip and expects to bring a potential appointment before the council next month. “Hopefully by next month, maybe we’ll have another council member for Ward 1,” Kooyman said. The mayor also reminded residents about upcoming back-to-school activities and encouraged community members to participate in welcoming students. Kooyman said streets between school buildings will be closed for an outdoor back-to-school event, with city departments participating. He also invited residents and city employees to welcome students on the first day of school. “Everybody is welcome to give high fives to the kids when they come in,” Kooyman said. “They love it.” With Southeast Missouri continuing to experience summer heat, Kooyman closed his report with a simple request. “Everybody, please stay cool,” he said. “It’s been very warm lately.”