Azotea resigns from council among dispute over residency requirements

Published 2:20 am Wednesday, June 17, 2026

HANNIBAL — The Hannibal City Council will be looking for a new Second Ward council member following a resignation over questions of residency.

April Azotea announced her resignation effective immediately at the start of Tuesday’s meeting, taking the podium for a public comment where she said she had attempted to communicate with city officials over having a temporary residence while waiting for a new rental property to become available.

Azotea suggested that social media discussions were based on assumptions of people seeing her loading a moving truck. She also said that she never heard from any other council member to ask her directly about her residence.

Mayor Darrell McCoy asked several times for Azotea to clarify if she was currently residing in the city’s Second Ward, which Azotea did not answer.

Azotea wrapped her comments and turned in city-owned devices to the city clerk before exiting the meeting.

Following her departure, former Mayor Barry Louderman told the council during a public comment of his own that they may want to consider clarifying the residency requirements in the city’s charter to avoid such confusion in the future.

The council carried on with additional business. One change approved was to add in a position of captain for the Hannibal Police Department. This comes at the same time Alex Grote was confirmed as the city’s next chief of police. Grote was promoted from lieutenant to the formal position he has filled as interim chief since Jacob Nacke announced his retirement effective earlier this month.

“I appreciate your trust in me,” Grote said following his swearing in Tuesday.

The council once again tabled an ordinance change that would impact the sale of kratom and 7-OH products within the city limits. Neither substance is regulated at the state level and is a growing concern among communities.

Kenny Dobson, vice-president of operations for Wareco, the company operating JB Hawks locations, told the council that the business he represents does sell kratom, a natural substance, to adults. He noted that he has not heard of medical issues arising from the use of true kratom products.

Dobson noted that barring 7-OH products. He asked that the council consider banning that substance while not changing the status of kratom for sale.

City Attorney James Lemon said the ordinance he crafted expanded the definition of mind-altering substances to include kratom and 7-OH. He noted that the ordinance does exclude substances like alcohol and marijuana that are legally regulated at the state level.

The council tabled the ordinance to allow council members to work with Lemon to craft language that would allow for the freedom of adults to purchase substance they can legally possess while still providing a level of safety within the community. While not specific timeframe was presented for the tabled ordinance change, it was noted that the intention is to return the topic to the council for future action.

Finally, the council approved a grant agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for funding for a new phase of the project to redevelop Hannibal’s storm sewer project. The project, with a total cost of $5.3 million, will be covered at 90%, or $4.8 million, by grant funds with the city responsible for the remaining 10%.