Tempers Flare at Troy City Hall Over Guns, Security and a Proposed Dress Code
TROY, Mo. — A debate over who should pass through City Hall’s metal detector turned personal Monday night. A proposed dress code brought arguments over Crocs, tank tops and comments about women’s clothing. By the end, Mayor Quentin Laws cut off the exchange.
“I do not see that this is good for the city,” Laws said.
The confrontations came during an October 19 Board of Aldermen meeting that also included approval of an ICE agreement, disputed housing proposals and expanded work on Troy’s aging water system.
All six aldermen—Dennis Detert, Preston Gebhart, Terri Huffman, Conor Martin, Michael Quezada and Jim Wallis—were present, along with Laws.
The sharpest disagreements centered on competing approaches to meeting security. Detert wanted everyone entering the council chambers to pass through the metal detector, including officials and employees who might otherwise enter through another door. Martin favored making screening optional.
Detert said the issue was protecting everyone in the room. He described people entering behind him without passing through the detector and recalled losing a friend to a shooting.
“If you make it voluntary for anybody to go through it, put it on Marketplace,” Detert said. “There’s no need to have it.”
An officer who addressed the board supported screening everyone, citing his experience teaching active-shooter response. He encouraged the city to strengthen safety measures for residents and employees.
Martin argued that armed people can also provide protection. He questioned whether Detert’s proposal was aimed at him and the mayor, which Detert denied.
“I do carry in this building,” Martin said, explaining that he was a law enforcement officer and maintained he was permitted to do so.
As the exchange continued, officials called for order and tried to return the discussion to the proposed policies.
City officials said Troy did not have a written policy governing the screening procedure. The board ultimately directed staff to research other municipalities’ policies for further consideration. Neither proposal became a new screening policy that night.
Former alderman Rachel Dunard raised questions about both security and the proposed dress code during public comment.
Dunard, who said she served on the board for six years, challenged the priorities behind discussing clothing requirements while considering optional screening. She also asked for clarification about firearm rules and whether police supported changing the screening process.
“When you’re more concerned about what a woman is wearing than what someone could be carrying, perhaps it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities,” Dunard said.
Later, Martin presented his dress-code proposal, arguing that elected officials should project professionalism when representing Troy. He held up examples of clothing while explaining his proposed standards.
Martin pointed to officials wearing Crocs, shorts and tank tops and argued that appearance could influence how developers viewed the city.
Huffman, the board’s only woman, objected to language she attributed to Martin’s social media comments about women’s clothing.
“As I’m the only woman on this board, I took that a little personally,” Huffman said.
Martin responded that he had not been speaking specifically about her.
Detert also objected to the characterization of his clothing, acknowledging that he wore Crocs and had worn a tank top to a Planning and Zoning meeting in hot weather.
“I do not like being called a slob,” he said.
Laws ended the debate as the exchanges continued. No dress code was adopted before the board moved into a personnel closed session.
Mayor Quentin Laws presides over the October 19 Troy Board of Aldermen meeting. Laws cast the decidi Alderman Dennis Detert speaks during the October 19 Troy Board of Aldermen meeting. Detert advocated Alderman Jim Wallis participates in the October 19 Troy Board of Aldermen meeting. Wallis raised con Alderwoman Terri Huffman participates in the October 19 Troy Board of Aldermen meeting. Huffman chal Alderman Preston Gebhart participates in the October 19 Troy Board of Aldermen meeting. Gebhart disc Alderman Conor Martin speaks during the October 19 Troy Board of Aldermen meeting. Martin supported Alderman Michael Quezada participates in the October 19 Troy Board of Aldermen meeting. Quezada prop
Earlier in the evening, aldermen approved Resolution 2026-53, authorizing the city administrator to negotiate and execute an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Martin, Quezada, Gebhart and Huffman voted yes. Wallis and Detert voted no.
Discussion focused on the federal 287(g) program, with supporters describing it as a tool officers could use during their regular duties and opponents raising concerns about profiling and public trust.
Gebhart described his experience with the program through the sheriff’s office, saying immigration-related inquiries arose through ordinary law enforcement contacts rather than separate operations targeting homes or businesses.
“It’s just regular day-to-day operations,” he said.
Martin supported participation and cited public-safety concerns. Detert questioned how officers would identify someone for an immigration inquiry, while Wallis said concerns about ICE’s conduct and community trust led him to oppose the agreement.
The vote authorized the agreement; the discussion did not establish that Troy officers had already begun operating under it.
Housing proposals also produced divided votes.
The board approved the Park Hills Estates rezoning and site plan under Bill 1488 by a 4–2 vote. Martin, Quezada, Wallis and Gebhart supported it; Detert and Huffman opposed it.
Residents had urged the board to reject the proposal, citing traffic, parking, neighborhood character and dissatisfaction with the developer.
Debbie Foley described a loss of trust between homeowners and the builder. Other speakers argued that residents should not have to repeatedly return to oppose a proposal they believed would harm their neighborhood.
During board discussion, Martin pointed to the existing zoning and pending litigation. He argued that approving the smaller-home proposal could avoid an apartment development that he considered less desirable. That was his assessment of the city’s options during the dispute.
The Alder Ridge proposal produced a 3–3 split.
Martin, Quezada and Wallis voted yes on Bill 1491. Detert, Gebhart and Huffman voted no. Laws cast the deciding yes vote, approving the rezoning and preliminary development plan.
The proposal calls for 27 duplex buildings, totaling 54 units, near Kemper and Cap Au Gris streets.
During the public hearing, resident Tamara Morris urged rejection, questioning stormwater drainage, the entrance, parking and emergency access. She argued that requirements should be settled before approval.
The developer’s representative said the proposed layout retained the same number of buildings possible under the existing zoning while allowing a different arrangement. He acknowledged that substantial off-site stormwater crossed the property and said drainage would be addressed through engineering work.
City staff emphasized that the approval was preliminary. Detailed plans and engineering review would follow, with a final development plan returning to the board.
Water concerns drew pointed questions from residents and a substantial update from City Administrator James Knowles.
One speaker described recurring discolored water and the cost of replacing a household filter far sooner than expected. He asked for a comprehensive assessment, a long-term improvement plan and public measures of progress.
“I’d rather work with this board than against it,” he said.
Knowles explained that an agreement approved through the consent agenda expanded Woodard & Curran’s responsibilities to include the drinking-water system and modeling of the distribution network.
He described a system built over more than a century using different materials and standards. The modeling would help the city identify weaknesses, plan maintenance and evaluate the effects of future development.
Knowles said the work should also support more proactive flushing, capital planning and a future review of rates and development fees. He stressed that the modeling would be a tool rather than an immediate solution to every water problem.
The board also unanimously approved rights-of-way management regulations intended to strengthen oversight of utility work. Knowles described requirements involving permits, insurance, inspections and restoration following excavation or boring.
Other approvals included the Turnbull Place Lot 1 final plat, the Hamptons Phase 3 final development plan and a dog variance requested by a resident hoping to foster puppies.
Aldermen also discussed a proposed 72-hour limit for vehicles left on public streets and an earlier curfew for minors. Staff were asked to conduct additional research for future discussion; neither became a new rule that evening.
Detert proposed reducing alderman and mayor compensation to help cover city expenses. The discussion ended with plans to gather salary comparisons from surrounding communities rather than enact a pay change.
The meeting also included recognition of the Lincoln County Resource Board’s 20th anniversary and an introduction of newly hired Finance Director Lisa Day.
The full recording below includes the public comments, development presentations, roll-call votes and exchanges surrounding the security and dress-code proposals.
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