City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Welcome to the Monday, June 1st, 2026 council meeting. Our invocation will be provided by Stephen Ballantyne, assistant pastor to Mount Zion Restoration Branch. Please stand for the invocation and remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

for the city we live in. We thank you, Heavenly Father, for the people that are in front of me and behind me that run this city. And we would ask, Heavenly Father, that you would give them divine guidance as they move forward in our desires to make this even a better place to live. Be with us tonight. Continue to be with us as we grow. And we pray it humbly in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Madam City Clerk, would you please call the roll?

Council Member Dorman?

Here.

Council Member Perkins? Here. Council Member Stewart?

Here.

Council Member Atkinson?

Here.

Council member Wiley here. Council member Vought here. Mayor King here.

Got a presentation resolution 26-731. A resolution recognizing Crystal Jeffries, financial analyst in the municipal service department as the I-STAR award recipient for June 2026. I would like to get a motion.

I'll make that motion. Got a motion.

Motion. Second. And a second. Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman.

Yes.

Council Member Perkins. Yes. Council Member Stewart. Yes. Council Member Atkinson.

Yes.

Council Member Wiley. Yes. Council Member Vought. Yes. Mayor King.

Yes. So let's hear about Crystal Jeffries. Yes. It is a privilege to recognize Crystal Jeffries, Financial Analyst in the Municipal Services Department as the recipient of the June 2026 I-Star Award. Crystal has proudly served the City of Independence for 26 years, beginning her career in the Water Department and continuing her dedicated service following the merger into Municipal Services in August of 2023. Throughout her career, Crystal has consistently demonstrated professionalism, adaptability, and a strong commitment to excellence. Since joining municipal services, Crystal has embraced new responsibilities and challenges with enthusiasm and a positive attitude. She consistently goes above and beyond her role, always seeking ways to improve processes and strengthen the efficiency of her division. Her willingness to take on new tasks and contribute thoughtful solutions has made her an invaluable member of the team. Most recently, Crystal's extensive knowledge and expertise in utility billing has proven instrumental during the city's utilities rate study. Working alongside consultants, she provided critical information and insight that significantly contributed to the success of the project. Crystal's dedication, cheerful approach, and commitment to serving both her team and the community exemplify the spirit of the I-Star Award. We are proud to recognize her outstanding service and congratulate her on her well-deserved honor. So the resolution, whereas the service recognition program recognizes outstanding performance and exemplifies excellence, service by employees of the City of Independence and whereas an employee committee selects the I star independence service and teamwork above responsibilities award recipient for exhibiting the qualities and ideals that best represent public service and whereas the service recognition committee has selected Crystal Jeffries as in the Municipal Services Department as the I-Star Award recipient for June 2026. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Council of the City of Independence, Missouri, as follows, Section 1, that the City Council of the City of Independence, Missouri, joins in recognizing Crystal Jeffries as the City of Independence I-Star Award recipient for June 2026. passed this first day of June 2026 by the Council of the City of Independence. So, Crystal, come on up. We have another proclamation. Proclamation proclaiming June 20, 26 is National Safety Month. Whereas the safety, health, and well-being of employees, residents, visitors, and businesses are fundamental to maintaining a thriving and resilient community, And whereas June is recognized nationwide as National Safety Month, an annual observance led by National Safety Council to raise awareness and encourage actions that prevent injuries and save lives both in the workplace and throughout our communities. And whereas workplace safety is a shared responsibility that requires commitment from elected officials, organizational leaders, employees, and community partners to foster a culture where safety is prioritized, hazards are identified and mitigated, and every individual returns home safely each day. And whereas effective risk management practices help organizations anticipate challenges, reduce exposure to loss, protect public resources, and ensure the continuity of essential services upon which residents depend. And whereas emergency preparedness strengthens our community's ability to respond to natural disasters, severe weather events, public health emergencies, infrastructure disruptions, and other unforeseen incidents, thereby safeguarding lives and property. And whereas the City of Independence recognizes the importance of ongoing training, safety awareness, hazard prevention, emergency planning, and continuous improvement in protecting its workforce and serving the public, and whereas National Safety Month provides an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to creating safe workplaces promoting personal responsibility, enhancing organizational resilience, and preparing our community for emergencies. Now, therefore, I, Kevin King, Mayor of the City of Independence, Missouri, do hereby proclaim June 2026 as National Safety Month. Thank you. All right. Yeah, absolutely. All right, this brings us to our... I'm sorry. This brings us to our citizen's request. I would entertain a motion for non-residents to speak.

Mr. Mayor, I'll make that motion for non-residents to speak.

Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman. Yes. Council Member Perkins. Yes. Council Member Stewart.

Yes.

Council Member Atkinson.

Yes.

Council Member Wiley. Yes. Council Member Vought. Yes. Mayor King.

Yes.

This brings us to our first speaker, Mr. R. Scott-Smith.

Please tell us where you live. You have five minutes. Thank you.

I'm independent 64052. I'm here to speak about the budget that's been presented. I think I don't know with our new city manager whether or not he's aware of the history of this storm water sales tax and how it was passed. Back in the early 20s, the citizens of Independence did not trust the council nor the city manager to utilize funds provided for special uses and not reallocate those funds to other things. Police and fire special tax was presented and the voters resoundingly rejected it. Subsequent thereto, a storm water tax, special sales tax, was proposed with oversight. And that passed. Subsequently, with the same provision of an oversight committee, the fire and police special sales tax passed. It worked pretty well for the first 10 years of the stormwater tax with there being no incursions or reallocations. The funds were not paid in to the general fund. Thereafter, when the tax was repassed, it provided for the payment of the special tax funds to be paid into the general fund. fund, and thereafter, the one time in the history of the stormwater sales tax, there was a reallocation, and that was as a result of the Bass Pro Financial Emergency. Thereafter, no additional reallocations have been done over the years. I just noticed in this budget that there's a provision for a central garage. And in looking at that, the only funding provided was half a million dollars from the stormwater tax sales tax fund. There are no other contributions shown. The question I would have is, is there more to be taken from the stormwater sales tax? And I'm sure the residents of Western Independence who suffered through the weekend the massive rains would like to know too that is where our infrastructure is the most fragile and that is the location also where we get federal matching funds to fix the infrastructure there half a million dollars would provide for a million or a million and a half dollars in repairs now That was a promise made by that council and city manager to the voters that these stormwater sales tax funds would be used for stormwater prevention, maintenance of the structures, and improvements. And I question whether or not what appears on the face of the budget is something to benefit other departments without any taking of their funds. I'm advised that I may be mistaken. Do I have one minute, sir? I have a minute. There may be other entries, but there are none that indicate that other departments are helping to pay for this. But there is none under the consolidated garage. So I would ask you to reconsider or revise the budget to show where those funds are coming from. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker is Danielle Dupree. Please state your address and you have five minutes. Thank you.

Good afternoon, Mary King and members of city council. My name is Danielle Dupree. And I reside at 4424 South Huntington Way in the Thomas Shaw Village's neighborhood, which is very close to the Nolan Fashion Square. I'm speaking tonight as a homeowner, a taxpayer, and a resident who has experienced firsthand the consequences of the blight and neglect surrounding the Nolan Fashion Square. For years, our neighborhood has lived with the impact of vacant buildings, deteriorating properties, criminal activity, and public safety concerns that have spread beyond the property and into our surrounding residential areas, such as my beautiful neighborhood. While discussions tonight focus on redevelopment plans, financing districts, and future opportunities, I believe it's important to remember that nearby residents have endured while waiting the actions. this development. I'd like to share just three examples. First, I personally witnessed a mugging. A woman emerged from one of the vacant buildings at Nolan Fashion Square, approached a smaller woman outside of Hy-Vee, stole her purse, and then fled into our neighborhood to avoid capture. This wasn't something that I read about. It wasn't something that I heard secondhand. I watched it happen, and it was frightening, and it demonstrated how criminal activity associated with the Nolan Fashion Square properties can quickly spill into our neighborhoods. Second one, some of our senior couples have experienced some terrifying home incidences, such as a terrifying home intrusion. A husband was working in his backyard while his elderly wife was alone inside the home. An individual entered the residence without permission while she was there. Thankfully, the situation did not become physically violent, but no senior citizen should have to fear for the safety in their own home while working on their own property. This incident left them and many in my neighborhood shaken and reinforced the concerns that many of us have about the growing activity connected to this neglected area. Third, our neighborhood park and neighborhood pool have repeatedly been affected with safety issues. We have teenage lifeguards working at our community pool. We've experienced break-ins, trespassing, disturbances both during and after operating hours. Last summer, during a private pool party, an individual who appeared to be under the influence and living in those empty buildings entered one of our events, disrupted the gathering, and made threatening statements. Three separate 911 calls were placed before assistance arrived. When officers responded, they discovered the individual was wanted in connection with a homicide investigation. Imagine being a parent of a teenager working as a lifeguard or having a child attend an event that they're supposed to be safe at. These are only three of hundreds of examples, and there are so many more stories that have negatively impacted my neighbors. The people of Thomas Shaw villages have carried the burden of the decline for many years. We have watched property values, quality of life, and our sense of security struggle while these properties sat vacant and deteriorated. I support redevelopment because our neighborhood deserves relief, our community deserves investment, and our residents deserve to feel safe again. As you consider these ordinances tonight, I ask that you remember the families who have lived with the consequences of this blight every day. Ensure that this redevelopment moves forward with accountability, urgency, and a commitment to restoring this area as a safe and productive part of independence. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Our next speaker is David Titus. Please state your address, and you have five minutes. Thank you.

My name is David Titus. I live at 20800 East Truman Road. And I'm here. This is actually my third annual plea to the council about Little Blue Parkway. I live off of Truman Road, fairly close to Little Blue Parkway. I drive it quite frequently. It's dangerous. It's been patched for years, patched. I'm an avid motorcycle rider. It's not safe to be riding on a motorcycle. And it's time we resurface this. When North Point put in those warehouses back then, we had discussions that once they finished this, they would take care of the roads. Well, the roads were destroyed. by all the diesels and having these built. Well, now North Point's pretty much empty except for about 50 people in there, and the roads that we as residents have had to deal with these roads for many years now. It's time we get this resurfaced. I want you to think about it. I'd like each one of you to drive down that road, and I want you to think about your spouse, okay? Your spouse, think of her as suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Think about as they hit, every single bump on those roads as you go down that road, it's excruciating pain for them. It should look just like 7 Highway. It should be smooth. We shouldn't have to deal with this continuously. So I'm pleading that you get Little Blue Parkway. completely paved from 39th Street all the way to 24 Highway. Thank you. Thank you.

Our next speaker is James Patt. Please state your address, and you have five minutes. Thank you.

Mayor and council members, thank you. My name's James Patt Oliver. I live at 3312 South Willis. I'm here to congratulate the council on there's going to be a second reading tonight for the 33rd Street stormwater project. And it's been a very long time coming, but with the special efforts of some city employees, I'd like to acknowledge them for those accomplishments of bringing forward a design that will actually we feel that will actually improve, even though it's going to take a lot of my backyard, I'm good with that, because it will actually improve the water or storm flow. And last night certainly, or in the morning, you know, the storm we had last night certainly represented that problem. So I'd especially like to recognize Jim Walton from the engineering staff, Jim Holtkamp from acquisition, and Ted Martin from the Water Storm Water Operations. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Next speaker is Wes Epperson. Please state your address and you have five minutes.

Thank you. Okay. Yes, Mayor, city council members, I live at 3600 Poplar Avenue in Southwest Independence. And I'm here, I want to voice my support for the tri-land redevelopment proposal that you all will vote on this evening. I have to admit, I'm an older guy, I'm old school. I'm not pleased with all the incentives that are always attached to these big projects, but I understand that that's the way big projects are done nowadays. But I have confidence in our city staff and you, the city council, and the mayor that mistakes that were made in the past on incentive packages won't be repeated. I guess my concern is, if not this development, what's next for the Nolan Fashion Square? Well, we have more unanswered RFPs, more fire and police calls to this deserted, blighted eyesore that we put up with for years, more legal expenses incurred by our city for attempting to demolish a dangerous building that nearby Independence residents have complained about many times at our 4th District Southwest Independence Community Improvements meetings over the past four years that we've held. Almost every meeting that we've held, the complaint has come about, when's this city going to do something about Nolan Fashion Square? especially the people that live just on the west side of Gordman's and where the theater was at. They've seen all the fires, the police and fire calls, the illegal activity that goes on there, and they want something done. Our Southwest Independence Community Improvements Committee, we held our first meeting about four years ago. at a neighborhood church, and our purpose was to join with the city staff and our city council to fight the spreading blight in our neighborhoods in the 4th District, and especially we're in the west part of Independence. And much of that fight has been focused on 40 Highway. We believe that 40 Highway needs in the future the same makeover that 24 Highway is receiving and getting rid of the blight at Nolan Fashion Square would be a good start to cleaning up and making 40 Highway look better. Personally, we are longtime customers of the McIver's Price Chopper that's on 42nd Street. We discussed this the last time that we were there, my wife and I. We don't blame them for leaving that location. The building is in need of repairs. The parking lot is terrible, not only for the store, but for that whole shopping area there. It's not being kept up like it should be. We support their relocation to a new facility in Independence.

You have one minute, sir.

Okay. Not Kansas City. We want to keep them in Independence. So I'm asking all members of city council, to support ordinances 26-040 through 26-055. And I leave you with this question concerning this proposal. If not this proposal, then what is the plan moving forward for this gigantic eyesore that we have at Nolan Road and 40 Highway? Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker is Bob Sorensen. Please state your address, and you have five minutes, sir.

My name is Bob Sorensen. I live at 800 Southwest Powell in Oak Grove, Missouri. I'm a 35-and-a-half-year retired policeman that worked for the State of Independence. I wanted to speak tonight in regards to Nolan Fashion Square Tiff, and I am not speaking in favor or against it. I have a big concern with it. I come to numerous council meetings, as most people know, and if the ones I don't make, I try to watch on my computer at home. I retired in 2009 from the police department. At the time I retired, the Bass Pro tip had been in play for quite some years. I've been actively involved with the city for many, over 50 years, and I have a tremendous, I guess I need to understand, I want to understand how this TIF is different than Bass Pro. And the people that spoke here before, being a retired policeman, I do agree. That is the biggest eyesore. The blight is terrible. It needs to have something done. Those buildings should have been taller down years ago. I feel sorry for the police and fire that have to make all the calls there. I wouldn't want to have to make those calls. Something has to be done. There's no doubt about that. I'm just very leery of how this TIF is different than the Bass Pro TIF. I've been told for years, way back when I was FOP president through all my retiree years, the Bass Pro TIF does not have to be paid for by the city. But they chose to do that to protect their credit rating. I understand that. I don't understand how this TIF is different. If this TIF would happen to fail and not be able to generate the money it needs to to pay the bonds, how is this city... I've been told they're not going to be responsible and it won't fall on the taxpayers to take care of the bonds. I need to understand how it's different because that's the part I'm having a hard time dealing with. I'm not saying it isn't different, but I'm having a hard time understanding that if it failed, which we don't want it to fail, we want it to be prosperous. We want the AI center to be prosperous. If it's going to happen, you want it to be prosperous. The better the city is off financially, the better it is for everybody that lives in the city, the employees and everybody. I'm just scared that If something happens and it doesn't go right, like the Bass Pro, are we on the hook? And can we afford that kind of debt? That's my big concern. I would like to see, before this is voted on tonight by the council, that the city manager or some staff people or the council can explain to me and the citizens of this city that there is no way that this city is on the hook if this is not successful. that there's no way we can be in the same boat that we're in with the Bass Pro Tip today. We can't afford for this city to take on another huge hit like that. I appreciate your time, and listen to see what happens. Thank you. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Valerie Burns. Please state your address, and you have five minutes to speak. Thank you.

Thank you. Valerie Burns. I live in the 300 block of West Maple in Independence. I'm here on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership. My colleague Jarvis Sackman spoke to you all two weeks ago. So it's no surprise that our organizations are in support of this development. Um, but I've taken a little different angle than what Jarvis shared with you two weeks ago. And I'll read that letter to you, honorable mayor and city council members, the independence chamber of commerce and the independence economic development partnership express our strong support for the redevelopment of the Nolan road fashion square by tri land properties. For more than a decade, the former Nolan Fashion Square property has stood as one of the most visible examples of commercial decline in a community. Once a thriving retail destination, the site has become increasingly vacant, deteriorated, and disconnected from the surrounding economic activity that continues to occur throughout independence. There are many things that are causing us to rise. This is not one of them. The challenges associated with this property extend well beyond aesthetics. Vacant and deteriorating structures create ongoing public safety concerns, place additional demands on law enforcement and emergency responders, and negatively impact the perception of the surrounding area, as you're hearing tonight. As conditions continue to worsen, the site has become a symbol of disinvestment rather than opportunity. It's a stigma we've been working so very hard to shed from our portfolio. The development of this property represents a critical step toward reversing that trend. This project offers a comprehensive solution to a long-standing problem. By removing and improving blighted structures, restoring productive use of the property, highest and best use is what we aim for, and introducing new commercial investment, the redevelopment will significantly improve the appearance, safety, and functionality of one of the city's most important commercial corridors. Just as importantly, Nolan Fashion Square occupies a highly visible location that serves as a gateway into independence for residents, visitors, and businesses traveling through the 40 Highway and Nolan Road area. First impressions matter. The condition of this corridor influences how people perceive our community, and more importantly, impacts our ability to attract future investment. Redeveloping this site sends a strong message that Independence is committed to reinvestment growth and creating quality places for businesses and families. Triland Properties has demonstrated both the experience and commitment necessary to undertake a project of this magnitude. Their track record of successful redevelopment projects throughout the Kansas City region, including investments within Independence, provides confidence that this vision can become a reality. The proposed redevelopment is more than a construction project. It is an opportunity to remove a long-standing source of blight, improve public safety, strengthen a key gateway corridor, and restore confidence in an area that has waited far too long for meaningful reinvestment. It will also provide us with the opportunity to retain a longstanding grocer that has already given notice of leaving the city when their lease expires in 2028. in absence of this development. For these reasons and so, so many more, the Independence Chamber of Commerce and the Independence Economic Development Partnership strongly support the redevelopment of Nolan Fashion Square and encourage its advancement through your vote tonight. We look forward to working alongside community partners to help ensure the success of this transformational project. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Our next speaker is Ted Luce. Please state your address. You have five minutes. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor, members of the City Council.

My name is Ted Luce. I live at 3605 South Liberty, which is in the 4th District. I've lived there since August 1984, and I've rented a property in that same area two years previous to that. I am speaking in support of the Nolan Fashion Square redevelopment. So much has been said that I already agree with, but I'll just dovetail on three things. I think three things are important for this city. The health and safety of its citizens, coupled with fiscal responsibility, and ultimately a decision that would move the city forward. I think Triland's proposal, with McKeever's Price Chopper coming on board is a great way to move us forward. I look forward to other businesses moving into that space. I'm very excited about the possibilities, and I'm excited to see this blight and this very unsafe situation be remedied by developing this area. That's all I need to say. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

This brings us to our consent agenda.

Mr. Mayor proceed. I moved. I moved for the approval of, of the reports and recommendations of the city manager.

I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you. Any discussion or would anybody like to pull any items for consideration?

Mr. Mayor.

Proceed.

Can I pull under resolutions 26-728? Any other ones?

Mr. Mayor, number five.

Number five. Thank you. Mr. Mayor, number two. Number two.

Number five on, I'm sorry, Mr. Mayor, number five on reports and recommendations. Reports. Reports.

Bryce, you put. It was number two on reports and recommendations. Okay.

All right. So can I get a motion to approve all other. Yeah, that's right. So count. I'm sorry. City clerk, please call the vote.

Council Member Dorman. Yes. Council Member Perkins. Yes. Council Member Stewart. Yes. Council Member Atkinson. Yes. Council Member Wiley. Yes. Council Member Vought. Yes. Mayor King.

Yes. Passes seven ayes, zero nays. I'm going to go down in order here, if you don't mind, if that's OK. Council Member Stewart, item number two.

I'll make a motion for approval on item number two. Second.

Got a motion and a second on item number two. Any further discussion?

Mr. Mayor?

Yes, proceed.

Mr. City Manager, can you kind of explain what this is, why we need these meters? How many meters does $180,000 buy? I'm going to call up our IPL director, Joe Heckendeper. Thank you.

Mayor, council, Joe Hagendeffer, director of IPL. So this item is to continue to replenish our standard meters that we install out in the field to maintain inventory. So it's a yearly purchase order to keep those open. 180,000 depends on which one of the meters we continue to stock. So some of those range from 100 to $200 a meter, depending upon if it's the higher voltage for commercial or if they're a standard residential.

Okay, that's all I have. Thank you.

Any further discussion? Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman?

Yes.

Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart? Yes. Council Member Atkinson?

Yes.

Council Member Wiley? Yes. Council Member Vaught? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. Item number two passes, seven ayes, zero nays. Council Member Perkins, item number five.

Thank you, Mayor. I'll make a motion for approval. Okay.

Got a motion to approve item number five? Second. Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Mr. Mayor.

Yes. Please. Thank you. So this is a consumption agreement with the Independent Square Association. Mr. City Manager, would you mind just kind of explaining just a little bit of what we're doing here as a pilot program?

Yeah. So this authorizes... the allowance for alcoholic beverages to be consumed on public property, sidewalks, crosswalks, but not in public ways, not in public streets, for an interim period, for a pilot period, to see if this is a program that could be conducted more regularly or or permanently. This is a practice that we're seeing in downtowns and squares across the nation right now. We're seeing it improve visitor attraction and utilization, increase retail activity. There's a number of factors that are leading to us exploring this as a pilot program during this interim period. to see if this is something that's more feasible long term.

Thank you. This is something the Independence Square Association has worked with city staff and me, of course. It helped with this conversation to bring some more life, vitality, and kind of compete with some of the other squares and towns around us. So I will be voting in favor of this tonight.

Thank you. Any further discussion, Mr. Mayor?

Proceed. I am going to support this resolution. I wanted to just clarify that this does not eliminate some sort of public intoxication citation or anything like that. So if you go out and you get schnockered and act fool, you still will get picked up by the police. This is not an excuse to go crazy. That's it.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Mr. Mayor. Proceed. So I'm going to be voting in favor of this. However, I just had one question. Mr. City Manager, before this was put out, was it kind of discussed with the police department? Because obviously with alcohol, you get people connect different. And I just want to make sure they had some input in this and they're going to plan accordingly.

Yeah, I'm going to. I'm going to call on Assistant City Manager Charlie Diesel to talk a little bit about kind of all of the conversations that have been had that have led up to exploring and putting together this agreement.

Thank you.

Thank you, Charlie. We have worked with multiple departments in the city just to kind of verify that, again, there wasn't going to be any problems, any internal workings with those departments and just how that worked with them. Yeah, we've had these discussions at a very high level amongst city staff.

Okay, thank you. Any further discussion? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman? Yes. Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart? Yes. Council Member Atkinson? Yes. Council Member Wiley? Yes. Council Member Vaught? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. Number five passes, seven yeses, zero noes.

Council Member Wiley?

Yes.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. To inquire of the city manager. Mr. City Manager, this resolution approving savers, it's my understanding that the donation area will be along 23rd Street inside, so you'll have to pull up into two sets of garages. Is that true?

That's my understanding, yes.

And so that will cut out having bins on the outside near the neighborhoods, and it's going to be safer and a lot neater That's correct.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Mayor, I move to approve 26728. Second.

Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman? Yes. Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart?

Yes.

Councilmember Atkinson? Yes. Councilmember Wiley? Yes. Councilmember Vaught? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. 26-728 passes seven yeses, zero noes. This brings us to the regular agenda. And Madam City Clerk, this brings us to public hearings.

Fiscal year 2026-2027 proposed budget hearing, full public hearing.

Do I have anybody in favor of, against, or just wants to comment?

Council members, I'm Jared Fears. I live at 601 East Red Road. Probably surprised none of you that I think this is an important thing. Well, I know the public hearing is a requirement. When I sat where you are, I always thought it was important for the community to have a chance to comment on the budget and for you to hear our thoughts. In my view, beyond hiring the city manager, the approval of the annual budget is the single most important thing the council does. It sets the stage for everything that happens in the city, so time spent on this is worthwhile. First, I'd just like to make a general comment about the budget document this year. I think it's important to recognize that this is a far improved document over last year. I think you can thank Alex and Melissa for that progress in this document. They addressed a number of issues from last year, and the results are a significant improvement. If there's one thing I think would help you as a council, it would be to ask the city manager to add to the detail in the significant budget and operational changes part of the budget. department detail. That's the most obvious place in each departmental summary to see how a department is increasing its efficiencies, adding personnel, restructuring, etc. So additional details here, especially in justifying the need for changes, will improve the public understanding of what the city is doing to improve each department's service to our residents. I want to share support for the added positions in community development, parks, and finance in particular. That's not to take away from any of the other additions, but these are areas that I saw significant need in the past years and ones that we were not able to adequately fund. Moving custodial services, I think, in-house, in my view, is a good move, and adding to the funding for abatements and animal shelter overtime are also good moves. Also, I sincerely hope the grant's position is a success, as that's a great way to increase revenue if it can be successful. On the concern side of the coin, I've shared with the city manager my concerns of moving the police and fire back to the general fund. But I agree with him that it's basically a philosophical difference of opinion and really one that has no impact on the budget or its operations. The key for these two departments, as well as others, is to maintain expenditures in their budget that are sustainable. I was especially concerned to see a one-time expense of $858,000 for body cameras that was unbudgeted previously. That's a big amount, and it's a most unfortunate oversight. As I review this document, I notice some notable changes from prior budgets. Most importantly is that expected revenues have increased somewhat significantly over this year for the first time in recent experience. This is primarily because of the anticipated increases in pilots from the data center, but also because of expected permits. The city manager has shown a chart when we were reviewing it last week with him, showed a chart that predicts revenues under expenditures in the general fund, which is most concerning. And I know you all share that concern. As I mentioned, increase in revenues this year appears to be mostly handled by pilots and permits, but I would add my voice to those, to the voice of the city manager and others that would ask that as you move into future budget years, you not plan to use what could be limited term income, whoops, I lost my place, sorry about that. Limited term income from the data center, for example, to fund long-term needs of the city. It's critically important, in my opinion, to use that money to address some of the ongoing concerns that we have in the city. And here are a few examples. Streets, which we all know need more help than the GO bond can give them. debt service where it makes sense to maintain our good bond ratings, addressing negative fund balances in funds like work comp and risk management funds, making strategic decisions to address maintenance needs in a variety of different places, and adding to fund balances for the long-term benefit of the city. These are just examples. I would just implore you to not see these funds as as funds that will be here forever and use them for things like salaries and benefits and set us up for a cliff-like scenario like the one Mr. Anderson mentioned at the budget meeting last week. Regarding that, I appreciate the city manager's approach to seeking more input from the community regarding the budget and would ask that you especially use that approach in regard to increased funding from the data center and the related projects. Thank you.

Thank you. Anybody else that would like to speak on the public hearing that is for, against, or just comment?

Hi. My name is Kristen, and the opinions I'm about to express are solely my own, and they do not reflect the opinions of my employer. I attended the presentation on the 27th, and frankly, I was appalled by how they proposed to divvy up the general fund, which comes to roughly $92 million. The Parks and Recreation Department's proposed budget is about $10 million for this upcoming year, 26-27. When a city of our size, they should be receiving $12 million. And the Health and Animal Services Department is also grossly underfunded, operating on a $3 million budget when a city of 122,000 people requires six times that, so 18 million. I talked to some people there. They were really nice. So the safest communities are the ones with the most resources available to its citizens, not the heaviest police force. The proposed police department budget will consume 44% of the budget, which from the $92 million equates to roughly $40,480,000, almost $40.5 million. For a single department, that's entire purpose is to protect property, not the people. And as I'm sure you know, the origins of the modern-day police force can be traced back to the 1700s in the Carolinas. They originally started out as slave patrollers, and their job was to track down runaway slaves and deter revolt through violence and everything else. And then when the 13th Amendment passed, they shifted their focus to enforcing black codes and Jim Crow laws. And then when those were outlawed, they shifted their focus again to enforcing every law. However, they kept a lot of the same protocols, such as unlawful searches, enforcing curfews, and heavy surveillance of impoverished neighborhoods, which just so happened to house a majority black population. The police have never really been for the people. Like I said, they protect the property. And the safest communities are the ones with the most resources available to its people, all of its people. The money, a majority of it going to the police force, can and should be going towards public housing, mental health outreach, food security for its citizens, and rehabilitation and counseling for people struggling with addiction. Those are the things that are going to make a city better social programs for its poorest and most vulnerable citizens. The heavier police presence is not in the best interest of the people, as is the funding, not in the best interest of the people. Cut their funding because the other departments have made due, and so will they. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else that would like to speak in favor of or against this? Anyone else would like to speak in favor of or against? Thank you. This closes the public hearing. Madam City Clerk, would you like to do read 26-063? Yes, sir.

26-063, first reading, an ordinance adopting the annual operating and capital budgets of the City of Independence, Missouri for the fiscal year July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. estimating the revenues for the fiscal year, appropriating sums for the purposes stated in said budget, establishing operating transfers, designating fund balance allocations, establishing the authorized table of organization, and designating those who may make a requisition for encumbrances against appropriations, first reading.

Thank you. This brings us to our ordinances. Madam City Clerk, would you please read 26-038?

26-038, second reading, an ordinance adopting amendments to the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget, which was approved by ordinance number 19682, second reading.

We heard the second reading. Do I have a motion?

I'm sorry.

Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Councilmember Dorman? Yes. Councilmember Perkins? Yes. Councilmember Stewart? Yes. Councilmember Atkinson?

Yes.

Councilmember Wiley? Yes. Councilmember Vought? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. I will get this down soon. Please proceed.

26-039 second reading an ordinance finding determining and declaring the necessity of acquiring general utility easements and temporary construction easements for the 33rd and Willis emergency stormwater project project number 131802-19 authorizing the negotiation and eminent domain proceedings if necessary approving the plans and specifications for the project authorizing the use of experts as needed, authorizing and directing the execution of documents and the payment of funds to property owners or others holding property rights in conjunction with the project, second reading.

Any discussion? Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman? Yes. Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart?

Yes.

Council Member Atkinson? Yes. Council Member Wiley? Yes. Council Member Vought? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. 26-039 passes 7 yeses, 0 nos. Please proceed, Madam City Clerk.

Ordinance number 26040, second reading, an ordinance approving the Nolan Fashion Square tax increment financing redevelopment plan, establishing a redevelopment area, designating the redevelopment area as a blighted area, making other required findings for the redevelopment plan, designating a developer, approving a redevelopment agreement with the developer, and directing staff to implement the redevelopment plan, second reading.

Any discussion? Proceed.

So from an email, I have a couple of questions. So I'm city manager. So if revenues fall short of projections, what obligation, if any, does the city have at the end of the TIF term?

Simple answer is none.

Okay, thank you. And how does this project's projected revenue compare to actual performance of similar grocery anchored redevelopment projects completed by Triland?

I'm going to defer to Triland and the folks that they've been working with to walk through the feasibility.

the president of Triland Properties. Councilmember Vaught, can you repeat the question for me, please?

How does this project's projected revenue compare to actual performance of similar grocery-anchored redevelopment projects completed by Triland?

Extremely similar. I mean, this project is larger in terms of what it is in terms of acreage. I think I expressed that during the presentation two weeks ago, that the hub is 16 acres, this is 28 acres. That in and of itself just produces a larger project. But the sales estimates, the tax estimates, the leasing timeline all represent similarities to what we have done for the last 45 years.

Okay, thank you. And then could I get an explanation on what was asked in comments from, I think you know.

Sure. David Martin with Gilmore & Bell. I serve as bond and economic development counsel to the city. I assume you mean the question of how is this different than the Bass Pro bonds. So structurally, this transaction and the Bass Pro transaction differ in an important capacity, and that is this transaction does not have and will not have an annual appropriation pledge supporting any bonds that are issued with these revenues backing it. So we changed that model in the HUB transaction. And to get into a little bit of the detail of it, the Bass Pro bonds, like many of the city's bonds issued for various purposes, including all of its utility deals, are what we refer to as annual appropriation obligation. That brings with it some pretty specific language that is in the financing agreement or similar agreement that supports the bond issuance. What that language says is that the city agrees to at least consider and that staff will put in the budget appropriations for any shortfalls of payment that might occur if there's a shortage of revenues. That provision will not be in the financing agreement or any other agreement that relates to any bonds that are issued for the support of this project.

Okay. Thank you very much. That's all I have. So there's a lot I could say about this project. Like many residents in my district, I would love to see Nolan Fashion Square become a productive part of our community again. But the fact is that this property has been vacant and deteriorating for years. I have spent a great deal of time reviewing this proposal and listening to the concerns and opinions of residents throughout this process. This proposal has been under discussion for many months with a study session, public hearing, community meeting, TIF commission review, and many social media posts with discussions and multiple opportunities for questions. The reality is that this property has been marketed for years with little to no interest for redevelopment. Today we have a developer with a proven track record of taking struggling properties and turning them into successful developments. The status quo is not moving this property forward. For me, this decision comes down to whether we are willing to invest in bringing new life to a property that has been a challenge for our community for far too long. I believe redevelopment of this site has the potential to create jobs, attract a new investment, improve a key corridor, and turn a blighted, unsafe property back into a productive asset for independents. And for these reasons, I will be voting yes for this proposal.

Any further discussion?

I have a question, and I think it might be for the Bond Council. So my question is, I know the event center language is different than Bass Pro language and how we handle that, but there have been times where, as a city, we've had to add funds for the event center. If this project doesn't pay back, because the amount that we're giving is pretty significant, like two and a half times what our normal amount of TIFs or tax incentives are, would there be any risk to the citizens, like at the end of the term that the city of Independence is going to get stuck paying these off? Or if we only have the grocery store and it's not able to pay those, is there any risk to our city that we're going to end up pulling money out of our general fund or another fund?

No. The risk arose on those prior transactions because that annual appropriation pledge once given is taken into consideration by the rating agencies when they rate the city's annual appropriation debt. That's an important debt category to the city because so much of its overall debt that's outstanding is in that category. So the reason the decisions have been made on that type of debt in the past is to continue the city's ability to refinance and to finance new infrastructure and other basic municipal components using that form of debt. So in this circumstance, since there will be a clear division from an annual appropriation obligation debt and what's being issued here, this will be an industrial development authority obligation specifically to be repaid from just the project revenues that we've been discussing as being a part of this redevelopment agreement. it will never reach the level of an annual appropriation debt of the city. Based on that, a default under a bond on the Nolan Fashion Square project will not be what they call an event of non-appropriation by the city, which will not trigger a reduction in the credit rating on that credit.

So is there any risk to us if this project would not perform as it's supposed to. Like it's going to go through phases. The grocery store on its own won't cover like these bills. If that doesn't work out, you're saying it will all fall on tri-land.

It will fall on tri-land and the bond investors. And also, they will not be able to market all of the bonds for this entire project right off the bat. They'll be able to market an initial issuance that will be backed by the grocery store and related development. So you don't automatically have the risk of an entire you know, we're talking about $47 million of reimbursement, that's not all going to hit at once. So you don't have, nobody's going to carry that risk. And the risk that is carried will be on trial and to the extent that they can perform and get all of the reimbursement that the city's agreed to give. If they do, in fact, spend the money they said they were going to. And the bondholders risk of providing the investment on the assumption that those revenues are going to continue to pay them back.

Any further discussion?

Mr. Mayor.

Proceed.

So I just want to clarify, we are not giving Triland $47 million out of the general fund or anything, correct? That's correct. Okay. I know that that's a big concern that I've received, and I just want to make sure that that is crystal clear. We are not just paying Triland $47 million. With that said, I do think these get a little bit complex. So if you could explain three things for the good of the cause, what a TDD is, what a TIF is, and then please explain section 4.5 of the agreement concerning the sale of the property and how we would receive money back on that, if you would, please.

Sure, give me just a second to get to the right page. Bond Council is absolutely going to be more succinct. So I'll start with the generalities. So tax increment financing is a mechanism by which a city can capture the increment, the increase basically of property tax and sales tax on a particular project that is brought on by redevelopment. So you have a base level of what it produces now that is frozen at the point that a project is approved. And then after that, for a period of 23 years, you have the ability to capture 100% of the payment in lieu of tax or the property tax increment and 50% of the EADS economic activity taxes, which is the sales tax increment. In this circumstance, the city has, as it has on the HUB transaction, agreed to surplus half of the payments in lieu of tax. So basically, it puts the school district and your other property tax-heavy jurisdictions on the same footing as the city and the county with respect to the sales tax increment. So then the special districts, the rest of the alphabet soup, your TDD is a Transportation Development District, and your CID is a Community Improvement District. What those are is a separate political subdivision that's created that has very limited boundaries. In this case, the TDD, basically the same boundaries as tax increment financing. And with the CID, since it was already created, slightly larger boundaries that encapsulate the other operators on that lot that will not be owned by the developer at any point, those properties. So each of those entities has the ability and will impose a 1% sales tax on that property. Half of that will be captured as economic activity taxes and go into the TIF fund. The other half will remain as special district revenues, but also be used for portions of the project. In this case, parking lot and other improvements that can be considered public improvements. And then the other item is a special assessment to be imposed by the community improvement district that will be used for those same purposes.

Bond Council has the contract document in front of him. I'm going to let him speak to it.

Sure. So the purpose of Section 4.5, and it's entitled Public Participation Limits, it's intended to prevent the subsidy of an unreasonable gain by the developer that might be brought on by early sale of property or similar circumstances. Also, just including general overproduction requirements the property so it doesn't necessarily have to be triggered by a sale of property and basically what that provision does is it says that if the developer exceeds at any point a 15% rate of return that the excess will be shaved off and referred to as overage they will have to then share that overage with the city and the share point is 25% which is targeted basically to the non TIF TDD if you want to call it city share of the incentives, and that that amount would be paid back to the city to be used to accelerate the payoff of the TIF bonds.

That's all I have. Thank you. Any further discussion? Mr. Mayor. Proceed.

Mr. City Manager, can we kind of go through what we've did over the years with this property as far as Code violations and maybe any other thing else you can think of. Like legal challenges and different stuff.

Yeah, absolutely. I'll start with calling up Chief Walker to talk about some of our responses to the property. And then I'll call up our Community Development Director, Tom Scannell, to talk a little bit more about our code enforcement. Let's start with community development. Tom.

Good evening, Mayor and members of the Council. My name is Tom Scannell. I'm the Community Development Director. So over the number of years as Nolan Fashion Square has deteriorated, the city has received numerous complaints regarding that property. resulting in numerous code enforcement cases ultimately Tagging three of the buildings so building one would be the long retail building building two would be the theater Building three would be the former Gorman site. We tagged all of those as dangerous buildings in fact, we had Issued the demolition notice to proceed on the theater building and our contractor had proceeded to terminate the utilities to that building. At that point, we were served with legal notice and worked with the current owner to figure out a way to fix that property back up during those discussions it was brought about to issue a RFP a request for proposal so we worked with our bond council to put together that RFP and we sent that out to developers both nationally and regionally looking for a developer to purchase that property and and redevelop that. We received zero responses back. Some of the comments received were the sale price is too high and a number of other comments received back that just a project was not going to work out. More recently, Trial Land has come forward to redevelop the property. We have put the dangerous building cases on hold pending the outcome of this situation.

So if this were to fail tonight, could we just expect more of the same?

I would anticipate that. And one thing that I forgot to mention was The number of times that code enforcement has been out there abating trash debris broken out doors and windows Reboarding those we have spent quite a bit of time. I believe it's probably close to 30 some abatements I think as well as I can't remember the dollar amount spent on cleaning up the trash, debris, and reboarding up those buildings. Now, those abatement costs are passed on to the property owner as we send the tax bill to that entity to pay for those.

Okay. And you were talking about the condition of the buildings. Is one of the ones you were talking about the one the grocery store is going into?

Yes, that would be building one. That's the long retail building. Okay.

So I guess this would be more of a question for Triland, if they're available, or somebody from Triland, if they're available to talk about it. I'm just, I have some concerns, the condition of the building. I mean, is it really worth investing in? I mean, I'm guessing you think it is, but it's been sitting there a long time. I can't even imagine how much it's been rained in. You know, the mold that's probably in the building.

All of the above is correct. So we look at the project. We have built a number of centers from the ground up, and we have done 60 or 70 projects that we renovate. So what we look at and refer to in the vernacular is just we're looking at the bones of the real estate. The roof is shot. The mechanical systems are shot. There's no electricity in the buildings. The mold is there. The first thing we do is clear it all out. And what are we left with? We're left with anywhere from $50 to $70 a square foot of a structure that we then renovate reinvest into. And when we're done, our costs are anywhere from 15% to 30% cheaper than if you were to demolish it and start over again. The same thing's true of the infrastructure of the parking lot, where you're starting with a base, a reasonable base underneath that pavement, so you scarify just the first inch and a half or two inches for the most part, and then you could bring it right back to look like it's brand new. So there's a lot of value there, even though it looks as bad as it is, and it's as bad as I've ever seen, but there is a lot of value inside of that real estate.

Okay, well, thank you for being honest about the bad as you've ever seen. So I have been back and forth on this about one day I'm going to vote yes, one way I'm going to vote no. I have taken this very, very seriously. My biggest concern, one, was the condition of the building. And then number two, 49% tax incentives I think sets a really, really bad precedent for any future development that comes into the city. I understand Tri-Land, they have a very positive track record. I think the practical concern for a lot of the residents of this community It's not whether Nolan Fashion Square needs to be revitalized because it's in bad condition. We all know that. The main concern for a lot of the residents is the city giving a clear picture of the total exposure and the total investment. So, Mr. City Manager, I mean, you've been asked a whole bunch of times up here. I'm gonna ask again, is there any way the city is gonna have to pay on this investment if it fails?

To answer that question, no. And to respond to the previous question about emergency response, unfortunately our chief had to leave, so I figured he would want to be able to share these numbers. But I have the stats on our emergency response that you had asked about. So just for the record, since January 1, 2025, Independence Fire Department has responded to Nolan Fashion Square on 20 occasions. Of those responses, nine were fire-related incidents, including structure fires, illegal open burning, dumpster trash fires, and grass vegetation fires. In addition, during that same window of time, Independence Police Department has responded to 118 calls to Nolan Fashion Square. And then we have a complete breakdown of all of the types of incidents and types of responses. And so I just wanted to make sure that we got that information on the record as you had asked about. some of our response and the cost of the city as it relates to The condition of the property as it is today to come back and reaffirm the answer to the question you just asked no there is No risk to the city. The city is not backstopping any of the bonds any of the debt This is entirely at the risk of the owner developer of the property.

Okay. One more question. I was in a town hall with you, I think a week ago, and you really kind of explained very well how these incentives work as far as future development or future revenue. Can you kind of go through that again?

Yeah, absolutely. And to kind of build on some of the comments Council Member Atkinson made, as well as Bond Council, I always try to defer to Bond Council. They keep us out of trouble. So I'll take it up a level, though, right, of yes, the city is not giving the owner developer any taxpayer dollars, right? The city is foregoing some sort of revenue stream, right? So as I described at the town hall meeting the other day, right, that that the property today is generating a certain number of dollars that the city and all taxing jurisdictions for that matter are using to provide essential city and taxing jurisdiction services, right? It's the increase in revenue, whether it be property tax or sales tax, that is being generated by reinvestment by the owner developer into the property. And it's those future tax revenues that ultimately get collected and rebated back to the owner developer to retire the debt that they took out to make the development happen. Again, at that point in time, the city is a pass through, right? We are not in any way, shape, or form giving any taxpayer dollars to the owner-developer that aren't directly attributed to the reinvestment that they are making in the property and in the center. These are tax dollars we're not receiving today, but for the truly but for tax increment financing clause, right, is but for the redevelopment of the property, these tax dollars wouldn't exist.

Okay, thank you. I'm sorry, there is one more question. obviously there may be some clawbacks on personal property right now from the county. And if there is, would that affect this at all with the school districts or anything?

That's a great question. I would say... Matt, that's a great question. I might have to get back to you on that one because there's a baseline property tax obligation that is owed today, but I think the issue with the county tax is based on what was... done in last year's property tax year and the three-year payback of that. I don't think it would have anything to do with any future property tax increase. Here's where I might defer to bond council.

Do you say personal property specifically?

Well, whatever the county might be clawing back at this point.

So my understanding of the changes that are being made by the county is that they relate to a failure by the county to have sent notices that related to residential real property. So in that case, that wouldn't affect the valuation of this property. Okay.

All right, I think that's all I have.

Thank you. Any further discussion?

Mr. Mayor.

Proceed.

Thank you. So I recognize that this is a really complex incentive package. but I believe it represents a rare opportunity to rehabilitate an extremely dangerous and severely blighted area that has shown no improvement over the last 10 to 20 years. I also think city staff has pursued every available avenue, litigation, but in the meantime, our first responders continue to be dispatched to this site repeatedly while the structures themselves continue to deteriorate and I don't think we can just simply continue hoping that one day we'll prevail in court and maybe eventually see this area demolished. The city is already spending significant taxpayer dollars on fire and police responses, code enforcement efforts, and ongoing legal costs. This is an unprecedented blighted area that has negatively impacted surrounding businesses, property owners, and neighborhoods for decades. I think this project gives us a real path forward. It gives us an opportunity to address a longstanding public safety concern remove a major source of blight, and create the conditions for future investment and revitalization. I think this is our chance, and so I'm gonna support this. Thanks.

Any further discussion? Mr. Mayor. Proceed.

Thank you.

I'll just make a point of clarification since I do work for Price Chopper. I just want to make sure there's not a conflict of interest. I've asked our Jeremy Coverer, our counsel here to give me an opinion. And I do not, here's his opinion. I do not have, I do not have any conflict of interest that would prevent me from voting on any components of NFS redevelopment. The price chopper proposed for the Nolan fashion square will be owned by McKeever enterprises. While the price chopper that I work at is owned by a balls food store. It's an entirely different company. The fact that both companies use the price chopper's name is immaterial. So, I do not get any benefit, financial gain or anything from voting on this.

But what I do get is a lot of questions and comments.

And over the years of what is the city, it is always the question of what is the city going to do with Nolan Fashion Square for the 10 years that I've been on the city council. And up until this point, there was really nothing that I could say other than the typical we are looking at them. the different abatement problems that's there. How do we board up the buildings? How do we work with Block and Company to do something with that property? Obviously, since we're sitting here, they have done really nothing with that property. So we have an opportunity here that does come that we take evaluation. This project has been for the council for about a year now, if not a tad longer. So the conversations we've had through the study sessions, community conversations, emails, exchanges, and just every day doing our normal work as council members has been quite a bit. So I will be in favor of this project moving forward. Any further discussion?

I have a couple questions, if you don't mind. Obviously, we've talked about some of the safety issues at this What is the average cost per call to go out? I'm just curious how much this actually kind of costs the city as we respond to these phone calls or these issues going out there.

Yeah, so that cost varies. You can begin to kind of put together some back of napkin numbers, right? for every call. You have somebody who receives that call, dispatches that call. You have perhaps one or two individuals that respond to the call. Let's even say that nothing transpires during the call, right? Even on the short end of, you're probably 30 to 45 minutes just in that part of the process. There may even be some back-end paperwork that has to be completed as a result of the rise. So you can imagine two or three employees occupying an hour of time. You're talking a couple hundred dollars for every single call that goes out. And that's on the low end. Again, that's not to mention if there is an incident, you could be talking hours on the scene. You could be talking hours of follow-up, right, ongoing risk and liability, wear and tear on equipment, vehicles. I mean, the laundry list goes on and on. At the low end, a couple hundred dollars per call and on the high end. You could be talking several thousands of dollars per call.

Just one more question. I agree. This has been tough. I mean, this is quite a significant amount to ask for. But what happens, what's the next steps for the city if this doesn't get approved? Because, I mean, this is an issue, right? We've got a blighted area, but just what would be the next steps for us as a city?

Yes, I'll say that obviously we'll continue to respond to calls. We'll continue to respond to complaints. We'll continue to follow through with litigating those complaints and trying to obtain voluntary compliance, obtain voluntary to the extent that we can, perhaps even if it's as far as demolition of the project. Understanding, though, that I've seen a number of these and you could see years of litigation, legal fees, legal costs associated with litigation. And even if you were successful in getting, say, a demolition order, right, you then at that point in time have to expend dollars. And for projects this size, you're talking probably several millions of dollars just to demo these properties. And then whether or not you ever see those funds return back to the city, it's a very long, laborious, costly process. And again, not to assuage anybody one way or the other, right? Those are just the issues that we continue to struggle with. whether it's this property or any other vacant, undeveloped tract of land. Those are the ongoing issues.

Yeah, and that probably doesn't cover the legal amount that it's going to cost us to take this. Is that correct? If we're talking about millions to demo this, but we've got to get to that point to demo it, right? That's correct.

You're going to probably spend a couple hundred thousand dollars just on legal fees alone trying to get to that point. Yeah. That's assuming all goes well and you get to a successful order to demo the properties. This could get tied up in court for years.

And then we, hopefully, if this doesn't pass us, we don't have another death out there. I mean, that's...

Agreed.

And then I have one more question because I think It's really important for me, you know, and I've talked about this before, is that, you know, these developers want to make, you know, want to be committed and want to work with this city and everything. You know, one of the things that's important is that, you know, hopefully they'll invest back into this community. And I'm just curious because Triland's done other projects in this area, and I'm just curious what, You know, they talk about being involved in the city, but is there anything that they've done to try to help the city in their other projects through the city? If you don't, I mean, maybe Trilane can answer that.

Yeah, absolutely. That's a great question to defer to the owner-developer.

Okay. The hard part here is I really don't like to talk about what we've done for the community because it's part of who we are as a company. So at the hub, we did have some extra room at the hub. And the staff at the time, Tom was part of that group, asked a question in the negotiations with regard to the size of the TIF district we were requesting at the hub. And the question was, can you help us support the 23rd Street Improvement Project with a donation of a million dollars of the TIF money that will be paid back by the tenants and the owners of the Hub Shopping Center? So after I swallowed very hard and thought about that particular ask, we did it. We did it because not only was it the right thing for the city, but selfishly, 23rd Street is a gateway to the hub. And if the city was prepared to invest time and money into that improvement, then obviously, selfishly again, it helps us. And that's really the way we look at development. If we can be of assistance in certain cases, we'll do that. Second one was, because the hub at the time came at a time when we were told initially, don't bring Tiff in here if you're going to talk about the hub. That was the way we entered those conversations. So knowing that there was a pretty tall order, we went to the school board at the request of the city and said, why don't you guys go talk to the school board? And at the time, Dr. Hurl was the superintendent of the schools and a pretty good number guy. And He looked at the numbers that we presented and said, and then found out that we had made a contribution to the city. So he said, you know, these numbers are okay. They're pretty good. They don't ask for too much, but can you support putting two new electronic scoreboards in two of our high schools? Apparently one of them already had an electronic scoreboard. He knew what he wanted. And so we swallowed again hard and said, well, we can't do two, but we'll do one. So we spent $100,000 on a new, I forget which high school now that that went to, a new electronic board. So the point is, if we can do it, we will. At Nolan, we didn't have that room. There's just not that room at Nolan Fashion Square. There may be a different opportunity along the way, but I'd like to think that we are a good partner with the city. And that perhaps speaks a little bit towards our commitment to that partnership. So anything else I can answer, I'm happy to do.

I think you answered it. Thank you very much. All right. Any further discussion?

Mr. Mayor.

Proceed.

This is just more of a statement and maybe a task for all of us. But one of my biggest concerns is that when we clean up this area, we're just going to move the problems. So I feel like we need a task of how we address this to make sure that where Price Chopper's moving from doesn't become the next blighted area that's in this condition. So just a statement. Thank you.

Any further discussion? Madam City Clerk, please call the roll on 26-040.

Council Member Dorman?

Yes. Yes.

Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart?

Yes.

Council Member Atkinson?

Yes.

Council Member Wiley? Yes. Council Member Vought? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. 26-0-040 passes with seven yeses and zero noes. Thank you. I am going to make a motion at this time to postpone ordinance numbers 26-041, 26-042, 26-043, 26-044, 26-045, 26-046, 26-047, 26-048, 26-049, 26-050, and 26-051. I make that motion. Mr. Mayor? Proceed. Would you like to amend your motion to postpone it indefinitely? Postpone it indefinitely. I'm sorry.

That's okay. I'll second that.

Got a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Mr. Mayor. Proceed.

Can you just explain real quick why we feel the need to do this?

So I think after talking to... Try land a little bit. I think part of this is the development is not ready to start. Obviously, I don't want to give away too much, but maybe they want to speak on it. They have a letter of intent right now. And so this process is to when they start building, they can come in here. start the TIFs obviously this is a multiple amount of projects and buildings that are going to be going on and so this is the reason why I've asked to postpone this indefinitely because they have to get their things worked out to move this thing forward we don't know if it's going to take a month we don't know if it's going to take two months we don't know if it's going to take six months or even a year so If we postpone it indefinitely at this point in time, then we can bring it back up when they get ready to move this project forward. Any further discussion? Madam City Clerk, would you please call the roll?

Council Member Dorman? Yes. Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart?

Yes.

Council Member Atkinson?

Yes.

Council Member Wiley? Yes. Council Member Vaught? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. Motion passes seven yeses, zero nays. All right. Madam City Clerk, please proceed with 26-053.

26-053, second reading an ordinance supporting the formation of the Nolan Fashion Square Transportation Development District and approving a cooperative agreement, second reading.

Any discussion? Seeing none, Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman.

Yes.

Council Member Perkins. Yes. Council Member Stewart.

Yes.

Council Member Atkinson.

Yes.

Council Member Wiley. Yes. Council Member Vought. Yes. Mayor King.

Yes. 26-053 passes 7 yeses, 0 noes. 26-054.

26-054, second reading, an ordinance approving the petition for amendment at the Nolan Fashion Square Community Improvement District, making findings and authorizing certain actions related thereto, including the execution of a cooperative agreement, second reading.

Any discussion on 26-054? Seeing none, Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman?

Yes.

Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart?

Yes.

Council Member Atkinson?

Yes.

Council Member Wiley? Yes. Council Member Vaught? Yes. Mayor King?

Yes. 26-054 passes 7 yeses, 0 noes.

26-055? 26-055, second reading, an ordinance approving a plan for an industrial development project authorizing the City of Independence, Missouri to issue taxable industrial development programs in a principal amount not to exceed $75 million... in connection with the Nolan Fashion Square redevelopment project and authorizing certain documents and actions in connection therewith. Second reading.

Any discussion on 26-055? Hearing none, Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Dorman? Yes. Council Member Perkins? Yes. Council Member Stewart?

Yes.

Council Member Atkinson? Yes. Council Member Wiley? Yes. Council Member Vaught? Yes. Mayor King? Yes.

Yes, 26-055 passes seven yeses, zero nos. This brings us to council member comments. Council member Dorman.

Good evening. The first thing I wanted to announce is that the Englewood Arts District will be giving their Icon Awards on June 13th at 11 o'clock during their Pride. activities the other items that I wanted to mention we had a town hall regarding the budget that Troy led the feedback I'm hearing is positive we've talked about it and we plan to do more of these to help citizens feel informed when we make these kind of decisions and I will say this particular development was very hard I'm I was going back and forth on yes or no. It's a lot. It's just I think that we're making the right decision and that we're not responsible like we have been in the past. But I have that caution and want to watch it. But I just want you to know that our goal will be to get the citizens to be more informed. And Troy has committed to continuing to do that. If you weren't at the session, it was very informative. We had a little bit on this, but I told him I think we could use more of this education. Then the other thing, oh, tomorrow's Popsicle in the Park, right? Tuesday, which is tomorrow. And then we did have the, which we had Memorial Day.

That's the first time we've been back since then, or no? Mm-hmm.

So the firefighters had their hamburgers and hot dogs to recognize their EMTs. So we were honored to be there. And obviously that group is phenomenal chefs, even on hamburgers and hot dogs. So that's it. Thank you.

Council Member Stewart.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just have one thing. So we were talking about how bad. and fashion square was in the fourth district so we kind of have a property over in the second district that's pretty bad as well and that would be the old mccune school for boys which closed in 2013 although you can't see it as well because it's kind of up a hill out of the way but anyway it kind of sounds like jackson county is finally ready to do something with this property and uh the uh county executive phil devoto will actually be having a town hall tomorrow night from 5 30 to 6 30 at fire prairie upper elementary school and um to discuss ideas what jackson county still owns the property and it sits in district 2 but he wants to get some ideas of what maybe the community might want to see be done with the property so if anybody's interested come to that i plan on being there thank you thank you uh council member atkinson

Yeah, I am just thrilled that we took this vote tonight. I am so excited to see that blight removed, that neighborhood improve, and just really transform that part of our city. It has been, as somebody described it, a boil on the backside of independence, and I'm so, so excited to be rid of it. On top of that, today is June 4th, June 1st. So it is the start of Pride Month, and I just want to say that I hope we all celebrate the freedom to express love, to live the life that your heart feels. So please join Inglewood. I believe that was the 13th, right? June 13th. Yep. At 11 o'clock. So please swing by. That's all I have. Thanks.

Council Member Wiley.

Thank you, Mayor. I also wanted to talk a little bit about the budget presentation. I thought it was wonderful, too. I was really encouraged by the level of public engagement and the really thoughtful questions. Several residents raised questions about the maintenance of city infrastructure and public property, so I wanted to Make sure everyone is aware of the city's Capital Improvement Program, or CIP as we call it a lot. The CIP outlines proposed projects for constructing, maintaining, upgrading, and replacing the city's infrastructure and equipment over the next six fiscal years. It serves as a roadmap for investments that support essential city services. If you're interested in learning more, the CIP is on the website, and it's only 200 pages, so I would encourage you to look over the CIP. And then this Sunday, again, the Friends of Independence Animal Shelter is having a World Cafe meeting this Sunday, 3 o'clock in the afternoon at the Uptown Market. A World Cafe is a community conversation process designed to bring people together in small groups to discuss ideas, share perspectives, and identify opportunities for action. This meeting will focus on building support for our animal shelter and exploring ways that volunteers, rescue organizations, community partners, and residents can work together to improve outcomes for animals in our community. Everyone's invited. If you care about animal welfare and independence, we will see you there. Thanks.

Thank you. Council Member Vaught?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So I was just going to bring up that today is June 1st and the first World Cup FIFA match is June 16th. So we are down to 15 days. And I don't know if Council Member Perkins was going to talk about things that are going up on the square, like they're going to have soccer Saturdays.

I read it.

Well, I don't have the paper in front of me, so if you were going to talk about that, I will let you do that. But yeah, it's getting close, and there's going to be some exciting things happening, and it's we're ready. So thank you.

Thank you.

Council Member Perkins.

Sure. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yeah, so FIFA's around the corner. Soccer's Saturdays. I believe it's going to be starting. They put me on the spot because I don't have it right here in front of me either, but it's going to be every Saturday evening from, and I see Jeff and from six to ten every saturday except for fourth of july we'll be having that there so thank you for the heads up so yeah so that so that's gonna be a fun time that's one of the not park and rise but one of the destinations for the drop-offs will be there at the transit center and there will be opportunities for individuals to be able to volunteer as people get off at the transit center they can help point them up to the infinite square Englewood Arts didn't have their fundraising event, their second annual fundraising event last Saturday. It was really fun. It was a large crowd. I heard you were there, Mayor King, but I didn't see you there. I did see Councilman Atkinson. It was a fun time. The evening was pretty beautiful. So as we talk about derelict buildings and Nolan Fashion Square, if everyone remembers what that building looked like before life got breathed into it, that is what we're hoping to have here with the Nolan Fashion Square. January also is, 1st of January is also Strawberry Festival at the Vail Mansion. So that is this weekend. So feel free to come out for that. And I would like to do a quick acknowledgement. We do have Representative Job in the back. Raise your hand there. Thank you for coming and sitting through the whole meeting tonight. And with that, Mr. Mayor, I'm going to turn it back over to you.

All right. Thank you. I'm going to recognize Steinmeier, too, because I see you. I see you. Sorry. Yeah. So a couple things. The reason why John did not see me at Havana Nights was because I was dancing with my wife, and I'm so light and so fast on my feet, nobody got a picture or saw me. There you go. All right. So I had a great time. I did a proclamation for the Island Fest a week ago from Saturday. I'll tell you what, I had a great time out there and watching all the dancers from all the school districts around here. Just the culture was awesome and just a really good group of people. This thing is growing and growing every year. I ask you, or if you have the opportunity next year when this comes out, please think about attending this. This was absolutely awesome. On Memorial Day, I was humbled to ask to speak at the City of Independence Memorial Day. Spirit of Independence played. They asked me to come. I spoke. great atmosphere, great band. We should be really proud of those people that are in that. You know, I think obviously I want to say thank you to all the men and women that have served for our country and especially the ones that have gone and passed to give us the opportunities for our freedom and for us to actually sit up here and represent this city. I think that's extremely important. So I had the opportunity to honor them on that day. and then I, you know, Havana nights, it was a great time for a great cause. The arts district, if you haven't been down there, really get, get down there. Third Fridays. Um, it's a, it's a really nice area. Um, me and my wife have been going to it for the last several months. Um, great people just, but just the atmosphere down there is pretty awesome. And, um, I appreciate all the invitations. If you have invitations and you want to see the mayor out and speak, I see my wife going, oh no, oh no, not him speaking again. But if you have an opportunity and you want somebody out, you've got an occasion, please let us know. I don't mind trying to get out there in the public. I know Wes does the community meetings. Please don't hesitate to ask us to come out. And so at that, I will leave it to the city manager.

Man, you always put me on the spot. Honestly, I've really enjoyed, I heard a couple of comments about the town hall last week, about the budget. Really looking forward to continuing engagement with the community, whether it's the budget or any other topic for that matter. A couple of really great, I want to share some statistics with everybody. So we got some initial feedback from some of the questions So just a couple of fun stats. So on question number two, which format would make it easier to participate in future budget discussions? 77.8% said in-person town halls. So that reaffirms, I think, what we already knew and reaffirms that that's going to be a priority in the next coming year. Question three, we asked about would you be more likely to participate if there were and selecting three of the various options. 66.67% said Q&A focused sessions, and 50% said budget explainers or glossaries. So absolutely, that was really good feedback. We really appreciate everybody coming out and engaging with us and look forward to more of it in the future.

I want to say thank you to just everybody that came out tonight. This is a pretty good crowd, and I encourage you to keep continuing to come to the city council meetings. With that being said, we'll adjourn this meeting. Thank you.