City Council - Regular Meeting

Your Father in heaven, this weekend's scripture reading where your son hears of John the Baptist's death and he gets into the boat to remove himself from his disciples to pray and to be with you to grieve. Gives us all who gather here time to reflect on our many blessings you give us every day in our lives. You are always with us and in times of contemplation and in times of joy. May we all remember that you are the quiet sail that will guide us to you for comfort. We thank you for being by our side, blessing us here with peace and good health. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Amen.

Let me introduce 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.

All right, thank you and welcome. We'll go ahead and call the meeting to order and do a roll call.

Allers?

Present.

Allen? Here. Holt? Present. Hosselson? Here. Joe? Here. Dantzler? Present. Lester? Here. Michael? Here. Young? Present.

Okay, we're going to do the adoption agenda again. I indicated that I would read the statement later on in the meeting. We will have an opportunity for the public to ask questions. Our candidates to fill the vacant council seat and more 3 questions will be in writing again. The forms have been available. If you want to ask the question, you'll need to fill out one of the question sheets, which are located outside the Council Chambers. I believe they're now inside the Council Chambers. And if you want to ask more than one, just fill out a separate form for each one. Our legal counsel, Mr. Nicholas, is going to ask the questions. He's going to gather them in just a couple minutes when we get into that part of the agenda, which is coming up fairly quickly. So, Item three, adoption of the agenda. All right, we've got a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. Item 4A, citizens for Proposition 1, and I think I saw Mr. Bradley Bates with us. Welcome. Thank you. You've been on the circuit. Yes, yes. If you could just identify yourself. Thanks for being here. I know you put a lot of time in.

Mr. Bates. Mr. Mayor and esteemed members of council, my name is Brad Bates and I am the co-chair for Proposition 1 or what's more likely known as the Jefferson City Half-Cent Sales Tax. And I thought it a good idea to come before you because I'm not sure if you're aware but there is an election tomorrow. Did you drive through any intersection? Typically in years past when we've had to promote this, we've had to remind people of the election. I don't think that'll be the case this time. But the threat that does exist is that I do believe our message has been a little more difficult to get out. So I just wanted to present to the council quickly. We've done a lot of speeches. We've done a lot of communication with folks and educated them toward Jefferson City's half set sales tax, which has been in effect since 1986. And every five years we have to come before the citizens to renew the city's half cent sales tax. So my purpose tonight is to ask the council to reach out to neighbors, friends, family, and encourage them tomorrow to go vote. And I would remind you of two very important things. to state that this is important to jefferson city is an understatement it is vital to the progression of jefferson city and two this is not a new tax it's one that's been in place since 1986 it's just a renewing of it to help fund many of the projects and infrastructure that our city runs on i'd be happy to answer any questions any questions

Again, I know you and Mr. Hussey and Mr. Schwartz, who's our treasurer, have made a lot of presentations, so thank you very much. we encourage i know this this room is probably full of some overachievers that have already voted but if you have not voted six o'clock in the morning and they're open until that nicola till seven but whoever the last person in line is after seven if you're there prior to seven you'll be able to vote so

if you haven't already voted please go out and vote there's a lot of issues on the ballot unfortunately ours on the flip side so remember to turn the ballot over bottom right hand corner that's us absolutely and i want to thank the council i know i'm speaking to a friendly audience thank you guys for running your service to our community truly making this a better place to live and and again this tax is vital to our community and it is not a new sales tax it's just a renewing that we have to come before the council or i'm sorry the citizenry every five years but we're changing to every 10 years from this point forward so thank you all have a good evening all right thanks all right that takes us to item 4b ward 3 nominees question and answer

Again, I'm going to read the statement before we get into this, and then we will have each of the candidates come up. Pursuant to section 12. 18, 3 of the city code will now have a question and answer period with the nominees. For the vacant council position after they have made their individual statements. This portion is for the public only at the beginning of the meeting people. wanting to ask a question we're asked to write their question down the city attorney will read the question and each candidate will be asked to respond question may be edited for time and clarity and we'll alternate each candidate who answers first so as we go to a different question we'll reverse the order but first on the agenda are an opportunity for each candidate. I think I saw both of them in the room. We have four minutes. There will be a timer that's already set. So I invite Susan Cook to come to the microphone. Again, just please identify yourself. I see the red light, so I think the mic's on. Welcome. Thanks for being here.

Thank you. So good evening, everyone. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. Since this vacancy was first announced in April, I have been very excited about the possibility. I'm ready to serve and I believe that my professional experience, my civic record, and my deep roots in the community make me well prepared to do so. Jeff City has been my home for 22 years. It's where I work, it's where I raise my son, and serve my community. I care deeply about the future of this city, not only because of the work that I do professionally, but because I'm a resident of Jeff City who wants a strong, welcoming, and well-run community for everybody that lives here. For nearly a decade, I've been the executive director for River City Habitat for Humanity. where I have led the organization through sustained growth, overseeing construction of over 38 affordable homes for local families and managing our annual operating budget of around a million dollars. It hasn't always been easy, but I love the people that we serve and I love working with the community. That professional experience has directly shaped how I approach public service. I understand how budgets and policies translate into real outcomes for real people. I know what it takes to build consensus among people who have different viewpoints, how to manage competing priorities, and how to stay accountable to a community that puts its trust in us. Those are not just nonprofit skills, but those are skills that I believe are directly related to being a council member. My commitment to Jeff City extends well beyond my professional role. Throughout my adult life, I have tried to be someone who shows up when there's work to be done. Following the 2019 tornado, I served as the housing chair for the Long-Term Recovery Committee of Cole and Miller County for about four years. At that time when our community did not have a formal disaster response strategy, we worked together to help our community recover. Month after month, we heard real stories about families trying to rebuild their lives, considered how best to use the resources that were entrusted to us, and worked together to help people recover. I've also served the city in many different ways, including being on the City Human Relations Commission, the Task Force for Homelessness, and working the last three years on a housing strategy for the city. Besides those, I've served as the president of the Lincoln University Blue Tiger Club, which eventually became the Athletic Club, co-created a Youth Day event, which brought community together to hear the concerns of local youth and provide them with positive role models. After getting my master's degree at Lincoln University, I focused my energy on researching school shootings and held community forums on how to prevent them. And just for fun, I volunteered at Heisinger Bluffs to play the piano for the residents while they were eating dinner. Let me tell you about Bob. No, I won't tell you about Bob. These experiences shaped my understanding of the people in Jeff City and about public service. I didn't do any of those things for recognition or for the title. I did them because I cared about the people, whether it was the college athletes, our youth, or our community elders. If appointed to serve Ward 3, I would bring that same approach to the role. I believe the city is doing some great work to move the city forward, but there's always room for improvement. If appointed, I would focus on the city being responsible stewards of the taxpayer dollars, investing in strong neighborhoods, work to ensure economic development, while at the same time continuing to work with our community partners on some of the complex issues that Jeff City and all other cities are facing, affordable housing and homelessness. Basically, I would come to this role not with the belief that I have all the answers, but with the experience and the commitment to do the work well. Thank you. Thanks.

That was perfect timing. Perfect timing.

Hang around, we've got a couple rounds of questions. Thank you. Next is Mr. Hal Dooley. Welcome. Again, if you just identify yourself for folks at home, thanks for being here. They reset the clock, looks like they're ready for you.

Mr. Mayor, Councilman, my name is Hal Dooley. I gotta condense it down. Most of you know I talk for an hour. Once a week I get to talk for an hour. So being condensed down to four minutes is gonna be difficult. Anyway, I was born and raised in Jefferson City and I'm a West Ender. Started out on High Street. Parents moved out to West Main Street. Bought a house out on Livingston off Moonville Road. We had three kids at the time. Mom and dad decided to add a couple more. We outgrew the house. Ended up on West Main Street. and spent most of my time on a bicycle and probably covered most of ward three on a bicycle one time or another at that time west school went out the ward actually went out to about 179 if i recollect very much also had a paper out along booneville road that was a lot of fun too anyway graduated from elias and after graduating from elias i went to college and i really enjoyed college The only problem I had with college was going to class each day. So I finally got to a point where I ended up having to withdraw and I came home. Unemployed, out of high school, didn't have anything to do. And I decided through the urging of my uncle to join the United States Marine Corps. I served in the Marine Corps for four years. I spent 18 and a half months in Vietnam and Guam. And when I got out, I came back home and I went back to school. I got my degree in economics, and I went to work for the Missouri Public Service Commission. At that time, I didn't know what the Public Service Commission was, and I really got a learning experience in that. I was a utility rate analyst using my economic degree, and I did that for about 10 years. And then I was offered a job with the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and their governmental affairs department. I did that for two years. then the headhunter contacted me and asked me if i'd be interested in doing governmental affairs or the gas service company in kansas city happy to do it i did do it and i did it for a long time as you know in the utility business they merged with kansas power line a couple years later and i picked up oklahoma and i was doing oklahoma and missouri and the government affairs spent a lot of time at the state capitol and when they emerged again i decided to come back home i'd had enough i'd had my time in and Qualified for retirement. I came home and a little buzz said who's in the audience was in the process of starting consulting firms I started him so we did that very successful at it Then I got another phone call a few years later that there was a job with the deputy director of the Missouri Veterans Commission was available interviewed for that and got that there for eight years and retired no wait as state and veterans director at the veterans homes, the cemeteries, and the service officers, and I'm happy for what we did in those days. Bought a house in 2005 on Douglas Drive, Carlson West School in Ward 3. I've been there ever since. My service to Jefferson City started under George Hartscoe when he was mayor and was appointed to the Park Board. Served under the Park Board for several years, and then Mayor Turgeon appointed me to the Visitors Convention Bureau, which I served as vice chairman. for i believe eight years and i'm on the uss jefferson city submarine committee i served as chairman there and uh i backed off of that a couple years ago and uh one of the proud things that i've done is i shared the committee that established the veterans plaza in front of the police station right up here we got that done and then a few years later i think about three or four years ago we back at it again we were unhappy with having all those papers on the ground and we decided to talk the city in to help and use the fund to expand the and put them up on the platforms and that's where they are today i'm really proud that i received the kevin meinhardt distinguished public service award several years ago by this council and i want to continue that service here in church city as being third ward city council so i appreciate your time and effort thank you

very good six seconds down to dance thank you again hang around we're going to get into the next section of the agenda we'll go to questions from the public i read the statement council will be operating under pursuance to section 12-18 c3 of the city code

mr attorney have you gathered the questions i have or someone else have any additional questions okay so we have three questions we have three questions does anyone else have any questions all right uh if the candidates could come up i'll just go back and forth yeah i think we'll just have you come up and just share the microphone and you can start however you would like

I'll turn it over to you.

I'll switch back and forth. So we'll start with Ms. Cook. This is a question from Wyatt Proch. If elected, will you support historic preservation and new housing development?

Yes, housing is obviously one of my main issues. I believe in preserving the housing that we do have. It's very important. And we also need new housing. It's how we're going to grow as a city if we can preserve the housing. Most of our housing is built before 1980. And a lot of it needs work. And then we also, of course, need new housing to be able to help people find housing.

Mr. Dooley, same question. Workforce housing is a top priority. Housing in general in Jefferson City is a top priority. We can't expand our existing businesses, and I know some of our existing businesses want to bring new employees back in, but then we don't have the housing. And I think it's very important, and workforce development's the same way. We've kind of got skilled people to work for, so it'd be one of my top priorities.

Mr. Dooley, I'll ask you this one first. This is from someone identified as Ward 2 resident. What is your thought about a homeless shelter at the Adams Street location?

You know, that's not an easy one, as the council knows. I think we need it. I think we need a resource center. I think we need shelter during the climate weather. I've heard from a lot of the people that are trying to develop and work in that area, and they're very concerned about it. I think, under consideration, to look at other alternative places to have it. That would be my all time.

Okay, Ms. Cook, same question.

I believe in the concept for sure. I think we need a resource center. We definitely have a need. I think Adams Street could be a good location, but I think there's been enough feedback from the community that it's not the place that is probably going to happen. So I'm encouraged that the city is going to work with Housing Jeff City and be able to find a different solution. I will say, if you look at Salvation Army right now, and you just came in and you plucked it out, And then Salvation Army came back in and said, I want to put a homeless shelter right back, exactly right there. You're going to have people who don't think it's the right spot. We're going to have the residents around there that say it's not the right spot. So I think anywhere that this shelter tries to look at, which they have in the last few years, I think you're going to have pushback from the community because there's just the unknown of what it's really going to be like. So I support the concept, and I hope that we can find a mutual, agreeable place where they can build it.

Okay, if you want to stay out there, I'll ask you this one first. This is from Kate Kirkhoff. If I'm butchering that name, I apologize. I'm sure I am. I live in Ward 3. If you are selected, would you plan to run for the position in April?

Yes, that would be my intention to run in April. I don't see this as just a temporary seat filler position. I would want to get in, learn as quickly as I can, be attentive to the residents of Ward 3, and then let them evaluate the work that I do in April. Ultimately, I think it is the people and the voters who should elect who represents them. So I would plan to take that case in front of them in April.

Mr. Dooley, same question. i would echo her comments been in ward 3 for 21 years and continue to stay there continue to support it and being on the council would definitely be a priority to be reelected next april mr mayor that's all the questions that we have all right if if our candidates would stay there

If there are no more public court questions, we'll now invite council members to ask questions you may have. This is time for questions and we'll try to take statements later on and entertain those. But now we will entertain questions from council. Councilwoman Young and then Councilman Housleton.

Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor, and thank you all for willing to serve, especially with me. Thank you. My question is, and I think I heard each one of you touch on a little bit, but I just wanted to make sure I'm hearing it correctly. Your three top priorities that you would be focused on. We've been working really hard to move the city forward over the last three years, and I just want to see how that fit into what we're already doing here.

We've talked priorities. The only sad thing about that is priorities cost money. And that means that you've got to have enough money to do the priorities you want. You know and I know that in our ward and in all the wards that roads should be the top priority in spending the money on it. And I know that we've increased the mayor's increased the allocation this year for roads. I looked at that map and we've got a long way to go. So we need, in my opinion, additional funding to be able to do that. And I think it'll be important that we look at different revenue sources to be able to do that. And it's tough. It's really tough because I wanted to do this several years ago, but we didn't have the money anyway. The roads and bridges and economic development are the sole priorities. How soon we get that done depends on the availability of money.

So I obviously think roads are important. That's what you hear about when you're in the community, right? But I also think thoughtful economic development so that our local businesses can grow. I think we need to focus on stability in neighborhoods. And so that can look like a lot of things too. from the roads to the businesses to the housing infrastructure. There's a lot of things that the city's dealing with right now. And so I think it's kind of hard to just say these are my top three because I think everything is kind of commingled together. When you even talk about housing, you're talking about workforce, you're talking about businesses, you're talking about neighborhoods, you're talking about infrastructure. So it's a large picture and everything is interconnected. A lot of the times you can't just like pull certain things out and say, I'm just going to focus on this. So I think it takes a pretty big overall approach, but definitely housing infrastructure. And I would echo the roads, but I think parking might be something we have to worry about.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. What do you love about Jefferson City and how will your service reflect that?

In the Midwest, we're not Chicago, we're not Seattle, we're not New York. I think we're a fairly moderate town. It's nice to know the president of the bank, the mayor, other notables in our community. It's nice to be ten minutes away from something. It's nice to have neighbors that are respectful and nice most of the time. It's just a nice community. I mean, I think we're doing a great job. The capital of the state, the Cole County seat, and I think that's a good selling point for us. But the schools are good. They're getting better all the time. And the only drawback we have is we need to find a way to keep our kids here in the community, which means economic development and growth.

So I wasn't born in Jeff City. I was actually raised in Omaha, Nebraska, but I chose Jeff City. And so I love it for the small town feel, but it's still big enough to be able to do things. I love that my son has a good public school to go to. I love the people that live here because I've worked with so many of them, whether through Habitat or other community projects. um i think it's just a great city to be able to be here and raise a family and to be able to grow and i would echo that it'd be nice to figure out how to keep our kids here once they go because i do not want my baby to leave so what core principles guide your work on the council why don't we rotate on these as well

I'm not sure what he said.

What core principles would guide our work on the city council? Yes. I think the same core principles that guide my work and everything else that I do. I try to be honest. I try to be fair. I think it's very important that we listen to people and not make snap judgments. There's a lot of times that you can work with people and automatically have something in mind and have your own preconceived notions. And I think it's really important to come with an open mind. And I think being a city council person, you're still just a regular person, right? It's a title, but you're guided by your values that you live every day.

I think the Marine Corps taught me a few principles. Accept responsibility, work hard, be responsible for what you do and what others do, work as teams, and reach a solution. Those would be my core.

If you want to stay there, you can lead off the next. I think Councilman Light will get a question.

Thanks, Mayor. You both mentioned infrastructure, but drilling down a little bit on the roads. From a budgetary standpoint, how or where would you look to gain revenue to work on roads?

What I would do? Sure. What I tried to do five years ago, establish a use tax. My friend, the design commissioner of Cole County collects about $4.5 million a year on a use tax. The city doesn't collect anything. We could go a long way by putting $4.5 million on our roads, a long way. And I would not shy away one least bit to lead a group of people who want a use tax in this town. They've got to explain to people. If they want something, they've got to pay for it. I have the money right now to do it. So it's an either or. But I think dedicating that money to roads would be the key to successful completion voting or passage in the community.

Nobody likes taxes, but sometimes that is what it takes. I don't know if I would encourage another tax. I think we have quite a few, but I think it would be a give and take, right? We have to find the money somewhere, and just like I do at Habitat, if we don't have the money for something, we've got to get it from a different area or we've got to find a different way to raise money. I can't say that I can stand up here right now and say that I have the perfect plan to be able to raise more money for the city, but I think we'd have to look at the budget and figure out where we might be able to steal from Peter to pay for Paul or figure out a way that the sales tax could be adjusted.

questions comes from ours thank you thank you both for your willingness to sign up and put yourself before the people to let them know what your thoughts and what your visions are for the ward 3's council seat the city sometime a year or so ago and instituted a program to maybe incentivize home building which seemed to have taken off and done pretty well so far are there other uh things that you think of that this as for our city council person that would uh Other incentives that you think we missed or that we may be able to look at? Have you ever given enough thought that this is what we maybe also ought to look at to get home building from all levels brought into Jeff City? Thank you.

So I think incentives are tricky. I know that the $5,000 spurred some action. I'm not sure that we've seen too much from it yet. But I think it's a good one to start with, to be able to start with the development. I think one of the things that we really need to focus on when it comes to housing is the preservation of the housing stock that we do have. I don't know how many phone calls I get a week from people that are looking for help. um for repairs on their homes that they can no longer afford and so i think perhaps that's something that we need to look into to see who can do that work and how we can try and accommodate people so that they can stay in the houses that they already own i think besides that just working with jc rep and others to encourage the developers to come here is something that is obviously very important that we need to continue to do Thank you.

And talking to developers, one of the big things is streamlining the permit process, however that takes. I know that slows them down. Time costs money. We've got one we just broke on development out in the east end of town, 42 apartment complex, which I think is going to be a super thing. And I think he's got another one that he wants to develop right next door. One of the things I see out there is, gee, we've got a road that dead ends right down there in Canoes and Tribune print plant. but we could go ahead and extend that out. We should be working on that now to see if we can get the landowners to allow us to extend back out to Shot Road and over to Loggie's Place, those type of things. When they go and they want to develop in Jefferson City, but they're gonna get state grants and federal grants to help them in every way possible to support those grants. Because as we have found out that a few naysayers can really run potential development by saying not in my backyard or we don't like it. And orientation, as everybody knows, I've been in the radio business for a long time. The biggest thing I love to do is market and tell people what they don't know. That when they have the true facts and the background on a lot of the things that we do, I think they would change things significantly.

Thank you.

First of all, thank you for Mr. Dooley to start up. Thank you both for stepping forward. I think we all personally know that that's difficult to do and I really appreciate you stepping forward for the community both of you. Both of you are very active in the community. You have many years of experience so share with us if you were appointed by the council. How you would handle your work as a city council member in relation to your already established work or platforms, like three-year radio program or Susan Habitat or any other platforms you have? How would you handle that in relation to your city council responsibilities?

You know, I had to ask Zimmer Radio. They're wired that question. And I'm allowed to stay on the air until I file for candidacy until the election. After that, I can do whatever as a councilman that I want to do. And as some of you councilmen know, you've been on my show. I love doing that. It's been political season. It's been heavy for me to try to get everybody on to have their say because I think it's important. I don't know. I got 46 mailers in the last week. Some good, some bad. People don't know what to believe. But I could take you or I could take you or I could take you and put you on my show for an hour. and really talk about the nuts and bolts of what it takes to do things. One of my orientations is the roads. Everybody complains about roads, big priority, but we don't have any money. And we've got to explain to people that process and what the alternatives might possibly be in looking for additional money. But I think them knowing what you all do, and you and I have talked about this, being on the inside and all the challenges, a lot of people, the voters, really don't know that full picture. And we need to find a way to expand that and find a way. And I think you've got the right person that represents the city of Jefferson doing it. And I encourage her to get out there and do more and talk to people like me to get on the show and talk and have a guest and talk about these tough issues. I know the mayor's on a regular basis and you do a great job, Mayor, but we need to do more of it. We need to do more of it. We need to maybe partner with Lincoln University and their radio station to do a weekly radio program and really market it. So I just think that's a lot of disconnect between what people want to complain about and what your ability to serve them and solve those problems. I think that's tough to do, but I think communications can solve a lot of problems.

When I first decided to run, I of course had to talk to my board of directors, my co-workers, and really weigh kind of the pros and cons and think about what it would mean. And basically, I think my knowledge and experience could come in useful in this city right now based on the moment that we're in. And I think if there was ever a time that it was like a real conflict of interest, I would obviously work with the city attorney and others to make sure that I had to recuse myself. But I don't think my experience and knowledge are automatically a conflict of interest. Many of the council members have jobs outside of being a council member. And I think everybody is aware of that balance that it takes. But really I would be here to serve the whole community, not one certain segment of it.

Any other questions?

yeah and thank you mr mayor thank you you can yes or a potential discussing uh adding to the public safety's tax of coming up and it'll be part of the discussion tonight you know what is your what is your opinion uh uh and what is you what do you know about why the attacks maybe uh we're going to look at maybe increasing it for the voters

I don't probably know all the intricate details as far as somebody that's already sitting on council, but I will say that public safety is an important issue. I know that our police officers are having a hard time retaining police officers. I know that the salaries are always in debate. Same with the fire department. And I think it's something that we have to prioritize. And I think the community would get behind it. We always say, you know, people don't want more taxes, but people want a safe community. And so being able to support our firefighters, our first responders, our policemen would be a priority for me.

100% behind it. I'm glad we have a tax dedicated to public safety. Time, equipment, and personnel, especially time, to take care of people's civility and peace of mind. And when you have a fire, they want you there ASAP with the right equipment and put it out. When there's somebody breaking into your house, you want their ASAP with the right people and the right equipment to solve it. I don't think there's enough support to have the resources, especially like we talked about, personnel and salaries to have it. The training is a big thing. That really bothers me because the more turnover you have, the more training you have, the more cost. So we're being counterproductive with regard to budget. when it comes to having the training and stuff so whatever it takes to equip them give them the personnel and time frame in which to take care of business is the utmost in my priorities any other questions all right we appreciate the candidates being here council will have this back on the agenda at the next meeting and

we'll have opportunities if there are any other questions so thanks all right that'll take us to item five on the agenda which is back to public comments we have three individuals who have signed up so first mr lee wayne lee if you could just identify yourself the clock will yeah that that's fine Get your helper there. That way it won't fall down. That's good. At least not lightly. Just take your time. We see each other at the Capitol. Right. Again, if you could just identify yourself. Michael Starr. Welcome. Thanks for being here. Thank you.

Good evening, council members. My name is Wayne Lee. I have 30 years experience as a disability and civil rights advocate at the state capitol. I retired in 2021. Years ago, on the streets of Louisville, Kentucky, I was walking down that street and I noted that there was a man, he looked very sickly, and I walked across the way trying to see if I could do something to help him and it turned out he couldn't even lift his right arm. As I talked with him further, it turns out I found out he had traumatic brain injury. In the process, I find out He was a neurosurgeon, he'd lost his ability to do anything. He couldn't read, write anymore. He'd lost everything, his family, home, all possibilities, getting anything. 30 to 40% of this entire nation, including people in Jefferson City, can't get any place because of severe accidents that have occurred in their lives, professionals. But that doesn't include other people who mix in with that group. People who are suddenly without because of severe accidents, sudden disabilities, damages to their lives, people who are suddenly hit with that. And then we have the people who are suddenly, we just want to turn their backs on them because they are addicts. We don't even want to look at them. And having 30 years experience, I know a stall tactic when I see it. We just don't want to vote for something because even if the vote takes place, it's not really taking place. What we're looking at is something to just sweep it aside and not really do anything about it. It's going to be ignored for a study. that's gonna take place all of a sudden. It's not really gonna be done anything about. It's gonna be swept under the rug and ignored. Looked upon sometime in October. You wanna tell me what's really gonna happen with that? Nothing really. You ignore it like that and I'll tell you what you're gonna get. No place. You've already got a building right now to do something about, to do something with. Last night, as I looked at this that I'd written, I went to bed and I got to thinking, I gotta find that favorite song of mine, the one I've loved for years. And so I looked it up and I found it. That famous tenor, Art Garfunkel, singing Bridge Over Troubled Water. You've got some place right now that'll be a bridge to these people that have nothing. They're suffering, whether it be from overuse of drugs or whether it be from years of having a job, some kind of life that suddenly just goes poof, it's gone because they no longer have it. With a severe accident or disability, everything goes by the wayside. Why miss this opportunity? I wouldn't lose it if I were you. Do the City Council of Jefferson City. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Take your time to go back. I think I will. All right, next we have Mr. Wyatt Brush.

Welcome. Again, if you just identify yourself, thanks for being here. All right, my name is Wyatt Brush. I'm Realtor here in Jefferson City. I think that both candidates gave a very good presentation. I think they both did very well. I think it's very important that we look at the historic preservation of our housing and we just look at how some of these old buildings are in really rough shape. Mr. Campita, I'll give you some good credit. He's done a great job working upon East Capitol. I think that there's a lot of old houses in Jeff City that are in bad shape where similar things can be done. I think we need to incentivize that. that's really all i wanted to say i just think it's important we look at this stuff and look at ways to incentivize it incentivize development in these areas i think it can be done i really believe in jeff city and i believe in the council to do the right thing with it so that's all i got for you thanks all right have a great evening and then julie he's hope i'm saying it right

Okay, so you're all set. I apologize. That's all we had on the sign-up sheet. So thank you for everybody and for those that were here to submit questions. Takes us to item six, public hearings, as has been indicated in the pre-meeting that there was a request from the applicant to withdraw that so we will not have the public hearing. There was a request, there's not a specific date set, but we will keep the public informed as we move forward. So that'll take us to item seven, appointments by the mayor. There are none for tonight. item eight presentation from staff consultants and invited guests again none for tonight item nine announcements by mayor council and staff council committees administration councilman ellers thank you mayor we have nothing on the agenda so there will not be an administration meeting come on stage all right and finance councilman michael thank you mr mayor um

Start a budget season. We don't technically have a finance committee, but we do have a budget meeting that will be in its place starting the budget cycle on the 19th of this month. Great thanks public safety.

Thank you Mr. Mayor. We will have a public safety meeting on Thursday, August 27 at 3 30 in the room across the hall.

yes boat works will be thursday august 13th here in chambers at 7 30 a.m no planning and zoning on the 13th this month all right

Then, as indicated under item B, Mr had a comment and he wanted to make so far.

Thank you mayor. I did hand out to all of council this handout. The city is currently doing the hazard mitigation plan for coal county. So we're participating in this. This is really important. The plan that we do, it allows us to apply for certain federal grants like the BRIC, the BIL, the BIP, all the things that we've been doing recently. This is something that gets updated every five years. As part of that, it is public outreach and to get surveys done. So on the city website as well as at all the desks around City Hall and then I placed one for each of you and then there's a stack up here as well. There's a little one sheet handout. If you've got a minute, it says two minutes but I took it myself. It's less than a minute to do it. it's really easy scan the qr code or you can go to www.minmorpc.org and click on hazard mitigation and do a real quick survey about what you think about the hazard mitigation in cole county this will really help us it's a requirement that fema makes us do is this public outreach and receiving these surveys back so i just wanted to make sure everybody was aware that we are actively doing this and uh please fill out surveys if you have a chance

Okay, thanks. Any other announcements? All right. Item 10, consent agenda. There are two items before you. Move to approve. Second. We've got a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. Item 11, bills introduced. Item A-2026-021.

An ordinance of the City of Jefferson, Missouri authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute an agreement with Missouri American Water for a utility easement in Washington Park.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As the Clerk stated, this bill would authorize a utility easement agreement with Missouri American Water Company for a water main project spanning from Montana Street to Myrtle Avenue in the Washington Park area. Once again, it's very straightforward and I'm happy to answer any questions.

All right, say none. Madam B, 2026-022.

In ordinance amending schedule G, stop intersections section B, other specified intersections for the code of the City of Jefferson, Missouri by the approval of Monroe Street at Woodlawn Avenue.

Mr. Fitch.

thank you mayor this is the uh this bill would amend city code by removing monroe street as a stop controlled intersection woodlawn would retain its stop sign but monroe would no longer be a stop controlled street at that industry section excuse me how much your questions council

Refresh my memory. Was this before us a couple years ago? Is this the same one?

Yes. It was at the time it was deferred and in February 24 it was recommended, but it was withdrawn. And then the removal of the stop lines was discussed in July 2026 Public Works Planning Committee. And the removal was recommended.

Okay, thanks. All right, seeing none, you'll see this at the next meeting. Item C, 2026-023.

An ordinance of the City of Jefferson, Missouri providing for the levy of city taxes and establishing the rate of taxation for the City of Jefferson, Missouri for the calendar year 2026.

Ms. Convery, welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. So this is the property tax assessment rate for calendar year 2026, which is the city's budget year for FY2027. State statute requires that cities establish their property tax rates on an annual basis. The proposed FY2027 budget has been prepared based on the tax rate of 0.4582 for the general fund and 0.0957 for the fireman's retirement rate. for a total rate of 0.5539 the public hearing will be held august 17th council meeting and i just also would like to point out that there was no change to the correct tax and it's still at six percent all right see any questions thank you very much item d 2026-024

An ordinance of the City of Jefferson, Missouri authorizing a proposal for a public safety sales tax at the rate of one quarter to one percent. The collection and use thereof and providing for the submission of this ordinance to the qualified voters of the Sun City for their approval of the election to be held on November 3rd, 2026. Mr. Nicholas.

Thank you, Your Honor. State law authorizes the city to impose an additional 1% general sales tax beyond what we have. The city is proposing a 1.25% sales tax that would be earmarked by the ballot line, which is specifically for public safety. Public safety being defined as fire, police, and 911. This would go before the, I'm sorry, this would go before the voters in April.

right no november november 3rd i believe yeah comments questions from council i know there's been a fair amount of discussion on this all right thank you item e 2026-025

An ordinance authorizing the issuance of not to exceed $10,001,000 principal amount sewerage system revenue bond series 2026 prescribing the form and details of the bond and authorizing certain other actions and documents in connection therewith.

Thank you. This is a referendum was approved by voters in April 22 to sell $44 million in bonds over time. to improve the sanitary sewer around Jefferson City. This bill authorizes the 2026 sale of $10,001,000 of the revenue bonds to fund the Westview Pump Station Improvement Contract and the Westview Force Main Phase II Improvement Contract. Both of those contracts were approved at the last council meeting.

Questions or comments? All right, item 12, 12-a, bills pending. You have one bill in front of you, 2026-017.

In ordinance of the City of Jefferson, Missouri, amending chapter 19, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, chapter 22, Parking, Stopping, and Standing, and chapter 1, General Provision, pertaining to parking time and fees.

Mr. Pitch. Sorry, trying to get to the next one. That's all right. This bill, sorry, my iPad is acting up.

You got it?

Yeah, I got it now. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. This bill changes the rates and times in municipal parking lots and permit, excuse me, and at metered parking spaces within downtown area of Jefferson City. It would also change the time limit of parking on 400 East Capitol to two hours. Two hours. The bill also makes some changes to holidays, clarifies the intent of excess time regulation, removes the municipal parking garage from the city code, and modifies reserved parking meter procedures.

Councilman Allen? Well, you know, I always like to talk about this, so I have to do it this time too. So until this administration and the City Council really took up the responsibility of parking, hasn't it been about 15 years since parking rates were raised prior to?

Parking rates were raised somewhat earlier. I believe this 2023, but prior to that, it had been at a quarter for almost 25 years, almost 25 years. Okay.

And if I remember right in the discussions you've had with some of the committees, this is really keeping up with the cost of living and inflation. And that's what these rates as they go up will be an inflationary basically. Right.

over time we presented before that over time the uh if we maintain the same nickel rate as in 1944 these rates would be identical to what they are today so these are an adjustment to a more historically accurate rate of what inflation would render and it applies inflation moving forward for three to five years and these rates are really important for us to be able to maintain what our lots to be able to i'm sorry if you can tell us these rates are important so that we can maintain the system that we have and maintain a future parking garage as well when we rebuild a parking garage the whole a system as a whole needs to be supported by the whole there is needed maintenance all over the city at our parking garages this actively Works on that need and at a low rate of 2, it seems like it's more than low, but 260,000 dollars a year for the entire system is our is our capital maintenance that we're putting forward to it. And that is exactly what we believe is required annually to maintain the system as is.

Thank you. So this is really to to correct some of the maintenance problems that we've had just that built up over the years and to allow us to maintain it at acceptable rates.

Yes.

Okay. Thank you.

Question for clarification on my end and once the parking garage is built, it will be added back into city code, right?

Yes, it will. We didn't want to speculate on the future. We have not seen the final product yet, and we don't know how exactly it's going to be managed at this time since we haven't seen it yet. So we removed the existing garage from code because it'll no longer be in the location that it was in. And we intend to come back for the council with a modified ordinance for the inclusion of the new parking garage.

That's what I thought.

Thanks for the question. All right. Seeing no others, you have 126-017 on interview for roll call vote. Allers?

Aye. Allen? Aye. Holt? No. Pazelson?

No.

Jobe? Aye. Campeter? Aye. Lester? Aye. Michael? Aye. Young? Aye. Bill passes.

All right and again has been indicated 018 has been withdrawn at this time so that will take us to item 13 informal calendar. There is nothing uninformal which takes us to item 14A resolution 2026-21.

The resolution of the city of Jefferson, Missouri, authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute an agreement with the construction corporation and the amount of 594,707 dollars for the Franklin street stormwater project.

Councilman Campion? Yeah, I'd like to bring Resolution RS2026-21 before the Council for a vote. Second.

All right, we've got a motion to bring Resolution 2026-21 in front of the Council. Second. And it's been seconded. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed?

Mr. Fitch? Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This bill would fix a failed stormwater system at the rear of the property at 1101 Madison Street that occurred during a heavy thunderstorm, approximately two years ago. And as a result of an agreement with the city and easements granted by the property owner, we are able to fix that at this time with $594,707. It would add, it would increase the size of stormwater landlets. It would repair some street damage. It would repair the damage around the inlet on the property on which the easement is. and it would do some repairs for Madison Street as well.

Any questions? All right, you have resolution 2026-21 in front of you for roll call vote.

Allen? Aye. Holt? Aye. Hoselton? Aye. Joe? Aye. Campeter?

Aye.

Lester? Aye. Michael? Aye. Young? Aye. Ohlers? Aye. Resolution is adopted.

All right. Resolution 2026-22.

A resolution authorizing the City of Jefferson to apply for an Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grant.

Councilman Hustleton. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to ask the Council to take out 2026-22 off the table and consider it.

Second. All right, we have a motion and a second to bring Resolution 2026-22 in front of the Council. All in favor? Aye.

All right. Mr. Prokhorov. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. This resolution would allow JC Parks to apply for an overlap grant to help with the development of an inclusive playground and other park improvements at Washington Park. This would enable families and children and families of all abilities to be able to play together, laugh together, and have fun together. This is something that will also drive economic impact within our community. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Councilman Campos.

Yeah, just a quick question. Where at Washington Park would this be? It's slated for where the current tennis courts are. Councilwoman Allen?

With the match, if we received it, the match would be 50%. Where would you anticipate that coming from?

We anticipated the majority of it coming out of the general fund, or if we have to, we'll look at the park fund balance as a last resort as well.

Okay.

Choose one, Valerie.

thank you uh aaron is this kind of on the same thing as that one out there at the binder lake one or is it could be a bigger version with different stuff all things to it that's a great question the one that bender actually has uh one feature that's designated as inclusive playground feature this will be an all-encompassing uh you know all features uh majority of the features will be accessible um the lay the layout of the playground will be conducive for those that have Uh, certain restrictions when it comes to noise, et cetera.

I get used to follow up just real quick. Was this a presentation when I was the liaison before council that this gentleman came and talked to me? That was my memory serving me right? That we'd had a presentation some time ago about this too.

That's correct. That was crafting told from Dave Robertson craft until the presentation to the parks commission. Thank you. Yep.

Just to follow up. So before this, if you received the grant before we would take it out of general fund, it would come back to us. I think. Yes, you're talking parks. Yeah. Yeah.

Thank you for clearing that up.

Yeah.

It's a key word there. I mean, if any other departments want to give to it, we'll take it.

Any other questions? All right, you've got Resolution 2026-22 in front of you for roll call vote.

Holt? Aye. Hosselson? Aye. Joe? Aye. Campeter?

Aye.

Lester? Aye. Michael? Aye. Young? Aye. Ullers? No, aye. Allen?

Hold on, I said that.

Aye.

Oh, it's in a reading.

Resolution is adopted.

It's an aye.

item c resolution 2026-23 a resolution of the city of jefferson missouri authorizing the mayor and city clerk to execute an agreement with gwh landscape contracting llc in the amount of 276 463.91 for the concrete pavement repair 2026 project

Councilman Campion. I'd like to bring the resolution 2026-23 before council for a vote.

Second. We've got a motion to bring 2026-23 in front of council. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Mr. Fitch, welcome again.

This contract would allow for the replacement of some failed concrete street panels as well as adjoining curb and gutter and a couple of driveway approaches. This is part of the overall street maintenance program that's approved in the budget for this current year. Primary location of the work is in the Covington Gardens subdivision at this time, specifically the intersection of Leeds and Oxford, I believe.

All right, seeing no questions, you have item resolution 2026, there's 23 in front of you for all call vote.

Puzzleton?

Aye. Joe?

Aye.

Camp Peter?

Aye.

Lester? Aye. Michael?

Aye.

Young? Aye. Pollard? Yes. Allen? Aye. Polk? Aye. Resolution is adopted.

Item D, Resolution 2026-24.

A resolution of the City of Jefferson, Missouri authorizing a franchise agreement with the family.

Councilman Alex.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'd like to move Resolution 2026-24 to the full council for a vote.

Second. Second. motion is to bring item 24 in front of you for roll call all in favor we have a currently have a franchise agreement with

We currently have a franchise agreement with Ameren UE. I believe it's under their past names, but it's Ameren UE. And it is time for the bicennial renewal of that agreement. And if it's passed, this would extend the current franchise agreement for another 20 years.

Questions from council? Say none. You have resolution 2026-24. Some of you for roll call vote. Joe? Aye.

Cam Peter?

Aye.

Lester? Aye. Michael? Aye. Young? Aye. Ahlers? Yes. Allen? Aye. Holt? Aye. Hossleton?

Yes.

Resolution is adopted.

It's award one thing, is that it? I don't know if I'll ever say aye again. You just did. All right. Resolution 2026-25.

A resolution of the City of Jefferson, Missouri authorizing a funding agreement with FNF Development Developers of the St. Mary's Hospital TIF and CID.

Councilman Whittle. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'd like to pass this to Council for a vote.

Second. The motion and a second to place 2026-25 in front of council. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Mr. Nicholas, keeping you open tonight. Yes, sir.

I don't have a big word for this one. This is a resolution to authorize a funding agreement. The city is currently considering offering incentives for the St. Mary's Hospital development project and one of the additions of that is that the developers put up some money to cover the city's costs for consultants that we might need in order to help us analyze that and produce the bonds ultimately if that was necessary so that that doesn't come out of the city's pocket.

Questions or comments? Resolution 2026-25, in front of you for a roll call vote.

Cam Peter?

Aye.

Lester? Aye. Michael? Aye. Young? Aye. Utlers?

Aye.

Allen? Aye. Holt? Aye. Osselton? Yes and aye. Joe? Aye. Resolution is adopted.

Alright, resolution 2026-26.

A resolution of the City of Jefferson, Missouri authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a $984,010 agreement with NMLT for sewer repair on West McCarty Street, Broadway Street, and Washington Street. 2026 project.

councilman can't be here i'd like to bring resolution 2026-26 before council for vote second all right we've got a motion and a second on 2026-26 all in favor to bring it before council mr fitch thank you mr mayor

The sewer main along the name streets, West McCarty, Broadway, and Washington are beyond their lifespan. And despite regular maintenance, they are starting to erode to the point of collapse. Currently, the parking lot behind Capitol Plaza is closed for this reason, and we believe that it's not long until at least one of the roadways would have to be closed. So therefore, we have proposed a contract for this project to move forward at this time.

All right. Questions or comments? Councilman Weigel and then Councilman Luster.

Yeah, Mr. Mayor, thank you. I think at this time I'd like to make a motion to amend the contract that we would accept Don Schneider's excavating to do the work, mainly because of their long-standing relationship with our community and our city. And even though they're not the lowest bid, it's close enough to justify using them based on our experience with them.

I would second that. Okay. We've got an amendment, proposed amendment, and a second. So discussion would be on that amendment at this time. Councilwoman Allen and Councilman Holt.

Where's the funding coming from this overall?

The account appears to be from a wastewater standard account.

So you wouldn't see a problem with the additional $3,000 coming out of the sewer funds?

It is a, the bids are close and I'm not familiar enough with the sewer fund to render a judgment on that.

And are you familiar, have we done business with the lowest bid before?

I believe the council has, yes.

Thank you.

Councilman Holt? Okay. Councilwoman Jo?

I'm not going to support that amendment just because I think diversity of providers is a good thing. And if someone is able to do something and they have a good track record, I'm not going to shut out the opportunity for that.

Councilman Lester. Yeah, I just think when there's so little difference and we have local contractor, we should probably go with local contractor. This, in almost a million dollar bid, the difference is less than $4,000 in the bids. And I think we might at some point set some criteria when we might consider that in the bids. This is less than five-tenths of a percent difference in the bids in looking at local versus non-local contractors.

So we don't have the full contract in front of us. So my question would be, since I've dealt with several of these when I worked for the Missouri National Guard, it's a best or lowest and best bidder. I don't know if best could be just because they're local. Just a question. I know we could never do it just because they were local doesn't mean they're better than the other person. so you have to prove how they're better to get it because they're not lower so i'm just i just want to make sure we're not going to get in some type of trouble because we said they're they're better because they're local there are there are restrictions on your ability to put out bids where you have baked into the bid some sort of local preference

That's kind of a complex issue, but there are on that end of things. On this end of things, where bids have already been made and you're just picking one of them, there is no such restriction.

I guess, okay, I don't know if that... So the best and lowest doesn't matter then? At this point we just pay whatever we want? I would say it as what you consider to be best and lowest is a legislative decision.

Okay.

Do you have a councilman? Councilman Malik?

I know that usually you have like an independent group of people do these evaluations. Do we know what made them the best other than the price?

No, there we've done work with both all these contractors before, so they would, we believe they're all equally capable. Doing the work we don't usually we don't recommend somebody that isn't capable of doing the work.

Councilman Lushkin. Yeah, I would just say that if the city hadn't already done a lot of work with Don Sneaders and been satisfied, I wouldn't be supporting this change. But I know we have, and again, I just think the difference is so little that I'd rather support local contractors and local workers.

Okay. I don't see any other comments. We're going to do a roll call to remember the roll call is on the amendment.

So, just so if we did this, there's going to be no legal anything that can come back and say, just because we weren't local. I'm just having a hard time seeing that. We did several of these projects, and I don't know how we would ever be able to do that, say that they were local, closer to training sites. Like, we have to fill out a sheet that says, right? Why do you think and that's all you can judge off? You can't judge off of anything besides that. So that's why I'm just confused.

Well, the state has more restrictions on their bidding process. The only restrictions the city has on its bidding projects. But any process of those restrictions that you have imposed on yourself. Through the code, but the council can always waive the code. So. That on that side of the issue, and then the 2nd question would be is, you know, is that a reason to determine that someone is better? You know, it's more, it's more best to forgive my grammar than the other. That's a legislative decision.

Councilman and councilman like old and councilman hold. This is an open source question to any staff members that can answer it. When is the last time council has not selected the lowest bid and why? Mr. Pratt? We'd have to go through some research. I was taking a chance that maybe somebody had at the top of their head, so thank you for doing that.

I mean, it happens on occasion when there's some problem with the bid itself or the company with the bid.

Councilman Michael. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just for a point of clarification, my amendment was solely based upon the long-standing relationship that cities had with Don Schneider's excavating and them in this community. Not necessarily the local part. Obviously, they are, but that wasn't the premise of my amendment. It was strictly because over 50 years of being in businesses of excavating and construction, concrete specialists as they are. Councilman Holt.

My intention is to support the amendment, but my only fear is is that is there any way that this might impact entity's willingness to provide bids in the future. I don't want to discourage anyone from submitting a bid. I fear that they might lose out to a local company. I respect the idea of having a local company be the person who's awarded the contract. I agree, it's a minuscule amount of money, and I would prefer that it go to a local company. Is there any risk there?

I really couldn't answer that. I mean, it's a possibility, but how realistic the possibility I know nothing to base that on.

I do think like Councilman Lester said, we need to look maybe at when we would look at that, because you could potentially get. If you did this enough, you could change your variety of bids that you got. In other words, people would say there's not a reason to bid for the city because we're, you know, because somebody may come in that's local and get it instead. So I do think that's, I understand what Councilman Blumster is saying about some guidelines or something because I support the local part of this certainly, but I could understand if we did it regularly that then we would stop getting as many bids because it costs money for people to bid. It's expensive. So I can understand that that would be a long term problem if we did it regularly.

Mr. Mayor, if I could clarify. again if there's a big difference between making our policy to give local preference i actually would be opposed to that but i don't believe that that's what's happening here

and also if we start showing a trend of oh we're picking these folks because they're local that's going to limit the willingness to bid the limitations of bishop the limitations of bidders will also drive up the price because they know that there's fewer to compete with and they can get away with it so you should probably think about that too

I just wanted to clarify that my suggestion of some guidance would be in that case to consider the difference of not the lowest bid in that sense. So like in this case, it's less than 0.5, it's less than 0.4, 10 something percent. So anyway, I think Yes, it's both, it's taxpayer money and it's a little more taxpayer money, but then we're more recycling taxpayer money in the community, doing it to Don Sneeders, who is a known entity who has done good work for the city.

All right, seeing no other comments, the roll call will be on the amendments, whether you support Mending the resolution.

Lester?

Aye.

Michael?

Aye.

Young? Aye. Ahlers?

No.

Allen? No. Holt? Aye. Osleton? No. Jobe? No. Campeter?

No.

Four ayes, five noes.

okay you now have the original resolution 2026-26 in front of you any other comments or questions all right you're voting on the original we'll do another roll call vote michael all right young aye allers aye allen aye

Aye. Cogleton? Yes and aye. Joe? Aye. Cam Peter? Aye. Lester? Aye. Resolution is adopted.

All right, thanks for the discussion. Item 15, new business, we have none. Item 16, unfinished business, none. Item 17, recess and close and we'll ask the court to read the statement.

The chair will entertain a motion to adjourn the public session pursuant to section 610 of the revised statutes of Missouri. Going to close session to discuss the following, attorney client privilege subsection one, real estate subsection two, personnel subsection 13.

I move that we go into recess and move into closed session.

Second. I move the motion to recess going to close. Second.

Okay, council will go across the hall. I remind the public that we will reconvene when.