City staff members found more than $3 million for next year’s budget during the last two weeks.
Ward 5 Councilman and budget committee chair Jon Hensley said the city council will likely adopt the Jefferson City 2024 fiscal year budget during Monday’s council meeting.
The city’s deadline for finalizing the budget is Nov. 1., though the council will not meet again until Nov. 6.
The budget has remained on the agenda’s informal calendar since August while the budget committee approved the document and sent it to the council Sept. 21. Finance Director Shiela Pearre said previously that staff members always need a few weeks after the committee finishes to finalize the budget and include the changes made during committee meetings.
At the last council meeting, the budget bill read $79.2 million, while a substitute bill included in Monday’s agenda states the total budget for next year is $82.4 million.
Staff members projected the city’s general budget at $39 million for next year; this account saw an increase of $626,000 since the last budget bill.
Neither Henlsey nor Pearre were available for comment on where the funds came from.
——
Also at Monday’s meeting, Clint Smith, the director of Planning and Protective Services, will provide another update on the city’s yard waste contract.
The council has been debating since Sept. 5 about how to continue with the free city service after the council unanimously voted against accepting a controversial bid.
Originally, city staff recommended a contract with Korte Tree Care; Korte’s only site is across the Missouri River Bridge. Several residents — and the owner of a landscaping company that bid for this same contract — approached the council with concerns about debris falling from vehicles and onto the highway leading to crashes.
The city then entered into negotiations with Kris Scheperle, owner of All Seasons Landscaping. All Seasons Landscaping currently holds the contract to operate the dropoff site and has since 2010. The city has paid Scheperle $984,000 during the last five years for this service.
Scheperle said he didn’t agree with the prices the city offered and he felt the city wanted him to do it for almost nothing, though Ward 5 Councilman Mark Schwartz said that was a “ludicrous” statement at the last council meeting.
“It’s well over $17,000 a month of taxpayer money that we’re offering Mr. Scheperle to do this,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz also said Scheperle adjusted his contract during negotiations to be paid more than his original bid of $1.3 million; Schwartz did not specify exactly how much Scheperle added to the price.
——
There will be a public hearing about an ordinance that would rezone a half-acre property from general industrial to general commercial in order to permit a drive-through dry cleaning business in the area.
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved the re-zoning application during its Sept. 21 meeting and passed the application on to the council.
The property owner, Nick Schrimpf, submitted the application and attended the meeting in September. He said he bought the property and planned to use the space for his dry cleaning business, Nix Corp, but soon found the property was classified under general industrial, which only allows businesses that deal with manufacturing, material processing or landscaping.
Brian McMillian, a senior project engineer with Central Missouri Professional Services, also attended the meeting. He said he’d been assisting Schrimpf with setting up the business and was surprised to find it wasn’t a general commercial zone, which allows general trades and commercial services.
He also said he and Schrimpf assumed Schrimpf’s dry cleaning business might fall under industrial use since Schrimpf set the structure up so that he washes and handles the clothes in the same building.
“Usually the first thing I do is check the zoning, but with Sonic right next door and what their use is, they actually do the dry cleaning in the building and to me, it seemed like industrial use. It’s like it fit both of those zones,” McMillian said.
McMillian said he and Schrimpf were rushed in completing the process because Schrimpf’s lease on his current facility, Dix Road Cleaners located at 404 Dix Road, is ending soon.
McMillian said Schrimpf’s business would benefit the local community.
“There’s no dry cleaners anywhere in this area,” McMillian said.
——
Mayor Ron Fitzwater has one appointment scheduled for Monday’s meeting.
Pat Thomas is recommended to serve a full term on the Parks and Recreation Commission, replacing commissioner Donna Stallings.
Mayoral appointments go first through the city’s administration committee. Thomas’ name was a hot topic during the last committee meeting.
Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Ahlers praised Thomas’ experience working at the state capitol and said she has served on several local commissions to better her own community.
Ward 2 Councilman Aaron Mealy, however, did not approve of replacing Stallings. He said Thomas may be qualified to serve the commission well, but it feels unfair to Stallings, who has only served one term so far.
Under city charter, Jefferson City residents can serve two consecutive terms, three years each, on one commission.
Former Mayor Carrie Tergin appointed Stallings, along with Roger Schwartze and Chris Duren, to the Parks and Recreation Commission in 2020. Fitzwater extended Schwartze’s and Duren’s terms another three years; they are set to expire in May 2026.
Mealy said this felt purposeful.
“I’ll be very blunt with this when I say I feel like Donna was picked out of three people as the lowest-hanging fruit and the least likely to make a lot of noise in terms of getting off the commission,” Mealy said.
The administration committee ultimately approved the recommendation to go to council.
All committee members but Mealy — Ahlers, Ward 3 Councilwoman Erin Wiseman, Ward 4 Councilman Randy Wright and Ward 5 Councilman Jon Hensley — voted to support the mayor’s decision to appoint Thomas to the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Commssioner nominations from the mayor require a majority of council’s approval.
——
The consent agenda includes approval to apply for a state loan.
City staff members plan to request funds to cover the design costs for a new air control tower at the Jefferson City Memorial Airport. The grant is through the Missouri Department of Transportation and would provide $629,000 for archtitectural services.
The airport would be responsible for matching 10 percent of the total cost. Operations Divisions Director Britt Smith said this money would come from half-cent capital improvement sales tax fund.
——
Also at the meeting, Fitwater will present Dick Preston with a key to the city to celebrate his 55 years of work as a news anchor for KRCG. Preston announced his retirement on air last week.
Roxy Van Pool, the event director of the Tunnels to Towers 5K, will present the fastest firehouse award to Jefferson City Fire Department.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall in the council chambers.