The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Election Day Notebook

Discussion

March 22, 2008

Webb City officials proposing bond issue for infrastructure again

By Melissa Dunson

mdunson@joplinglobe.com

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Hall Street in Webb City has to be repaired, local officials say.

Increased traffic and tractor-trailer loads from the Joplin-Webb City Industrial Park has torn up the road and created a dangerous situation, according to Webb City elected officials. The problem is that Hall isn’t the city’s only street that needs some extra attention these days.

“We haven’t had any city improvements in a while,” said Councilman Ray Edwards.

To pay for these improvements, the city is asking voters on April 8 to reconsider a multimillion dollar bond issue that was narrowly defeated last August. A City Council race also will be on the ballot.

During the election in August, residents approved a three-eighths-cent sales tax city officials had planned to use to fund the bond payments.

Last year, because of the timing of the election, the bond-issue part of the proposal needed a two-thirds majority for passage. This election, the bond issue only needs a four-sevenths majority to pass. The sales tax only needed a simple majority for passage, even on the August-election date.

“The people already voted for the tax,” City Administrator Steve Garrett said. “I think the problem with the bond issue was just getting over that two-thirds majority hurdle.”

The sales tax passed last year is estimated to bring in $400,000 to $500,000 a year. It raised the tax rate to 7.759 percent and does not have a sunset date. The city wants permission to borrow between $7.6 million and $7.8 million and use money from the sales tax to pay off the debt over 20 years, so the city can do the street projects now instead of having to wait until it saved up the revenue.

“This is so we can do several projects at the same time, so we don’t have to piece-meal it over a lot of years,” said Mayor John Biggs.

Besides repairing Hall Street from Zora Street to Highway 171, which Biggs said must be done with or without the bond issue, some of the other proposed projects the bond issue would pay for include:

n Extending Carl Junction Road 12 blocks (just less than a mile) to connect North Main Street to North Madison.

n Extending North Pennsylvania Avenue two blocks to connect with Carl Junction Road.

n Widening Madison at MacArthur Drive (Highway 171) and improving that intersection.

n Connecting Fountain Road/Anderson Drive to 17th Street to create one continuous line from Route JJ (also known as North Central City Road) to the Highway 249 interchange (also called AA/Prosperity Avenue).

Garrett said all of the proposed projects come with an estimated price tag of $15 million. Biggs said the city has identified several outside funding sources, including a Community Development block grant and a grant from the Missouri Department of Transportation. Biggs also said the city could be eligible for other grants from Jasper County, the state of Missouri or even the federal government. The Webb City R-7 School District has also expressed interest in teaming up with the city in some of the street work, city officials said.

“Even with all that, we will still need some help,” Biggs said of raising the money for all of the projects.

City officials said the projects the bond issue would pay for would require taking part of some residents’ yards, and some people may have to move entirely. Garrett said the city is not yet setting a priority on which projects would be tackled first.

Councilman Jerry Fisher said Webb City’s schools and residential neighborhoods have grown faster than the city’s infrastructure, and too much traffic is going down Main Street and through Madison.

“People need to realize that they’re already paying the tax, it’s just a matter of how are you going to use it,” Fisher said.

City Council

In the April 8 election, Webb City’s 4th Ward incumbent Councilman Gene Mense faces challenger Randy Cahoon for a two-year term.

Mense, 53, is a certified public accountant, and co-owner of the firm Mense Churchwell & Mense. He was originally appointed to the council to fill an unexpired term eight years ago.

Mense graduated from McAuley Regional High School and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Missouri Southern State University.

He was born and raised in Joplin, but has lived in Webb City for the past 25 years. He currently lives at 1411 Carl Junction Road.

Cahoon could not be reached for comment. He lives at 714 N. Madison, according to city records.

Incumbents Edwards of the 1st Ward, Don Darby of the 2nd Ward, and Jerry Fisher of the 3rd Ward are all running unopposed.

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