JOPLIN, Mo. —
The Joplin City Council will consider measures related to the adoption of a $164 million city budget when it meets tonight. The city’s fiscal year begins Nov. 1.
Proposals for tornado recovery programs and a plan under which the city would handle billing for wastewater and trash services also are on the agenda for the meeting, which is set for 6 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 602 S. Main St.
Major projects in the budget include street work, some of which was delayed last year, and construction of two new fire stations to replace those destroyed in the 2011 tornado. The budget includes spending of about $77 million on capital projects. It contains funding for some ongoing work, such as $23 million in renovations and upgrades to the city’s wastewater treatment plants and the sewer system.
In addition to budget ordinances, the council will consider measures to implement a new pay plan for city workers, and adoption of employees’ health and vision insurance coverage for the coming fiscal year.
Council members also will act on a proposal to submit an application to the U.S. Economic Development Administration for disaster assistance. Another item calls for filing a funding agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for use of the city’s $45.3 million in Community Development Block Grant funding for disaster recovery.
Also stemming from the tornado, the council will review an agreement between the city and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for funds to support testing and cleanup of soils contaminated by heavy metals. The council is to award a contract to Crossland Construction Co. to clean up heavy metals in the soil at Garvin and Parr Hill parks.
Several ordinances are proposed to allow the city to begin handling billing for trash and sewer services. Missouri American Water Co. has notified Joplin that it will end a program in which it has billed residents for sewer and trash services as part of their water bills.
Annexations
Measures authorizing the voluntary annexation of properties near 32nd Street and John Duffy Drive and at 32nd Street and Central City Road are on the agenda for the Joplin City Council meeting tonight.
Local News
Joplin City Council to consider budget
- Local News
-
-
Missouri Southern art students to raise funds for Moore, Okla.
Throughout periods of historical change, art has always played an important role, Kahlief Steele contends. “A lot of art came out of the Renaissance period, and the same thing happened after the Great Depression,” said Steele, an art major who will start his junior year this fall at Missouri Southern State University.
-
City manager: CID owes Neosho $158,257
The Big Spring Plaza Community Improvement District owes Neosho $158,257, City Manager Troy Royer told the Neosho City Council on Tuesday night. Royer had filed an open-records request under the Missouri Sunshine Law with officers of the CID he could identify, which he had said wasn’t easy.
-
Ground to be broken for Pittsburg project; 10 homes planned for moderate-income residents
City and Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce officials will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony at 11 a.m. today at Lincoln Square. An open house also will be held in the home under construction in the new development.
-
Mike Pound: Office space no place for litter box
I knew my wife was lying when she told me to relax. “It won’t be that bad,” she said. “Relax. I’m sure all writers have had to put up with something like this at least once in their career.”
-
Donations helping JHS music programs rebuild after tornado
Building a repertoire for the Joplin School District’s orchestra program is a challenge for Kylee VanHorn. “Every time I get on the Internet and look at the music sites, there are so many pieces I want to purchase, and I just don’t have the money,” VanHorn said.
-
Defendant chooses not to testify in Miami murder trial
Donna Shirley testified Wednesday that Dustin Boggs had blood all over his hands and clothes when she encountered him in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store the afternoon Danyel Borden was killed.
-
Former Jasper County official's sentencing slated today in fraud charges
Rita Hunter, former Jasper County public administrator, is to be sentenced today in federal court in Springfield. Hunter, who held office from January 2005 through December 2008, pleaded guilty last November to document fraud, a charge related to illegal obtaining of federal benefits.
-
MSSU board approves settlement agreement with fired president
Bruce Speck, whose contract as president of Missouri Southern State University was terminated last week, will receive the equivalent of a year’s salary as well as housing and health insurance benefits through the end of the year.
-
Mindenmines man charged in first-degree assault case
Barton County Prosecutor Steven Kaderly on Wednesday charged a Mindenmines man with first-degree felony assault of another man, who was in serious condition at a Joplin hospital. The felony charge against Charles Lee Kerby, 32, alleges that on Sunday he assaulted John Bryant, 58, causing serious physical injuries. The assault happened in the 800 block of Tucker Street in Mindenmines.
-
State auditors start review of Jasper County Circuit Court
Workers for the office of Thomas Schweich, Missouri state auditor, have started an audit of Jasper County Circuit Court. The state review was described as “routine” by Spence Jackson, a spokesman for Schweich’s office.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Missouri Southern art students to raise funds for Moore, Okla.
