City Beat: Council holds public hearing on CU budget, rezoning bills

|tab|

In its Sept. 5 meeting, City Council held a public hearing on the proposed $353 million City Utilities budget, which was approved by the Board of Public Utilities in its Aug. 31 meeting. CU's 2001 fiscal year begins Oct. 1. The utility's major capital projects for 2001 include the McCartney Generating Station, the trunked radio system, a new customer information system and development of the Partnership Industrial Center West. There are no base price increases in electric, natural gas or water, but CU representatives advised customers of a $40-per-month increase per household in natural gas prices this winter. CU's budget last year totaled $281.4 million.|ret||ret||tab|

In other business, council held public hearings on two bills that would allow two Family Flowers Greenhouses to operate year-round at Albertson's grocery store locations at 3260 E. Battlefield and 4228 S. National. |ret||ret||tab|

The greenhouse business, which operates nine locations in the area, six of them on Albertsons' parking lots, is allowed to operate only six months out of the year in accordance with a city ordinance that regulates independent vendors. The Planning and Zoning Commission and city staff recommended approval of the two bills.|ret||ret||tab|

Other council bills for public hearing included three rezoning bills and a bill that would approve a use permit for a 190-foot telecommunications tower. The tower would be located in a heavy manufacturing district at the north end of North Farmer, north of West Division. |ret||ret||tab|

The first rezoning bill would rezone about 38 acres on the east side of North Westgate, north of Willard Road, from a Greene County M-1 district to a general manufacturing district. |ret||ret||tab|

The second rezoning bill would rezone less than one-tenth acre of land on the east side of South Linden south of Sunshine from a single-family residential district to a highway commercial district. |ret||ret||tab|

The third rezoning bill would rezone about 1 1/3 acres on the north side of West Sunset, west of Campbell, from a single-family residential district to a general retail district. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

TIF bid procedure, sewer approved|ret||ret||tab|

Council unanimously approved three resolutions in the Sept. 5 meeting. The first resolution adopted a procedure for evaluating bids and proposals for redevelopment projects contained in the Tax Increment Financing Redevelopment Plan. The second resolution approved the plans and specifications for the Sunshine/West Bypass trunk sewer. The third resolution declared the intent of the city to annex land described as the proposed Northwest Industrial Park, located on the west side of the 1500-2100 blocks of North Westgate. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Water feature funding approved|ret||ret||tab|

Second-reading bills, all of which were approved unanimously, included a bill authorizing the city manager to accept $1 million from CU for the purpose of developing a water feature in the first phase of Jordan Valley Park, and amending the budget for the 2000-01 fiscal year. |ret||ret||tab|

Another second-reading bill authorized the city manager to enter into an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation for phase II of the Branson/Springfield Intelligent Transportation System Strategic Plan. |ret||ret||tab|

Upon approval of funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the city would enter into an interagency agreement for the completion of phase II of the project. |ret||ret||tab|

The bill also directed National Engineering Technology to perform the engineering consulting services for phase II and adjusted the budget of the Public Works Department for fiscal year 2000-01 in the amount of about $1 million. [[In-content Ad]]