City Beat: NAACP rep addresses City Council about KKK

Rosemary Stewart-Stafford, a member of the executive committee of the Springfield chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, addressed City Council in its May 30 meeting. She urged council members to take action against the Ku Klux Klan for its use of the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport in a video produced by the British Broadcasting Corp. that aired in May on The Learning Channel. The video shows a man dressed as Santa Claus handing out KKK material at the airport.

Council approves $168.6 million budget

City Council approved the fiscal year 2000-01 city operating budget 8-0, with Mayor Lee Gannaway abstaining. The $168.6 million budget is a nearly $15 million increase from the $153.9 million city budget for 1999-2000, and provides a 4.5 percent pay increase to city employees.

Other highlights of the budget are the continuation of city street paving efforts to reduce the program from a 20-year schedule to a 12-15 year schedule, recruiting and training 15 new police officers for traffic enforcement and an adding 60 officers for criminal investigations.

Southern Hills area rezoning tabled

A bill rezoning about 5 1/4 acres at the southeast corner of Lone Pine and Southern Hills Boulevard from a single family residential district to a planned development district for a new Greenlawn Funeral Home was tabled until the June 12 council meeting at the request of the neighborhood and the developer.

Special Business District budget adopted

Council voted 7-1 with Mayor Lee Gannaway abstaining and Councilman Bob Vanaman voting against a tax levy on real property and adopt a budget for the expenses of the Special Business District for fiscal year 2000-01. Council also unanimously voted to levy a tax on real and personal property for current expenses and debt retirement of the city and its boards and agencies for fiscal year 2000-01.

Park projects revenue bonds issued

A bill to authorize the issuance by the Public Building Corporation of $10.3 million leasehold revenue bonds for Jordan Valley Park Projects and $8.85 million leasehold revenue bonds for the Springfield Recreational Ice Project to pay the costs of certain park improvements for the city was amended and approved unanimously.

CID, center city lease have first reading

First reading bills included a bill approving the establishment of a downtown Community Improvement District municipal fund and the payment of approved expenses from such fund. Other first reading bills were a bill approving the sale of excess real property owned by the city at 322 E. Seminole, a bill authorizing the lease with the Concrete Company of Springfield for land located north of East Trafficway, west of National and east of Sherman, a bill authorizing an agreement with SMSU for temporary closure of Harrison Street, Holland Avenue to Clay Avenue, to permit work on city rights-of-way and a bill amending the Springfield City Code relating to salary rates and pay grades.

Counsel, street closure on consent agenda

A one-reading bill on the consent agenda authorized the city manager to accept a $412,027 grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources for the purpose of constructing the West Nichols Street storm water improvements.

Second reading bills on the consent agenda included a bill amending the City Code by adopting new fees for certain city services in order to recover all or part of the cost thereof.

Another second reading bill on the consent agenda authorized the city attorney to employ outside legal counsel to represent city employees and officers who are sued in their individual capacity while acting on behalf of the city when the city law department has a conflict of interest in representing such employees.

A second reading bill on the consent agenda authorized a license agreement with Environmental Works Inc. to allow installation of a monitoring well on city right-of-way at the southwest corner of Grand Street and Grant Avenue in connection with a groundwater contamination study being performed under the supervision of the DNR.