Limitations set on city?s boarded-up buildings

A decision made at the Oct. 29 City Council meeting means property owners whose buildings are boarded up will pay $200 for every 180 days their buildings are left vacant. Council voted unanimously to pass the new law and set the new permit amount. Also, those buildings without the 180-day permits for more than seven days could be declared a public nuisance, resulting in demolition or city possession through condemnation.

"It's a step in the right direction to clean up those bad-looking buildings," Councilman Denny Whayne said of the amendment. "I'm a real stickler on beautification."

Councilwoman Mary Collette called the action "long overdue," but also added that she didn't want to see demolition become the only answer. Structurally sound buildings, she said, should have a chance to be rebuilt.

Public safety grant

In other matters, council heard a special ordinance that would provide overtime money for policemen targeting underage drinking and drunk driving in the city.

If passed in two weeks, the bill will allow City Manager Tom Finnie to accept a $25,600 Saturation Enforce-ment Mini-Grant from the Missouri Department of Public Safety, Division of Highway Safety. The city would match $6,190 for the cause. Finnie said this bill would "send a very loud signal that if you drink and drive or drink underage, you have a very high probability of being caught."

Jordan Valley TIF

Also, council heard four separate first reading bills for "minor amendments" according to Finnie to the Jordan Val-ley Tax Increment Financing Redevelop-ment Plan approved last year.

The amendments, Finnie added, would correct legal boundaries, designate a specific location for the arena, separate the exposition space and parking garage and set their locations, and activate the TIF areas.

Two of the bills amendments to the plans for the exposition center, parking deck, multipurpose arena, and rehabilitation of the University Plaza Trade Center were tabled due to developer John Q. Hammons' delay in groundbreaking. Finnie said the city only has a certain number of years to collect revenue in a TIF district and wanted to activate the respective TIFs as close to groundbreaking as possible.

Fight against HIV/AIDS

The city is accepting a grant of $103,770 from the Missouri Department of Health for the purpose of funding expanded HIV/AIDS case management services to citizens in Barton, Jasper, Newton and McDonald counties through June 30, 2002. The bill passed unanimously.

Indefinitely tabled

The annexation for the 170 acres of private property at the Interstate 44 and U.S. 65 intersection, which is considered the site for the proposed Legacy of Flight air museum, was tabled indefinitely. Finnie said the bill will come back to council when the financial plans for Leg-acy of Flight are finalized.

Brittany's subdivision

A final bill heard would approve the preliminary plat of Brittany's Subdi-vision, located on the north side of Brower Street east of Dickerson Avenue. If passed in two weeks, the plat would be added to the city and would allow for 25 acres of land to be subdivided into 13 lots for single-family use.