Southwest Missouri News

Branson

Tax revenue growth small, steady

Revenues from the city of Branson's sales and tourism taxes showed small, but steady growth during fiscal year 2000, which ended Sept. 30, 2000. The 1.5 percent sales tax generated $11.7 million, up 4 percent from the previous year's total of $11.2 million.

The city collected $10 million in tourism tax revenue, a 2 percent increase from last year's total of $9.8 million The tourism tax is 4 percent on lodging, theaters and other ticketed attractions, and one-half of 1 percent on restaurants.

City officials to retire in 2001

The city of Branson will lose two of its officials to retirement this year. Branson Parks and Recreation Director Randy Warner retires Jan. 1, 2001, after 13 years with the city. Prior to coming to Branson in 1987, Warner served as parks director for the Missouri communities of Sikeston and Charleston, and he has 23 years of municipal service.

Under Warner's leadership, the number of participants in parks department programs increased from 17,000 in 1987 to more than 101,000 last year. Participants include not only Branson residents, but people from Taney, Stone and Christian counties.

The city's attorney, Bob Handley, also will retire from municipal service next summer. Handley has been the city attorney for the past 3 1/2 years and will be moving to the Kansas City area.

The city will immediately begin the search to fill these vacancies.

Association commends city's P&D

Two members of a Bethesda, Md., mutual housing association have commended the Branson Planning and Development Department on the handicap-accessibility of commercial buildings. One of the housing association members is mobility-impaired and uses a motorized scooter.

The association members visited 10 theaters and reported no parking or restroom accommodation issues. Alan D. White, PhD, wrote the city: "Please accept kudos for the outstanding overall Branson commercial facility accommodations."

Outback receives lighting honors

Outback Properties of Branson won first place in the commercial lighting division of the Branson Festival of Lights 2000 Lighting Contest and received an advertising package worth more than $1,600 from the Branson Daily News and KHOZ 102.9 FM. Honorable mention went to Super 8 Central and the Jim Stafford Theatre, also Branson businesses.

Silver Dollar City, Curbow Enterprises and Shepherd of the Hills Homestead won first, second and third place, respectively, in the for-profit, nonreligious division float contest in the 52nd Annual Adoration Parade held Dec. 3 in Branson.

Carthage

Leggett & Platt earnings subpar

Leggett & Platt expects fourth-quarter sales and earnings to be below management's earlier expectations.

In a prepared statement, the company said that, including benefits from acquisitions, sales for the quarter should be approximately $1 billion, which equates to growth of about 4 percent vs. last year's fourth quarter. Same-location sales are likely to be down about 5 percent, as demand is weakening in most of the markets Leggett serves. Company management expects soft market conditions to continue through the first half of 2001.

Profit margins are being affected by production cutbacks and lower plant utilization in all business segments. Fourth-quarter earnings are expected to be 21 to 26 cents per diluted share, down from 37 cents in 1999.

Prior to this latest announcement, analysts had estimated the company's fourth-quarter earnings at 31 to 35 cents.

Leggett's reduced expectations still result in record full-year sales of approximately $4.3 billion, an increase of 13 percent over the previous year. This year's expected earnings of $1.31 to $1.36 per diluted share, though down 6 percent to 10 percent, will be second only to the record of $1.45 achieved in 1999.

Granby

Brass Eagle plant to close in March

Brass Eagle Inc. has announced plans to close its Granby plant in an effort to streamline operations. Each of the 80 hourly employees, as well as management in Granby, are being offered jobs at company operations in Neosho.

Brass Eagle operates a 33,000-square-foot plant in Granby, where it assembles paintball products. The plant is expected to close in March.

Brass Eagle, which has its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., has a distribution center, manufacturing plant and a product receiving area in Neosho. The company is the leading manufacturer, marketer and distributor of paintball products worldwide.

"This decision was made as a consequence of key competitive factors in the marketplace," Lynn Scott, Brass Eagle's president and chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement.

"This change in our production methods is necessary in order for the company to control the cost of our products facilitating our continued growth and market leadership in the paintball industry," Scott said.

Hollister

Chamber names officers, board

The Hollister Area Chamber of Commerce has selected its officers and board of directors for 2001. The officers are Mike Mitchell, Nowell's Foods, president; Rick Ziegenfuss, Creative Printing & Design, vice president; and Jim Case, Bank of Kimberling City, treasurer.

Directors serving two-year terms are Ray Cracraft, Your Vacation Shop; Gary Demster, Lowe's Home Improvement; Vonnie Fuqua-Mathiesen, city of Hollister; Katria Stacy, V&K Framing; and Marilyn Yung, Got Fresco Pottery. Directors serving one-year terms are Virginia Kenyon, Ozark Mountain Bank; Bob Taylor, Cutting Edge Technologies; and Debra Wright, Country Mart Pharmacy.

Installation of the 2001 officers and board of directors will take place at 8 a.m. Jan. 4 at the Railroad Depot in Hollister.

Jasper County

Sales tax revenue tops $5 million

Revenue from Jasper County's general sales tax grew by more than 9.2 percent in 2000, topping $5 million.

The three-eighths-cent countywide sales tax produced $5.01 million for the year, up nearly $420,000 over last year's collections.

The total marks the first time revenue from the three-eighth-cent tax has topped the $5 million mark. The tax is the largest revenue source for county spending on all programs except road improvements.

Proceeds from the county's one-fourth-cent road and bridge sales tax have grown by 9.3 percent, totaling $3.3 million in 2000.

Joplin

CMN awards grant to MSSC nurses

The Missouri Southern State College nursing department has received a $2,700 grant from the Children's Miracle Network to pay for medical equipment for use at West Central Elementary School in Joplin.

West Central receives federal funding to assist children with health assessments and screenings, and other routine checks.

Grace Ayton and Catherine Cole, department faculty members, sought the grant for the equipment that will enhance testing procedures.

The money donated by CMN will help pay for a set of Health-O-Meter scales, which will be used to measure height and weight to evaluate students' growth and development, and a Welch-Allyn Microtymp unit for hearing screenings.

"The nursing faculty has made a commitment to the concept of providing nursing students clinical experiences in community-based settings," said Cole. "The first step to implement the model was development of a collaborative partnering with West Central Elementary."

Cole said nursing students at Missouri Southern help provide testing and receive practical experience by working with the children.

Neosho

Loan to be used for apartments

The Neosho Housing Authority will receive a federal loan of $1.34 million to develop a 64-unit apartment complex called The Hamptons of Neosho.

The loan has an interest rate of 1 percent for 30 years.

The Neosho Housing Authority also received $427,335 in federal and state tax credits for the apartment project.

These apartments will be built across from the dorms at Crowder College.

La-Z-Boy sales lower than expected

Boy Incorporated announced that it expects sales for its third fiscal quarter, which ends Jan. 27, 2001, to be below earlier anticipated levels. La-Z-Boy operates a plant in Neosho that employs more than 1,000 people, making it one of the area's largest employers.

The maker of recliners said it expected diluted earnings per share for the third quarter to range from 25 cents to 31 cents a share.

Demand for furniture is weak, perhaps in response to the declining stock market and higher home heating bills, La-Z-Boy stated in a release.

The company also cited higher interest rates, increased debt and more outstanding diluted shares as contributing to the shortfall.

"When we reported our fiscal second quarter results early last month, we noted that the outlook for our January quarter was not particularly strong," said Fritz Jackson, La-Z-Boy chief financial officer.

"Since then, business conditions in our industry have softened further, with the important post-Thanksgiving retail selling period coming in below what most furniture retailers had been anticipating," Jackson added.