Highlights of the October 27, City Council Meeting

Upcoming Council Meeting Agenda

Here are a few items which will be up for public hearing at the Council meeting this Monday night:

> Item 8. COUNCIL BILL 2008-321: A portion of Phelps Street, between Kansas Expressway and LaFontaine Avenue is being considered to be made a private street, at the Paul Mueller Company's request.

The purpose is to allow the company to create a secured parking area. Muellers would take over all care and maintenence of the street should the bill pass.

Geoffrey Butler will represent Muellers in the matter. There has been no opposition raised.

> Item 10. COUNCIL BILL 2008-322: A special ordinance adopting the Internal Auditor’s Policies and Procedures and approving the annual Audit Working Plan.

If you'd like to read a summary of the Internal Auditor's Policies and Procedures, click on the cover shot of the paper at the Community Free Press Web site and scroll to page 4, you can also read the entire policy paper by clicking this and scrolling down.

> Item 11. COUNCIL BILL 2008-323: Will authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to appropriate $165,000 from the level property tax fund to construct a public parking lot at Jefferson Avenue and Phelps Street and amend the budget in that amount, if passed.

The parking lot is intended to provide parking for patrons and employees of the Jordan Valley Community Health Center, Greene County and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Resolutions, which citizens may address but which will, likely, be voted on at the meeting (resolutions only require one reading) are:

> Item 13. COUNCIL BILL 2008-324: "...consenting to and approving financing of The Industrial Development Authority of Greene County, Missouri for the Pregnancy Care Center, a Missouri nonprofit corporation, by providing for the issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds in an amount not to exceed $1,700,000 to pay the costs of financing and reimbursing the costs of the acquisition and renovation of an office facility for the Pregnancy Care Center."

> Item 14. COUNCIL BILL 2008-325: "A resolution adopting the City of Springfield's Legislative Policy for 2009. (Recommended by the Finance and Administration Committee.)"

The city's legislative policy for 2009 was recommended by the Finance and Administration Committee with a vote of 3 ayes, 1 nay. Councilman Burlison did not support some of the more contentious legislative policies included and so, as a member of the Finance and Administration Committee, opposed it.

One of the contentious policies has been written about in the local news, it was a request made by the Parks Department to lobby for a ban on guns in open park spaces.

It is my understanding that there is to be a citizen speaking out against the potential gun ban at the meeting Monday night, at least that's a rumor I heard today.

As always, the second reading bills will be summarized and note made of the votes in the next issue of the Community Free Press.

To view the consent agenda bills, click this. Citizens wishing to speak to an item on the consent agenda must let City Clerk Brenda Cirtin know that they'd like an item removed from that agenda so that they might address it.

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