Civic action topics include park grant, library tax
TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Library Director Stephanie Patterson addresses about 50 civic leaders and non-profit organization representatives who attended Monday’s annual Maryville Citizens for Community Action luncheon at the First Christian Church. Patterson’s remarks summarized a proposed increase to the library’s property tax rate that will go before voters during the April 4 municipal election.
Representatives from nearly 40 local agencies, non-profits, and charities gathered at the First Christian Church of Maryville Monday for the annual Maryville Citizens for Community Action luncheon.
The organization, which meets every fourth Monday at the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce, seeks to encourage cooperation between various groups promoting programs and services aimed at everything from fighting hunger and improving public health to promoting adult literacy and mentoring youth.
While many of the groups represented at this week’s gathering were charitable organizations, some of the most noteworthy reports revolved around improvements to Maryville’s park system, economic development, and efforts by the City of Maryville and the Maryville Public Library to secure voter approval of tax proposals slated for the April 4 municipal election ballot.
Maryville Parks & Recreation Director Aaron Dobson told the gathering that his department has received a $28,675 grant through the Gladys Rickard Charitable Trust that will be used for a series of planned improvements at Robertson-Crist Park, a “nature park” located along Prather Avenue in the north part of town.
The grant includes a $6,900 local match from three sources: Parks & Rec; Northwest Missouri State University’s School of Health Science and Wellness and the Nodaway County Healthy Center.
Dobson said the school and center are involved because a new mulch-surfaced walking trail at the park will contribute to public health.
Other proposed improvements at the park include a sidewalk linking the parking lot to existing restrooms and a pavilion; tree trimming; and the addition of native plants in an effort to attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and songbirds.
Finally, the grant will cover the drainage and dredging of an existing pond to a depth of about 8 feet. Dredged material would be used to reinforce the dam, and the added depth will allow the pond to be stocked with fish by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Moving forward with the pond project, Dobson said, is still dependent on approval by the state Department of Natural Resources.
Other MCCA presentations included remarks by Maryville Public Library Director Stephanie Patterson, who is conducting a campaign to educate voters about the need to increase the library’s property tax levy.
Without additional revenue, Patterson said, the library, located at Fifth and Main in a former post office, may have to look for a new, smaller building and consider program and staffing cuts.
The library’s board is proposing a 12-cent increase to the existing levy that would bring the tax rate to 28 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, three cents higher than a statutory ceiling set in 1962.
Due to Missouri’s tax-limiting Hancock Amendment, which ties government revenues and expenses to a percentage of personal income, the 1962 levy was cut approximately in half in the 1980s and has experienced only modest increases since linked by law to the Consumer Price Index.
Patterson said earlier that the catalyst for the tax proposal was a recent roof replacement that forced the board to spend $68,000 from reserves.
While the library still has reserves totaling around 30 percent of its annual $275,000 budget, Patterson said it is becoming obvious that the institution must either bring in more revenue or cut back on expenses.
Also speaking on tax matters was City Manager Greg McDanel, who is leading a similar effort to inform voters about the effort to renew Maryville’s half-cent capital improvement sales tax, which expires in 2018.
The city is asking voters to renew the tax, which citizens already pay, for a term of 20 years. Municipal officials want to use revenue from the levy to pay for a number of long-term, big-ticket expenditures including a new fire and police headquarters and traffic-flow and pedestrian improvements along the South Main retail corridor.
A third priority, McDanel said, is a significant investment in city streets that would include approximately 11 miles of asphalt overlay work at an estimated cost of $2 million.
Monday’s luncheon concluded with remarks by Mary Hinde, executive director of the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri, a regional non-profit with the stated goal of retaining accumulated wealth within an 18-county region through charitable giving, philanthropy and economic revitalization.
Hinde told her fellow MCCA presenters about the foundation’s Annual Event, which is set for 8:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University.
This year’s keynote speaker is Ron Drake, author of “Flip This Town.”
Drake is the founder of Ron Drake Consulting LLC, a Siloam Springs, Arkansas, company that provides quality-of-life consulting services to small towns.
Hinde said Drake will spending two days prior to his talk meeting with local business owners and community leaders here while compiling an “idea book” for spurring economic development, especially downtown.
Drake played a key role in revitalizing the central business district in his home community, the northwest Arkansas city of Siloam Springs, where he restored 17 historic buildings and reclaimed 75,000 square feet of floor space.
Doors to the ballroom will open at 8:15 a.m. for Drake’s presentation, with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and the program following at 9. Reservations are required and cost $30 per person. Those wishing to attend can register at www.cfnwmo.org or call the foundation at 816-232-2022.
Other presenters during the luncheon included the Rev. Jonathan Mitchell, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church and a board member of the Nodaway County Ministry Center, which operates a food pantry and clothing distribution center.
Mitchell announced a new pantry fundraising effort scheduled for later this year targeting local businesses and industries. The “Corporate Food Fight Challenge” will seek donations of both food and cash and take the form of a competition in which businesses acquire points based on giving levels.
Points are to be awarded according to a weighted system that takes business size, number of employees, and other factors into consideration.
