Housing study to go before council
In The News
MARYVILLE, Mo. — The Maryville City Council will meet in regular session at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, at City Hall.
Business for the governing board will include a couple of presentations, including a housing survey review by the Omaha, Nebraska-based consulting firm RDG Schutte Wilscam Birge.
Commissioned by the council back in May, the study is to embrace an analysis of Maryville’s “housing profile,” including demographics, market characteristics and gaps, demand, existing housing stock and future needs.
The $27,500 study is being paid for with $17,000 provided by Nodaway County Economic Development plus a $10,500 appropriation from the city’s General Fund.
A similar survey was conducted in 2001 by the same firm, then known as RDG Planning and Design.
City Manager Greg McDanel has characterized the earlier study as outdated, and said developers are unwilling to invest in new housing construction without current data.
A second presentation listed on the agenda will address the leasing of new sculptures to be placed downtown by the Maryville Public Art Committee.
For several years, MPAC has annually leased sculptures from noted regional and national artists through SculptureOne, an organization that also administers a similar public art program in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Other matters before the council include proposed approval of a municipal liquor license for the Casey’s General Store convenience shop now under construction at 1925 S. Main St.
The license would allow the new Casey’s to sell package liquor on weekdays and Sunday.
Staff has recommended approval of the application pending a final occupancy inspection and review of required documents.
A staff report noted that license-related background checks are complete, and that all applicable fees have been paid.
The sole ordinance before the council Monday would authorize city participation in the 2019 Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday, a statewide initiative that allows consumers to purchase eligible energy-efficient appliances without paying Missouri sales tax.
Municipal and county governments can participate by waiving local sales taxes, providing such action is approved by the appropriate governing board.
Maryville has suspended local sales tax on qualified Show Me Green purchases each year since 2009.
This year’s tax holiday runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday, April 19, through midnight Thursday, April 25.
Maryville residents currently pay sales taxes totaling 8.6 cents on the dollar, one of the higher rates in Missouri among similarly sized communities.
City sales taxes total 2.375 cents for each shopping dollar spent. The 8.6-cent total also includes 4.225 cents collected by the state, three half-cent levies imposed by Nodaway County and a half-cent tax that provides funding for the Nodaway County Ambulance District.
Monday’s meeting will also include a report by McDanel addressing a variety of issues and upcoming events, including:
• Great Northwest Days at the Missouri Capitol, an annual lobbying event in Jefferson City attended by more than 300 civic leaders and officials from across the region. This year’s gathering is set for Feb. 5-6.
• A summary of the current state legislative session, during which a number of bills are under consideration that carry potential impacts for outstate communities.
These include $5 million in proposed spending on rural high-speed internet and $350 million in proposed spending for “critical repair” of 250 bridges statewide.
In addition, the Legislature is considering a $50 million appropriation that would fund a transportation cost-share program designed to assist cities and counties with infrastructure improvements.
Other legislation includes Senate Bill 189, which would allow cities who collect use taxes from out-of-state sellers that currently avoid paying such levies by having a physical presence outside Missouri.
Maryville voters rejected a 2.375 cents-on-the-dollar use tax in November, but the city has added the question to the ballot local residents will mark during the Tuesday, April 2, municipal election.
• Acknowledgment of Maryville’s being ranked as Missouri’s ninth safest city by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.
Annual rankings are based on statistics provided by the FBI Uniform Crime Report for violent and property crimes.
According to the data, Maryville had 24 violent crimes and 151 property crimes in 2018. A full ranking of Missouri cities is available at www.alarms.org/safest-cities-in-missouri.
• An update on recent snow-removal efforts undertaken by the city’s street maintenance crew.
McDanel said city workers put in an estimated 224 hours on pretreatment, snow removal and pothole patching over the past two weeks. Winter weather-related spending totaled more than $33,000 in January for labor, fuel and materials, including corn-based ice melt and salt.
• A sewer maintenance update stating that Public Works crew members have flushed 1,795 feet of sewer main, assisted Northwest Missouri State University with a sewer issue and addressed battery panel problems at the Northwest Lift Station.
• A water maintenance update detailing a water line replacement project on Faustiana Drive and the city’s response to leaks along East South Avenue, South Main, East Seventh and South Market.
• A summary of municipal employment needs, including recruitment of a Maryville Community Center and marketing supervisor, a full-time water/sewer maintenance position and a part-time assistant events coordinator at the Mozingo Lake Recreation Park conference center.
