Monett City Council adopts comprehensive plan

The Monett City Council finalized three long-running projects at its Aug. 13 monthly meeting, and introduced another proposal on the edge of the city. 

After two years of discussion and meetings, city council members finalized the city’s comprehensive plan, mandated by state law for all cities with zoning. Community development director Doug Potts said there were no changes from the last presentation, with 173 pages, including the appendix documenting the community survey. 

Mayor Randy Burke noted the document includes significant descriptions of the city. “This is a road map that says where we want to be in the next 20 years,” he said. 

Adopting the plan, the city’s first in 30 years, represented “a momentous occasion; it’s a great thing,” said Commissioner Ken Gaspar. Commissioner Darren Indovina urged the public to download the document from the city’s website.

Thomas Hughes from the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, which guided creation of the document, commented the city’s plan was “a great project.”

Vacant building registry

The council also adopted the Vacant Building Registry and Property Maintenance Program, modeled after the City of Springfield’s ordinance. The staff report noted the Planning and Zoning Commission, in hearing the initial presentation, expressed a desire to see proof that a building was indeed vacant or a significant qualifying reason for being on the list, specifically how the structure impacts the health, safety, and welfare of the city. 

The staff report continued by distinguishing between “unused” and unoccupied homes for sale by owner, seasonal or vacation homes, and properties where the owner has relocated to a care facility. A listing would ultimately be at the discretion of the Community Development Department. Exceptions would fall under these types of “would not be in keeping with the spirit of the ordinance. The spirit of the law is the key factor to this determination,” the report stated. 

To mitigate problems, the Community Development Department proposed a two-step system, requiring proof of vacancy, both objectively and subjectively, by city officials. Then, “an appropriate adjudicator” would assess negative impact on the citizenry. 

The registry was presented as “a tool that can be utilized to properly identify, come up with a plan to alleviate, and mitigate the vacant buildings within the City of Monett. This program would allow for ample time for residents and building owners to prepare themselves for the program.” 

The ordinance included numerous definitions for different types of vacancies, a $150 charge for annual registration, and an eight-step plan of action to get off the list. Owners failing to follow the action plan would be subject to penalties up to $500 a month for each month out of compliance. Failure to act within six months or remove the building without unnecessary delay could result in the issue going to the Building Board, which could order demolition. 

Potts added that details had been worked out with Monett Main Street. 

Commissioner Darren Indovina praised the effort that began in January, calling the registry “a tremendous asset.” 

Bridge progress

Council members awarded a construction bid for the Chapell Drive railroad overpass to Hartman and Company of Springfield for $6,070,000, the low bidder, which federal law required the city to take in order to accept grant money for the project. The city had not worked with Hartman before. At the July 23 work session, engineer Kevin Sprenkle said bidders had to meet stringent application requirements. He had worked with Hartman for three years on other projects and had no reservations awarding the firm this contract. 

City Administrator Mickey Ary noted engineers estimated the cost at $7.6 million, resulting in significant savings for the city. According to the ordinance, the bridge project is funded by a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant and the city’s use tax. The contract also included a $149,646 alternate bid to run concrete from Chapell Drive to the south end of the bridge, and from the north end of the bridge to the east end of Cleveland Avenue. Ary added there had been an alternate bid to use asphalt on the approaches, but the staff “strongly” recommended using concrete. 

First reading of the ordinance was done during the work session, making the second reading on Aug. 13 possible. The quick turnaround would enable the contractor to begin work more rapidly, though no timetable was revealed in the meeting. 

Rezoning on Chapell Drive

Council members approved rezoning approximately five acres of land on the west side of Chapell Drive, south of the National Guard Armory and north of Enterprise Lane, from agriculture to industrial. Potts pointed out the newly adopted comprehensive plan anticipated the land would become industrial, as the surrounding property has all changed to that classification over time. 

Tim Schowe, the southwest region manager for Cochran Engineering of Ozark, appeared at the meeting to speak for the firm buying the land from the Kevin Keeling Land and Cattle Company. Schowe said his firm plans to build a closed-system digester wastewater treatment facility on site, extracting ammonia and phosphorus, placing gases into a natural gas pipeline run by Spire and leaving the solid waste to be trucked off for compost. Two nearby sources of this material include the Tyson Foods hatchery across the street and the International Dehydrated Foods/Symrise plant to the south. No details on which industries will use the new facility, or a timetable for construction, were revealed. 

Both first and second readings of the ordinance were done in the same session, as Potts explained the issue had a time component. 

AWOS funding approved

The council approved the grant agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for upgrading and relocating the Monett Regional Airport’s Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) from the east side of the grounds, near Hwy. 97, to west of the new runway. The AWOS is a computer-run setup at airports that gives live, continuous updates on local weather. It uses ground sensors to measure conditions, then broadcasts a voice message over the radio for pilots. 

The agreement awarded the city $540,000, and the city pledged $60,000 in matching funds. Under terms of the deal, moving the AWOS has to be completed by Dec. 31, 2029. 

One new ordinance came up for first reading. The First United Methodist Church’s request to subdivide its 70 acres running between Central Avenue and Eisenhour, bordered on the north by Hwy. 37, passed its first hurdle. Potts noted there were no objections from his office for breaking the property into four lots, creating a minor subdivision. The change is cost-neutral to the city and did not involve any utility extensions. 

Second reading will likely take place at the next regular council session on Sept. 10.