Republic City Council signs contract for new admin., Harris will start at $215K

More land deals proposed for city
 
The Republic City Council formally approved hiring its new city administrator and annexing more land into the city limits during the Oct. 7 council meeting.
Colten Harris, who recently served as superintendent of streets for the City of Springfield, was on hand with his wife as the city council approved his starting salary of $215,000. He will have a six-month probationary period and will receive an automobile allowance of $500 a month, plus a $5,000 relocation expense. He is expected to move into the city within 12 months. Harris starts his duties on Dec. 8.
The job description for the city administrator included managing and overseeing all operations, personnel, facilities, and finances for the city, as well as coordinating and implementing the budget, programs, and policies adopted by the city council. He will communicate official plans, policies, and procedures to the mayor and council, advise on effective strategies, provide direction and leadership to city departments, and serve as the city’s liaison with other government officials, agencies, and groups.
Subdivision action
Council members approved a resolution approving a preliminary plat for James Place, with 28 residential homes planned over nearly 10.5 acres. Proposed by James Nathan LLC, a company organized in 2018, the property is located northwest of Hwy. 60 and bordered by S. Kansas Avenue on the east. The configuration of the subdivision is similar to a “T” sitting on its side. The subdivision will have several feeder streets connecting to the 600 block of S. Kansas Avenue, but none of the lots will have direct access to that thoroughfare.
The mostly wooded property is zoned for medium density single-family residences, calling for a minimum 9,000 square foot lot size, and an average lot size of 11,415 square feet. The developer plans to connect to streets from adjacent subdivisions, but end them with cul-de-sac stub-ins inside the subdivision. These include Audrey Street, extending from the east, and Lipscomb Drive, extending from the west.
The subdivision itself has two proposed phases. The western section would be built first, including the ending of the two adjacent streets, surrounding each cul-de-sac with four lots, and shaping the stormwater detention basin in the far northwest corner. The bulk of the houses are in Phase 2, covering the eastern two-thirds of the plan. Water and sewer service would have to be extended onto the property. A traffic study showed no additional changes were needed.
The second land proposal called for the annexation of a little more than 9.5 acres east of the high school on State Hwy. M. Property owner David Tunnell created the parcel, an elongated rectangle with Hwy. M as its northern border and a short leg of County Road 107 as its western edge. The land was zoned in Greene County as agricultural and is proposed for annexation under the same classification, subject to revision by the city at a later date.
Stephani Fitzpatrick-Duncan, a project engineer for the city, said no one from the public spoke when the matter was proposed to the Planning and Zoning Commission the day before the council meeting. Water service is available from the nearby Backwoods Golf driving range, and sewer service can be extended from the high school property, Fitzpatrick-Duncan said.
The annexation received a first reading and will likely at the council’s next meeting on Oct. 21.
New street plan at J.R Martin
Also introduced at the meeting was a plan to build a new street that would connect J.R. Martin Park with the school district’s adjacent Early Childhood Center. The proposal calls for eliminating Park Road and replacing it with a street to hold vehicles lining up to pick up children from the school, a queuing road extension. According to Chris Parks, the parks and recreation director, the new street would keep traffic from backing up onto Hines Street, as well as enhancing access to the park.
Under the proposed deal, the school district would split the cost of building the new street with the school district. The school would plow the road in the winter and have a perpetual easement access for school traffic. The city would design the road and hire the contractor as part of the ongoing park improvements.
No questions from council members set the proposal in motion for action at the next meeting.