Republic City Council tackles spending strategies, Council green lights grant acquisition

The Republic City Council advanced a variety of projects at its February and March 3 meetings. 

To wrap up the budget for 2025, Chief Financial Officer Bob Ford reported the city spent approximately $5.7 million more than expected on the wastewater treatment plant project. Since state law requires a balanced budget, Ford said the budget needed to be adjusted to reflect that amount. The spending did not accelerate the project, but reflected timing only. Funds were simply drawn more rapidly from the approved sum drawn from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ State Revolving Fund. 

Ford still expected the wastewater project to finish by the end of 2027 as planned. Both first and second readings of the ordinance passed at the March 3 meeting. 

With financial issues addressed, council members at their latest session passed the revised budget for 2025, reflecting the increase in capital expenditures. 

Ford also noted the revision of the city code at the Feb. 3 meeting, specifying authorization for spending at different tiers, was not fully in sync with other parts of the code and the purchasing policy. Inflation and construction costs ratcheted up expenses, making a new metric needed to keep operations advancing smoothly. For example, basic purchases requiring three bids advanced from a $5,000 minimum to $15,000. Acquisitions shaped by requests for proposals or qualifications from $50,000 a minimum of $100,000, or for infrastructure projects, the base rose from $70,000 to $120,000. The new ordinance specified whose approval was needed for each step, where legal counsel review was required, and at what point proposals had to come before the city council. 

Among the changes Ford proposed was the amount of insurance or worker’s compensation coverage a vendor would need to come onto city property and do work. It addressed whether a budgeted purchase had to come back before the council, like an unbudgeted item. “The budget is the controlling document,” Ford stated. The new ordinance restated the purchasing agent’s role to ensure long-term consistency. 
The ordinance was slated for second reading at the March 17 meeting. 


Grants sought

Continuing in the latest session, council members gave first reading to an agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission for seeking grant money under the federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) program to fund engineering to fill sidewalk gaps along Hines Street. Stefani Fitzpatrick-Duncan, project manager for the city, emphasized the funding would only cover engineering expenses, not construction. The $120,000 project would require a 20 percent match from the city. 

Hines Street runs practically the width of Republic from west to east. The gaps in question run between Butternut Avenue and Main Street on the west side of town, from Oakwood Avenue east to Franklin Avenue in the center section, and from Lincoln Avenue to the Wilson’s Creek Boulevard. Trail, also known as Route ZZ. Fitzpatrick-Duncan confirmed there are plans to develop adjacent property on the east end into a subdivision. That property would not be covered by grant funds, she said. 

Fitzpatrick-Duncan hoped work could advance so that a construction contract could be awarded by the end of 2026. 

In the consent agenda, council members approved a resolution authorizing the police department to apply for two reimbursable traffic safety grants through the Missouri Highway Safety Program. These included $14,000 for hazardous driving enforcement and education, and $12,000 for sobriety checkpoints and DWI enforcement, both covering personnel overtime. The enforcement action could take place between Oct. 1, 2026, and Sept. 30, 2027. 

Subdivision plans

At the Feb. 3 meeting, council members approved several subdivision development plans introduced at the Jan. 20 meeting. 

A rezoning proposal was approved for a third of an acre of land at 641 N. College Ave., located in a rectangle south of Summit. Blake Cantrell Real Estate and Investments requested changing the land from medium density single-family residential to two-family residential. The property, a newly created vacant lot recently split from the parcel directly to the north through creation of a minor subdivision, would accommodate two-family residential dwellings. 

Two sections of land were annexed at the request of Convoy of Hope. The two, though adjacent, had to be annexed separately because they were acquired separately. The first involved a nearly 71-acre property at 7275 W. Farm Road 144 and its adjacent right-of-way. This land, shaped like a lower-case n with a horizontal extended right arm, abuts James River Expressway on the west, Interstate 44 on the north, and Farm Road 144 to the south. The second proposal involved nearly 10 additional acres located at  7395 West Farm Road 144. Both properties would remain zoned for agricultural use, as they were originally listed with Greene County. 

An ordinance allowing developers to attempt to make property with known sinkholes into developable areas was approved. This action superseded a 20-year-old regulation that did not permit development within 30 feet of a sinkhole. Principal planner Chris Tabor reported new technology allows new strategies to be used, though the city would carefully monitor these efforts to ensure public safety. 

Council members gave final approval to a revised regulation on sign height near high-traffic areas. The ordinance allows businesses near the realignment of Highways MM and 60 to also have higher signs, like those authorized last year near Highway 60 and Highway 174, James River Freeway and Highway MM.

Resolutions passed

The council passed several resolutions at its last two meetings. 

On Feb. 3, authorization was given to submit up to three applications to the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program. These would be submitted in partnership with the Ozarks Transportation Organization, seeking funding through the Missouri Department of Transportation. 

City Administrator Colten Harris received authorization to negotiate an intergovernmental agreement with City Utilities in Springfield for supplemental water connections related to acquiring future water supplies from Stockton Lake. The engineering firm of Olsson Inc. was to be hired for related consulting services in the matter. 

Mayor Eric Franklin, at the March 3 meeting, issued a proclamation honoring Deputies Gabriel Ramirez and Michael Hislope, both of the Christian County Sheriff’s Department, who were recently killed in the line of duty. Franklin noted that with part of Republic lying in Christian County, the loss of officers represented a personal matter for its citizens. 

Franklin proclaimed “a time of remembrance and honor for the fallen Christian County deputies and of recognition and gratitude for the officers wounded in the line of duty. I further call upon the citizens of Republic to join in honoring their sacrifice, to support law enforcement and their families, and to reflect upon the enduring values of service, courage, and unity that define our community.” 

In administrative reports, City Administrator Harris reminded the public about the open house from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, for the new city hall facility.