The city of Fulton Parks and Recreation Department needs the public's help in forming its 10-year master plan.
Clay Caswell, Parks and Recreation director, said the park board has been working on the project since November, and a survey is up online for citizen's to give their input on what they want from city parks and amenities. Caswell said the survey will help guide the city as it develops the master plan.
"It's a plan of where we want to go," Caswell said.
The 10-question survey questions include: What Parks and Recreation amenities do you use on a regular basis? Which park(s) do you visit most often? Which Parks and Recreation facility improvements or development projects would you like to see the city undertake in the next 10 years?
As of Tuesday, Caswell reported 341 people completed the survey to the Fulton City Council Tuesday during its regularly scheduled meeting. The department is looking for more residents to take the survey, though, and it will be available at fultonmo.org/pnr-survey for another month.
The council read - for the first time - five ordinances at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night, including a bill that could give citizens savings come April.
Ordinance 1419 could allow the "Show-Me Green Sales Tax Holiday" to apply to Fulton April 19-April 25. The tax holiday was established in 2009 and exempts state sales tax on qualifying Energy Star certified new appliances, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue website. Fulton has previously participated in the tax holiday.
Ordinance 1416 could repeal a previous ordinance relating to sewer rates. In order to comply with Missouri Department of Natural Resources requests, City Administrator Bill Johnson said the city needed to make adjustments to the ordinance, specifically making the definition of residential more clear.
The ordinance states the following sewer rates:
•January 2015: $11.55 minimum charge; $03.6850 per 100 cubic feet
•January 2016: $12.42 minimum charge; $03.9614 per 100 cubic feet
•January 2017: $13.35 minimum charge; $04.2585 per 100 cubic feet
•January 2018: $14.35 minimum charge; $04.5779 per 100 cubic feet
Ordinance 1417 could extend the no parking zone on Center Street 25 feet north of the entrance between Presbyterian Manor and First Presbyterian Church on Court Street. It also states there could be no parking on the east side of Center Street - 300 feet north from the intersection of St. Louis Avenue.
Ordinance 1418 originally stated a change from 30 MPH to 20 MPH on Canterbury Drive, McNeal Lane, Essex Street and Miller Street, but the council felt 20 MPH would be too slow. Council members voted to amend that to 25 MPH. Before taking the vote, Ward 4 Councilman Steve Moore reminded the council that 98 citizens in that neighborhood signed a petition to adjust the speed to 20 MPH.
Ordinance 1420 could declare a section of land behind Elliot's Custom Cabinets, Inc. - located on N. Ravine Street - as surplus property and authorize it for sale.
In other news, City Engineer Greg Hayes said minor work needs to be completed on the Seventh Street Bridge before the city makes final payment of $78,000 to J.C. Industries (JCI) of Jefferson City. Hayes said there are little voids in the bottom of the concrete railing that water could seep into and eventually deteriorate the structure. JCI is going out of business, according to the January Public Works Department report, but the city's consultant has contacted the bonding company about final paperwork necessary to close out the project.
Looking back at 12 months of sales tax collections for 2014, Chief Financial Officer Kathy Holschlag reported the city's revenues are 9 percent ahead compared to the year prior.