This evening's Fulton City Council work session and subsequent regular meeting will look to address funding issues by presenting an ordinance for a sales tax that would provide funding for two city department projects. A resolution for wastewater improvements is also an anticipated agenda item.
The main subject of discussion at the work session, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will focus on reviewing the 2016 annual city budget.
Director of Administration Bill Johnson has publicly commented about the council evaluating the 2016 budget to address concerns of underpaid city employees based on results from the 2015 city salary survey.
Discussion of next year's budget has created hype in the community about how the council plans to make several department-wide salary corrections for the city's 190 employees. Since Aug. 11, one city department has remained relentless in its fight for a contract and increased wages.
Fulton firefighters and their supporters have made their voice heard by rallying outside of city hall before meetings and inside during public hearings despite council members and Johnson telling them no action will be taken until the 2016 budget is finalized. Johnson has stated several times that giving the fire department an across-the- board 9 percent wage increase would show favoritism to one department.
"They (fire department) are a member of our city team; they are one department of 20 departments, and to give them something that we're not willing or able to give to everybody and share with everybody, I just didn't think (it) was appropriate," Johnson said when he was featured on The Eagle 93.9's "Wake Up Columbia' Oct. 1.
Terry Luebbert is one of many firefighter supporters who has attended every meeting to support her brother, vice president of Fulton Firefighters Local Union and fire engineer Todd Gray.
Luebbert created another Facebook event calling for supporters to rally again at 7 p.m. under the clock outside of city hall.
When asked about how the group will approach the council differently at tonight's meeting, Luebbert said, "Todd (Gray) is going to ask the council to go back to negotiations and offer dates to do so."
A main item on the agenda for the regular council session is the city's recommendation to impose a half-cent city sales tax on the receipts of all city retail sales. Fulton Parks and Recreation Director Clay Caswell and Interim City Engineer Kyle Bruemmer have approached the council at several council meetings since July to devise a plan that will provide funding for department projects, such as more efficient stormwater control and the parks and recreation's "Master Plan."
Both department heads outlined how the stormwater and parks and recreation sales tax could benefit the community. Caswell said at the Sept. 8 council work session that the proposed tax could be utilized to "build a multipurpose facility, an aquatic facility and a five-field baseball complex to house current and future parks and recreation programs and events."
During the same council work session, Bruemmer advocated for the tax, since it would help the city achieve compliance with Missouri Department of Natural Resources stormwater regulations. He said the tax would also help protect homes, neighborhood streets and add more curb appeal, which could potentially increase property value.
The council will also look to execute a contract with the lowest bidder for the wastewater treatment project - Lehman Construction Company - for Fulton Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements.