Jefferson City is one small step closer to getting a port.
The Jefferson City Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday night authorizing a partnership between the city, Cole County and Callaway County to establish a regional port district called the Heartland Port Authority of Central Missouri.
The three-way agreement would allow an application to establish a port authority be submitted to the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The Cole County and Callaway County commission are expected to vote today on whether to participate in a joint port authority application to MoDOT between the entities, Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce President Randy Allen said.
If both counties approve the resolution, there will be a public hearing July 26 and an application will go to MoDOT, who could decide whether to approve it by September.
Each of the entities could appoint three people to the nine-member port authority.
"This has been a process but it's one step in the big picture," Allen told the council. "We're excited. We've talked to a lot of people about this and we hope it's going to have a dramatic impact in our region."
The council also heard and approved a bill that uses $150,000 from Sales Tax F for the port authority capital improvements and design work.
The chamber suggested the city and county each contribute $150,000 and Callaway County set aside $75,000 for the design work.
The two counties and city are asking roughly $900,000 from a grant to do preliminary planning of the port, Allen said. If they receive it, the entities will provide a 20-percent match. Jefferson City and Cole County would pay $75,000 each and Callaway County would pay $37,500.
If they do not receive the grant, each authority would pay double the amount.
There are two options for building a port. The first would build a port on the Missouri River in southern Jefferson City, adjacent to the Missouri national Guard Ike Skelton Training Facility.
The second option would build ports on that site in southern Jefferson City and on a site along the Missouri River near OCCI Inc. in Callaway County. Dry bulk commodities would be handled at the south site using conveyor systems, while commodities moved by crane would be handled at the north site.
Building only on the south side of Jefferson City would cost at least $54.77 million, while the combined option would cost approximately $59.5 million.
With Jefferson City being centrally located, Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin said, it would have a positive economic impact for local and state businesses.
"If we have this transportation and ability to have a port here, it would definitely put our area on the map," she said. "We already have very strong connections because of being so central but this would definitely help with that."
The Callaway County Commission, Cole County Commission, City Council and the chamber hired Atlanta consultancy firm Cambridge Systematics last year to conduct a feasibility study of a Missouri River port. The study found the port could have a significant economic impact on the area and potentially bring in more than 4,000 jobs over 25 years.
Jefferson City, Cole County and Callaway County agreed to contribute up to $47,600 each to fund the feasibility study and the economic analysis, while the chamber agreed to contribute up to $27,000.