The Jefferson City Council met last night.
The Council approved several agenda items. They approved the third and final reading to add the planned unit development district into the City’s zoning ordinance, adding water and sewer extension project to two Greene County Development Corporation lots along Gallup Road with the sewer extension project for Wild Rose Jefferson and allowing an addition to be built at 403 Sundown Court from a recommendation by the Board of Adjustment and Appeals.
The Council also approved GCDC’s quarterly funding request, demolition bids from Wisecup Trucking for two properties at 206 South Maple and 506 East Clark streets for a total of $9,000, waiving a building permit fee of $472.50 for the Greene County Fair Association to build a new building on the fairgrounds, purchasing a new hook truck for the Sanitation Department for $67,844 from O’Halloran International in Carroll and all appointments for the 2015 calendar year with no changes made to any positions or committees.
The Council didn’t set the 2016 fiscal year budget workshop for February 10th due to a couple of the council members that were going to be absent, so the date was tabled until a more definite date could be found.
The Council terminated its two-year agreement with Tee to Greene Properties, LLC. to operate the Jefferson Community Golf Course and the City will now take over as the operator. The Council also approved new membership and daily/annual rates along with eliminating sales tax charges and offering discounts to those out of County golfers and adding a punch pass for those who have dual memberships with the Greene County Community Center.
Finally, the Council had a continued discussion with the Greene County Chamber about the use of the Hotel/Motel Tax funds. Chamber Board President Ben Yoder asked the Council to allocate the 80% of the funds for promotion of tourism in Jefferson to be used for payment of the principal and interest on their construction loan, utilities and property insurance for the duration of the construction period until the welcome center is complete.
Concerns from several council members were that they didn’t feel comfortable committing money to anything further projects with the welcome center other than getting the construction of the facility completed. Yoder noted that the expenses would be about $8,000 and there was $20,000 left in the Hotel/Motel fund. Since the Council has been allowing 80% of those funds to go to the Chamber and nothing about that process was going to change during construction, no formal vote was needed by the Council.