Marshall Main Street asks council for more city support, cites USDA-backed consulting and tax tools

Rebecca Adams, president of Marshall Main Street, told the City Council that a recent visit by USDA and Missouri Main Street professionals produced a free, detailed consulting package and recommendations for downtown revitalization and urged more visible city support. Adams said the site visit delivered about "$20,000 worth of expert consulting strategy, development and technical support at no cost to the city or us," and described community projects already under way, including 90 hanging flower baskets sponsored by 45 local donors. She asked the council to "consider adding $2,000 to the annual budget for the street department so that their employees can be paid to water them next year with assistance from us if needed." The main point of friction during Adams' presentation was what she described as limited city participation during the site visit; she said guests repeatedly asked why city leadership did not attend and noted the city declined a $250 light-pole sponsorship request and declined to help water the baskets because "they did not have it in the budget." Adams said the lack of visible city engagement risked creating the perception that the city is not supportive of downtown revitalization. Adams also cited consulting data she said showed Marshall's retail leakage and called out grocery sales specifically, saying, "Currently, Marshall is losing over $27,000,000 a year to grocery stores outside of our community," and that total retail leakage was "just over $57,000,000." Adams added, quoting a member of the consulting team, "in all my years of site visits, I've never seen a deficit like this for a grocery store in a community this size." City Administrator Mister Kerman responded during the city administrator's report, saying, "That is not correct," and explained the $27 million figure represented a pull-factor multiplier applied to out-of-county grocery spending rather than a simple cash loss the city could directly convert to new store openings. He told the council that private market studies he had seen found shortfalls for a grocery store in Marshall and cautioned against implying the city or civic groups were blocking a grocery store. Adams urged the council to consider Chapter 353 tax abatement as a redevelopment tool. She described it as a Missouri statute that can offer "up to 25 years of real property tax relief" for rehabilitations in eligible downtown areas and said a 100% abatement on improvements is possible for an initial period under that program. She said the tool could reduce the immediate tax burden property owners face after investing in renovations. No formal council action on Adams' requests occurred during the meeting. Adams said she will distribute the consulting packet and a recorded presentation to the council and public. Why it matters: downtown revitalization projects typically require coordination among local government, property owners, nonprofits and state/federal partners. Adams' presentation combined funded technical assistance, volunteer contributions and requests for modest city funding and policy support. Looking ahead: Adams said she and the Main Street board will return with follow-up materials and that the group will attend a state conference next week; she requested the council consider both the $2,000 watering stipend and evaluating Chapter 353 implementation for Marshall.