Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Exec Report topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County executive outlines master plan review, Rockford Park talks with federal agencies, airport study and revenue updates
Summary
The county executive reported ongoing master-plan review work, new multi-agency engagement at Rockford Park, an airport study coordinated with MoDOT and FAA inquiries, and provided sales-tax and recreational-cannabis revenue figures. He recommended holding the stackable portion of cannabis receipts pending legal clarity.
The county executive briefed the Jefferson County Council on the master-plan review process, a new multi-agency effort at Rockford Park, the status of an airport study and the county’s recent revenue figures.
In his report the county executive said county staff and administration are undertaking detailed, line-by-line review of the draft master plan and encouraged broad review to preserve the plan’s integrity. “You can never have too many eyes looking at this stuff,” he said, describing an instance where the same paragraph was read twice by staff at different times and a change was agreed to after the second read.
He also described new federal involvement at Rockford Park: “This is the first time in six or seven years ... that multiple federal agencies have come to us with the lead of U.S. Fish and Wildlife and said, hey, we want to see if we can make things better at Rockford Beach,” the County Executive said. County staff member Mr. Pigg was identified to lead the county’s work on that effort.
On an airport study, the executive said Jefferson County has requested a study through the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and noted the Federal Aviation Administration had received inquiries from external entities suggesting locations before the county’s study is complete. “We will conduct our efforts in a manner that reflects the facts for themselves and speak for themselves,” he said.
Revenue update: The executive reported sales-tax receipts for March were about $1,262,000 and year-to-date receipts for January through March totaled $4,057,000 (about 3.25% ahead of last year). He also provided monthly recreational-cannabis receipts of $99,000 (January), $108,000 (February) and $91,000 (March), a quarter total of $299,000. He said half of that amount — $150,000 — is the “stackable” portion that may need to be returned if legal action requires it; he recommended safeguarding (holding) those funds until legal questions are resolved.
Why it matters: The master-plan review will shape county priorities over years; federal involvement at Rockford Park could lead to changes in park management or safety work; the airport study and outside inquiries may affect potential site considerations; and the revenue figures influence near-term county budgeting and whether certain receipts are available for spending.
Other details from the report
- Senior tax program: The county collector’s office reported high application volume. The collector’s process was outlined (application verification, spreadsheet tracking, DevNet entry, trust-parcel referrals to councilor offices) and the county reported roughly 963 applications received as of the morning of the meeting with about 200 waiting in process and roughly 90 emailed applications per day.
- Fleet electrification update: County staff (Mr. Courtway) said an award letter for an energy-efficiency grant had been received (approximately $250,000 for the county’s allocation), vehicles have been ordered and contractors identified to install charging infrastructure. Staff cautioned there are no absolute guarantees at the federal level but said they expect the award to be honored.
Ending: The executive concluded by urging continued public review of the master plan and said staff would keep the council apprised of developments on Rockford Park, the airport study and federal-funding confirmations.
