Council reviews capital projects packet; Main Street roundabout funded, TAP sidewalk plans approved

Boonville — At its Feb. 18 meeting the Boonville City Council reviewed the capital projects packet, approved sidewalk plans for an Ashley Road TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) submission, and heard updates that the Main Street roundabout is funded for this year.

An engineer of record asked the council to approve preliminary plans for the Ashley Road sidewalk so the packet could move to MoDOT for review; council members moved and approved the sidewalk plans. One councilmember asked staff to correct the spelling of "Boonville" on the map before submission. The motion to approve the sidewalk plans was recorded by roll call and affirmed.

During the administration’s capital-projects report, staff said the Main Street roundabout is fully funded within the current budget after reallocating use-tax revenues (the packet shows $320,000 credited to use tax in the current budget). Staff said a draft agreement related to the roundabout should be available soon and that preliminary plans from engineers were received the same day. Several capital projects were described as rollovers from prior years because projects did not move forward in time for this year's work, and staff said bid awards are expected to begin in March or April where applicable.

Council members discussed whether to hold another budget work session before first reading of the full budget; staff suggested much of the capital spending had been discussed in recent weeks and left the choice of a follow-up work session to the council. Staff emphasized that water and sewer items involve a proposed rate increase and that the full budget would appear for first reading at the next meeting.

Council members also received a status update on the Kemper redevelopment project: demolition and abatement work on D Block started the day before the meeting and potential long-term lease negotiations (including with a party identified in the packet) are advancing. One councilmember offered praise for the project’s progress and noted ongoing leases being finalized, including a long-term lease with the prosecuting attorney’s office once renovations are complete.

There were no formal binding actions on the capital list beyond the sidewalk-plan approval; the council indicated it may revisit budget detail in another work session but did not require one to proceed to first reading of the budget.