House budget hearing probes Agriculture budget; governor seeks $6M to reroute Clarendon Road at Missouri State Fair

The House Budget Committee reviewed the Department of Agriculture's portions of House Bill 6, including a pair of governor-recommended new decision items (NDIs) that would provide authority to reroute Clarendon Road in Sedalia adjacent to the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Amanda Kelly, the department's budget director, told the committee the Clarendon Road NDIs together would provide $6 million in general-revenue authority to fund the state's portion of relocating or rerouting a city street that currently cuts through the fairgrounds. Kelly said the project is intended to reduce pedestrian safety risks created by increased traffic from a recently built arena and other new fairground facilities. "This money was put in by the governor to try and reroute Clarendon Road for safety issues, during large events that are held during the state fair," Kelly said.

Jason Moore, director of the Missouri State Fair, told members the segment of road affecting the fairgrounds would be roughly a little less than half a mile; he said total corridor estimates for a more comprehensive reroute have been discussed in the $20–25 million range, but the $6 million request covers an initial phase that the governor has asked the state to fund. "We're just looking at the portion," Moore said, adding the city and county have been part of the conversations and the governor's request anticipates local partners will pick up additional phases.

Committee members pressed for detail on how the project cost was estimated, whether the State Fair fee fund or other non-GR sources could be used and whether the city of Sedalia had been asked to contribute. Representative Kupps and others asked to see a spend plan and a clearer breakdown of what the state's $6 million would purchase. Director Chris Chin and Jason Moore said the state fair commission and local officials have been members of a corridor analysis and that more detailed cost and parcel information can be provided.

The Agriculture presentation also covered grant programs and other NDIs: a Resilient Food System Infrastructure (RFSI) reimbursement authority (Amanda Kelly said the department is requesting $2,884,000 in remaining federal authority to finish infrastructure reimbursements), the Show Me Entrepreneurial Grants for Agriculture (SEGA) and specialty-crop block grant authority. Kelly said a $200,000 federal line was being reduced because it had never been used; specialty-crop block grants are awarded and reimbursed to producers as invoices arrive.

Representatives repeatedly urged the department to provide lists and eligibility details for specialty-crop awards and for the Ag Education on the Move program, and asked whether one-time capital requests (for a meat laboratory, abattoir planning, and a soybean cyst nematode research lab) have construction and ARPA timelines consistent with federal spending requirements.

There were no committee votes recorded during the presentation. The department closed its budget presentation with an offer to provide additional documentation requested by members; the committee recessed and moved to Department of Natural Resources items.

Next steps: staff said they would provide the detailed spend plan and local cost-share estimates for the Clarendon Road proposal and transaction-level details for the RFSI reimbursements and specialty-crop awards. Public testimony on HB 6 was solicited and none appeared; the hearing closed for the Department of Agriculture.