Joplin council advances ballot proposals
May 11—On the night that the Joplin City Council was asked to advance ballot proposals for formal approval next week, Joplin residents heard the first figures about how at least two of those proposals would affect them financially.
Leslie Haase, the city's finance director, said at a council work session Monday night that if voters approve issuing debt to remodel Memorial Hall, tax would be assessed on personal property as well as real estate.
That could produce tax bills of $55.10 per $100,000 market value on real estate and $19.23 for a $20,000 vehicle.
In addition, voters would be asked to approve a separate election question to take on debt to pay for a remodel of the former public library building in the 300 block of Main Street as a training and education center.
Approval would assess an additional property tax of $30.88 on a $100,000 house and $10.83 on a $20,000 vehicle, Haase said.
The Memorial Hall debt would last 20 years, and the debt to remodel the library, called Project Launchpad, is now being considered for 10 years rather than the earlier mentioned duration of 20 years.
The council discussed three options presented for a $30 million city bond issue to pay for a remodel and expansion of Memorial Hall. A separate question for $10 million in debt to finance Project Launchpad also was considered.
Haase read all the proposed ballot questions.
There were two Memorial Hall options in council documents released the end of last week. The first option asks voters to approve funding for the remodel of Memorial Hall. A second option asked for approval of funding to remodel the hall and to acquire and improve parking for the hall.
On Monday, a third option was presented at the meeting, though it had not been added to the agenda items posted online on the city's website. That option, called Option C, would drop the words to acquire property and improve property.
Voter approval of that option would mean that the city couldn't buy property for parking with any bond proceeds, but it would not prohibit the city from using other funds to buy property if needed, Haase told the council.
Mayor Ryan Stanley said he prefers Option C.
"We have given the parking lot to a great project that is going to be a great jewel to this community," Stanley said, referring to the Harry M. Cornell Arts & Entertainment Complex. "It raises the question of why we would give away the parking lot and then need to acquire and construct parking," he said of Option B's language.
Councilman Phil Stinnett said that bringing up parking in the ballot language "would put a negative" on the proposal because of previous public comments by residents who opposed the city getting rid of the hall's parking lot.
There also was council discussion about being asked to take information action on the Project Launchpad proposal when full details had not yet been cited by those proposing the project — the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, Missouri Southern State University and the Joplin School District.
Stinnett said the council had not been told yet how Project Launchpad would operate financially.
The mayor said there is a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday where details are to be discussed. That meeting will be held at the North End Zone Facility at Missouri Southern State University.
