W.S. board requests tweak to parking ordinance

A months-long discussion on changes to parking in downtown Willow Springs continues. A parking ordinance was presented for a second reading at the April 25 meeting of the board of aldermen, but as the newly formed board under Mayor Adam Webb discussed the ordinance, they decided it needed a change. As presented, the ordinance would have imposed a two-hour time limit on parking on Main Street from Walnut to Ferguson, which remained an obstacle for the board. Enforcement would be complaint-driven, Police Chief Wes Ellison explained. New Alderman Michael Tooley objected to an ordinance that would allow for anticipated exceptions, such as an elderly business owner who must park on Main Street to access their own building. Mayor Webb agreed, saying, “It’s like you’re making a law but closing your eyes to it.”

 

Alderwoman Kim Rich suggested a permit exception, and City Attorney Zane Privette suggested a change to the ordinance that would allow Main Street business owners to occupy the parking in front of their own property during business hours.

 

Without a motion or vote, the board came to a consensus that Privette should revise the ordinance with this change and present it for first reading at the May meeting.

 

Hicks also corrected a recommendation for adding handicap spaces to the downtown area. She did not, as previously reported by Howell County News, intend to add 16 handicap spaces. 

 

That previous recommendation read, “provide handicap parking with signage on the corners of the intersections on Main Street at Harris Street (all corners), on Main Street at Center Street (all corners).”

At Friday’s meeting, Hicks distributed a map of the new parking plan showing a total of five handicap spaces in the downtown area with re-striped spaces to maximize the available area. This map will be on display for public inspection in the news office at 110 West Main indefinitely. 

 

In other discussion, the aldermenagreed, but did not move or vote, to place the question of a Willow Springs City Marshal on the April 2026 General Election ballot, per Attorney Privette’s recommendation. The term of the last elected city marshal, Bryan Hogan, expired in April 2025, but was not on this year’s general election ballot. Since Hogan’s retirement as police chief in 2022, the city has functioned without a city marshal. The aldermen do not intend to appoint a city marshal between now and the April 2026 election.

 

“I don’t see the need,” commented Alderwoman Rich. 

 

In other business:

 

- The outgoing board certified the April 8 election results, and Mayor Adam Webb, and Aldermen Bryan Hogan and Michael Tooley were duly sworn in. Jennifer Owens was nominated and elected mayor pro-tem.

- Mayor Webb signed a resolution declaring April Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Willow Springs. The resolution was presented by representatives from the Christos House.

- Pursuant to the closure of the US Bank branch in Willow Springs, the board voted to move the city general revenue and payroll accounts to West Plains Bank and Trust Co. The city had received bids from West Plains Bank and Simmons Bank, but chose the former because their offer would yield an increase of $3,600 per year in additional interest revenues.

- Jeff Conger, Garry Breidt, and Kurt Owens were appointed to the Planning and Zoning Committee. They replace Stefanie Collins, Christy Graves, and Danny Bradley. Bradley was the alderman liaison to the committee, a role that will now be filled by Michael Tooley. 

- The board withdrew into a closed session for legal and real estate at 6:23 pm and adjourned at 6:46 pm with no action taken.