WP Council Approves Dollar General Permit, Talks Ending TIF #3

The West Plains City Council met in special session on September 30 to approve a building permit and discuss two bills. The permit was for the construction of a Dollar General, and the bills covered a program with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and ending a tax increment financing area.

 

The council approved the building permit for the new Dollar General location as part of the consent agenda. The request is for a new 10,640 square foot store located east of Lincoln Avenue and south of West Abe Taylor Street. According to the blueprint included in council documentation, the entrance to the parking lot will be on Lincoln Ave. and the entrance to the store will face north, toward West Abe Taylor. This is currently an empty, fenced off lot across from the AHF Products lumber yard. This will make the fourth Dollar General location within West Plains city limits and the only location on the north and eastern side of the railroad tracks. Construction and completion dates were not included in the meeting.

 

Bill 4777 was approved as Ordinance 4777 by the city council for the Buckle Up, Phones Down (BUPD) program. This is an agreement between MoDOT, the Highway Safety and Traffic Division, and the city to help encourage and enforce these safe driving practices. BUPD started in early 2017 to help address the increasing number of fatalities on Missouri roadways due to cell phone use causing drivers to be distracted. The Eighth Annual Buckle Up Phone Down Day will be held on Oct. 30 in Missouri. Since the start of the BUPD program, Missouri's seat belt usage has maintained a four percent increase according to the Department of Transportation. 

 

The council heard the first reading of Bill 4778 to discuss terminating the U.S. Highway 63 Bypass Tax Increment Finance, also known as TIF 3. This was created in Nov. 2006 as a funding mechanism working with the 63 Bypass Community Improvement District, known as CID 2. These taxes were to encourage private investment in the blighted area. Of the nine parcels in the area, there are seven property owners and include vacant lots and businesses, including Walgreens and Ruby Tuesday. The annual financial impact is expected to increase general, capital, and transportation tax revenues of roughly $90,000 and will include a one-time deposit of approximately $644,000. The second reading of this bill is scheduled for the Oct. 21 meeting. Anyone wanting to voice their opinion on the bill should contact city hall prior to the meeting.