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Today's Poll!Mayor details scaled back version of JC conference center
As city holds first in a series of town hall meetings
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
In the first of the three town hall meetings to be held throughout the next week, city officials detailed yet another version of a conference center.
Roughly 50 people attended the town hall forum at Lewis and Clark Middle School, in addition to several members of city staff. Representatives of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau also were present.
The town hall meetings are being held to discuss four main projects within the city: the conference center, the multipurpose building, the old Missouri State Penitentiary and downtown parking.
In presenting the conference center issue, Mayor Eric Struemph detailed a new concept for the project, limiting the facility to what could be afforded strictly through the city lodging tax.
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Comments
dokeus6 1 year ago
When and where is the next meeting? and why can't this city's leadership get off of the conference center idea?
mleroux 1 year ago
The next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. There is another meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (May 1) at Lewis and Clark Middle School.
Madeleine Leroux News Tribune reporter
dokeus6 1 year ago
Thanks Madeleine
herewegoagain 1 year ago
Detailing new conference center plan afforded strictly through lodging taxes. Did not know they were conference center designers. They certainly proved they were not conference center financial planners after 1st go around. I suspect this will be another building empty over 50 percent of the time looking for someone to maintain and pay utility bills on. Maybe we should design a new city government.
JCLifer 1 year ago
According to the transformation tax vote twice the number of citizens are opposed to the cities involvement in a convention center than those who support it.
dokeus6 1 year ago
Which is why I can't understand the leaders of our community keep pushing for it.
Why can't one politician listen to their constituents when we speak up and say NO to something?
dokeus6 1 year ago
No I'm saying that the citizens voted it down and one of the main reasons was the conference center.
Rison 1 year ago
And that is why YOU are out of touch with the citizens, you just don't get it. It's not just taxes increasing, it's everything, it is all of the same old stuff that has been going on that everyone, except for those who like to call themselves "the elite" or whatever else they like to think, can see. The majority of citizens aren't buyin' it.
tonto_goldberg 1 year ago
Anyone that thinks in complete sentences might seem to be an elitist snob to someone who only recites bumper sticker slogans.
JCLifer 1 year ago
Do we really need these kind of snipes and attacks? As far as i can tell, we are all people with opinions, and like something else, everyone has one. Respectful discussion sure would be nice around here. Yes, I am a chief offender in this forum too, and the plank in my eye is quite large. However, it does get old at times.
If someones opinion here is "wrong" then it behooves the posters to try to help understand where the other person is coming from, and try to help educate them on why your opinion is "more correct". Calling names and making statements with an arrogant attitude is not helpful to getting anything resolved or making this place a better place to live and work.
What we really need is some open honest dialog, some honest evaluation of our current situation, past history, and some real good discussion of where we would like to be in the future. We do seem to have way more needs in this community than resources, so i don't think it is going to be possible to fix everything. However, we do need to hear from all concerned community members, and the "leaders" need to pay attention to the opinions of everyone. We also need to figure out ways to harness more energy and resources to help benefit the community. I still think there is merit is trying to figure out why so many people would rather build outside the city limits and fight annexation-- if our town is so good, they ought to be begging to be annexed. What policies or situations make being annexed so undesireable?
Together we can accomplish a lot. Apart we can waste a lot of time, money, and emotions.
JCLifer 1 year ago
I try to stay focused on discussing the issues, not attacking other posters. It seems that there are several folks here who have to personally attack, belittle, and talk down to posters who have a different opinion.
JCLifer 1 year ago
Agree- off topic somewhat, but relative because of the resistance to pass "transformation" or for the conference center, I have few negatives- the major ones relating to the utilities: higher rates and lower water pressure of the city system vs the district water, city taxes added to every utility bill, etc., but overall I enjoy my city location. I just think that we need to have more discussions to find out why folks do not want to be annexed or live in the city. There are good benefits to both for annexation, but perhaps the city has a major PR problem or trust factors.
spelchek 1 year ago
The recycling debacle didn't help. Last time I checked, most people don't appreciate being forced to do something; annexation included.
tonto_goldberg 1 year ago
How did you determine that the conference center was one of the main reasons? There were quite a few projects in the package. All I read about on these pages was discontent over a potential tax increase, and I believe the tax increase and the Chamber of Commerce involvement killed it.
As I see it, any investment in the city would be an improvement over the current situation. We are losing ground every day, month, and year that passes us by without action. We have a bunch of boarded-up houses in one of the potential convention center sites on West McCarty and what looks like the remains of a bombing raid at the old prison.
JCLifer 1 year ago
People in this town are really hurting. They simply cannot afford to pay anymore taxes. It is time the city reevaluates its spending and refocus its spending on essential services. Residents have had to cut much of the "fluff" from their budgets- it is time the city did the same. The money is not there- many have had no raises for years, and costs have just gone up drastically for everyday living items. The city is going to have to get its money from somewhere else besides the tax payers.
tonto_goldberg 1 year ago
First, your comment does not address the question. Why are people blaming the conference center proposal for the collapse of the transformation proposal?
Second, this "poor, hurting" and related talk and whining does not help. It provides extra reinforcement for people who were already negative about their prosepcts but is not realistic. We need only look at Columbia, Mo, thirty miles up the road with higher taxes and lower per capita income, and they still manage to have a lot more of everything than Jefferson City.
How do you suppose they do that? Hmmmm? Here's just an example - they solved the downtown parking problem. They build parking garages with bond proceeds and charge people to park there.
JCLifer 1 year ago
Columbia has a lot more people making good salaries. They sre growing. People in Jefferson City are much poorer. Jeff City probably has s tentj of the wealth that Columbia has. Plus Columbia has 40,000+ college students with lots of disposable income. Jefferson City is a little farm hick town. Columbia is more modern, hip, and cosmopolitan.
melbrooks 1 year ago
newstribune.com/news/2011/feb/08/lodging-tax-passes-polls/
Explains why the city is working toward a conference center.
dokeus6 1 year ago
Just shows the polls no reasons why the city is working toward conference center.
melbrooks 1 year ago
No, this wasn't a poll; it was a ballot issue which specifically dealt with a conference center. It was passed by the voters.
JC27 1 year ago
Well, the vote did pass but I'd say it had something to do with the fact that they led voters to believe there was going to be a 30 million dollar facility at no cost to voters. That was an false impression for them to give.
I'd say that if they only promised a third of what they actually did, which is what we will get, that might have made up the 4% gap in the Feb 11 results.
Imagine a candidate for mayor coming out prior to the election and saying "Vote for me, I'm going to do 30% or what I say I'm going to do"...think it's safe to say they would lose 4%.
This is no different at all.
JCLifer 1 year ago
Yes, I do think a lot of people do feel mislead. My understanding was the tax increase would provide a good base of "seed money" to build a conference center, but that private financing would handle the rest.
If we have to put so many tax dollars into a conference center, then I am not sure it is worth having one. The benefits of having one drastically diminish if we have to pump huge amounts of tax dollars into it just so some folks can have a conference here. I'm not sure who benefits if we the taxpayers have to pay so much for it all.
There was talk about hundreds of organizations who would move their conferences here if we had a conference center. i've never seen the list of those organizations, or how many folks and how much money they would bring to Jefferson City. After having some good data, it is a matter of just applying cost/benefit analysis. With the current very low hotel occupancy in this town, and the plethora of public and private meeting space that is available that sits empty much of the time, I have yet to be convinced that a conference center is really needed or that it would be used much anyway.
JCLifer 1 year ago
I don't think the city leaders (and especially the Chamber) realize how badly people are hurting in this economy. It will be very hard to raise any taxes in this economy. Local residents are hurting badly. Many have not had a pay increase for years. Many have lost their jobs or have had to take much lesser jobs. Not only has personal income not increased for many local residents, but their expenses have increased dramatically. Gasoline, food, property and health insurance, utilities, cable TV, trash service, water bills, repairs and maintenance to their homes, etc. etc. etc. have all increased sharply over the past four years. Many local residents are hanging on by a thread. They simply cannot afford to pay increased taxes or fees. It really is bad out here for many.
The city is going to have to cut back on many of its services. Lots of parks and recreation programs and other "fluff" are going to need to be scaled back just to continue maintenance of essential services, such as police, fire, and infrastructure. Sorry for the bad news, but until residents of this town get some relief through higher wages and lowered expenses, they cannot even afford to invest tax dollars for "sure things" that will increase growth and revenue from out-of-towners.
JCLifer 1 year ago
And very soon the JC Public Schools are going to come forward with a badly-needed tax increase. Folks just don't have the money these days. The economy is horrible. Lack of good-paying jobs, and ever increasing costs are destroying this town (and this country).
tonto_goldberg 1 year ago
Cutting back may seem intuitively right, but over the longer term it is suicidal. Investment should be made when investment is needed, and investment is needed right now. Cutting back is how state employees' pay got to the 50 out of 50 position they are in now. Cutting back means you don't get the low bids from contractors looking for work when things are slow. Cutting back means we are not attractive to new or expanding businesses - you had that in your post but seemed to miss the importance. Have you fallen into that negative swirl that leads to celebrating austerity while the world passes by?
JCLifer 1 year ago
If we dont have it, we cant spend it.
You cannot spend your way out of the poorhouse.
We have to quit wasting what we do have and use it to maintain essential services.
Taxes cannot be raised until people are doing better and they trust their leaders.
melbrooks 1 year ago
$30 million? Not according to this story from the day after the election.
connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?list=~%5Cnews%5Clists%5Crecent&id=579016#.T5geu6vY98E
Gotigers 1 year ago
If John Q Hammons did not think Jeff City could support a convention center--why do our city leaders think they know more than the guy who ran convention centers for a living?
JCLifer 1 year ago
More city greed.
herewegoagain 1 year ago
JC27 I believe you got it right. City tried to get bids from the public on this and it went no where. There is a reason, meanwhile it is just draining money out of other Jeff CIty businesses while the city wisely decides what to do with it. Repeal it and put the money back on the table for consumers to spend while they are in Jeff City.
hudson 1 year ago
Just say no !
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