A work session is planned for June 30 where the entire Jefferson City Council will discuss ideas to improve the city's transit system.
This comes after several people spoke at Monday night's council meeting urging the city to make changes such as longer hours and weekend service. Several offered to work with city leaders to bring those changes about.
Those who spoke not only were riders, but also businessmen who told council members that they've lost employees who couldn't get reliable transportation to their jobs.
"I hope that combined with your want to improve service you also come with ideas on how we can fund these," said Third Ward Councilman Bob Scrivner. "We have a subsidy of over $1 million for transit now, but we look at our resources and our sales taxes are down and our property taxes are flat. With that in mind, transit starts to get into competition with other areas for funding like police and fire."
"There will be difficult choices unless there is more funding coming from the federal government," said Mayor Eric Struemph. "That's why I'd like for this issue to be one for the entire council to look at."
Ashley Varner, spokesman for the Citizens For JeffTran group, said they want the council to eventually create a public transit advisory task force to not only find ways to increase transit service, but also attract new riders.
As part of her testimony, Varner included figures from the 2006 Transit Development Plan. At that time, figures showed of those riding the city buses, 51 percent used public transit to get to work and 52 percent used the buses at least five days a week.
Struemph directed City Administrator Steve Crowell to put together information on possible funding options, looking at other communities, how they've dealt with similar situations and bring that information for the council work session.
In other business, the council approved using capital improvement sales tax money for the Lafayette Interchange Enhancement Plan.
It was earlier announced that the city would take $500,000 from the capital improvements sales tax funds dedicated to improvements at the old Missouri State Penitentiary, which the council had approved setting aside $1 million for, to pay for this.
Cole County has approved a $1 million contribution for the enhancements.
The $16 million interchange itself will be funded through MoDOT.
The project calls for the interchange at U.S. 50 and Lafayette Street, and adding a lane in each direction from Monroe Street to Lafayette Street and from Lafayette to Clark Avenue.
The enhancements funded by the city and county will be done on the Jackson Street, Chestnut Street and Lafayette Street bridges. These include pylons, lights, railings and a retaining wall at the rock cut with Jackson Street.
The timeline calls for the project to go out to bid next month, the contract awarded in September and construction starting at either the end of this year or the start of next year.
The construction should be done throughout a two-year period and, while specific time frames have not been estimated yet, it will be done in about six phases that intermittently close Chestnut Street, Jackson Street, Lafayette Street and Clark Avenue, as well as permanently close Elm Street.
Also at Monday's meeting, the council:
• Announced that nominations for candidates to fill the vacancy left by Shawn Schulte in the Second Ward will be made at the June 16 council meeting. Schulte recently moved to the city's Fifth Ward.
City Attorney Drew Hilpert said once those are made, a public meeting will be held June 23 for residents to meet the candidates and take part in a question and answer session.
The council will elect a new second ward councilman at its July 7 meeting.
• Amended codes pertaining to exotic animals and the maximum number of animals residents can have.
Assistant City Attorney Jeremy Cover said these amendments require anyone within city limits who is looking to keep an exotic animal to get the permission of the police chief, as well as any applicable permits from the federal and state level. The police chief must be shown that the animal will not pose a threat to public health or safety.
Exotic animals include "large cats, such as cougars, lions, and tigers; wolves, coyotes, and hybrids of each; venomous snakes; and primates, but does not include fish and captive-bred species of common caged birds."
Cover said the city has received complaints of people who have more than six dogs or cats on the property, but because the old bill was written as keeping the animals within the building, law enforcement couldn't do anything.
The changes would alter the bill to require a special permit for anyone with more than six dogs or cats on the property, not just within the building itself.
• Authorized an agreement with Stockman Construction for improvements around the area of the Amtrak Station on Water Street. The city received a grant that will cover much of the $386,211 cost for this work.
• Approved a supplemental appropriation of $200,000 for chemicals and overtime in the Community Development Department. Director Matt Morasch said of that amount $50,000 would go to pay the overtime costs that occurred while street crews were out during this past winter clearing streets. The remaining $150,000 goes to replenishing salt and other chemical supplies used to clear roadways.