Stormwater issues and infrastructure needs are among the biggest issues facing Ward 4, two candidates for the Jefferson City Council seat said Wednesday during a virtual forum.
The News Tribune hosted a virtual forum for the Ward 4 candidates to discuss issues and respond to questions from the community. Derrick Spicer and Ryan Estes participated. Leonard Steinman declined the invitation.
Spicer and Estes identified stormwater as a need within the ward.
Estes said it seems as if the city didn't really consider stormwater mitigation when the land was developed in Ward 4, and now it needs to play catch up.
"I know that they've made a substantial investment in that in the past, but the problems still persist. More needs to be done," he said.
While agreeing with Estes, Spicer said the streets and street lights also need work.
"I just think the upkeep needs to be more looked at, and I think we can prevent things if we take charge and work on it together," he said.
Spicer and Estes tackled a number of issues facing the ward and the city.
Housing
Spicer said the issue of housing, and particularly affordable housing, comes back to the need for renters and landlords to maintain their property.
"If they don't keep it up to par, it's hard to be able to help people with housing and different things," he said. "I also think that you get into a situation where people want the reward, but they don't want what it takes with the upkeep and be up to code or be up to whatever the standards are for the city."
He said the city should work with landlords and residents to make sure they follow the rules.
There is an issue, Spicer said, with neglected properties that get boarded up by the city for safety concerns. He brought up searching for grants and other funding avenues to address these concerns.
"We have to be willing to all work together to make this town the most beautiful place in the world and it's not something we're going to fix overnight," he said. "Nothing's cheap out there, but if we can figure it out, put our heads together, we can work together and fix the problem."
Estes said the city could provide incentives to people for the proper maintenance of properties, in an effort to keep more from falling into disrepair.
"I know there has been some talk about the use of eminent domain," he said. "I'm generally against that because I don't like government taking property from citizens. That said, I think, if there are people that are unwilling to or unable to provide the maintenance and the city has exhausted every avenue prior to that point, then its a topic of discussion much further down the road."
He also discussed a need for the city to help promote low-income housing through finding grants or offering incentives to the owners of properties.
"I think there are probably grants or programs the city could apply for, and if not, the city could bridge the cap themselves, both to incentivize the construction of housing for lower income families and to supplement the cost of rentals for lower income families," he said. "Generally speaking, renters are going to want to make more money so it's less in their best interest to offer low cost housing."
Transportation
When considering public transportation needs, Estes said he thinks the city wasn't prepared for the recommendations made by previous studies on how to improve it.
"I think public transit is something that we need to bump up on the list (of priorities) because it's something that absolutely serves a large part of the community and, in particular, those that are already disadvantaged or lower income," he said. "I think we can fund public transit. I think there's probably programs out there which the city could apply for, and if not, we can shift money from something else."
Public transportation, Estes said, isn't going to bring in money, so the first step would be to search for grants or programs to help it. However, he said, if it comes down to shifting funding around within the city budget, there would be areas to do that.
"I think having a city beautification program is a bonus, but if push comes to shove and I'm asked to choose between providing transportation to disadvantaged community members or making the city more beautiful, I'm going to pick the disadvantaged community members 10 times out of 10," he said.
Spicer said he agrees with the need to find a way to better fund public transportation, especially for low- income members of the community.
"They have to get to work or to the store or to the doctor," he said. "If you look at it now, it's losing money. We have to figure out if we can get some funding or put some money that you're putting somewhere else into public transportation."
Where that money would come from, he said, is a challenge without being in the middle of the city's budget.
"Without really being in the middle of it and seeing where all the money is being spent, it would be a really hard question to answer," he said.
Tax motions
The City Council is currently discussing two tax motions that would go on the August ballot. One would extend the city's sales tax for another five years while the other would introduce a public safety tax to address needs by entities such as the police and fire departments.
Spicer said he would support both motions and said the public safety tax would help push the city and support it as it pushes for economic development.
"We're in a situation where (with) the public safety tax, we would be able to buy equipment, buy cameras," he said. "More equipment for economic growth. We want to grow. We can't grow without more officers. We can't grow without better paying jobs for these guys."
Meanwhile, Estes said, he wouldn't support the taxes because there's better ways to get funds for law enforcement and capital improvements than a tax system.
"I think we can spend our money more efficiently," he said. "I think funding for municipal service works is paramount. I think equipment, especially for body cams, is hugely important. I don't think we have a problem in our community with police, but I think body cams would get us ahead of any potential problems. It would ensure accountability both by the officer and the citizen."
Estes said lower sales taxes give people more of an incentive to buy more things and therefore garner more revenue.