Republic City Council approves budget

Status of regional sports park reviewed, on hold as revenue short
 
The Republic City Council approved major financial plans and amended its employee handbook at its Nov. 4 meeting.
Financial action
Following up on ordinances introduced at the Oct. 18 council meeting, the council adopted its budget for fiscal year 2026 and related fee changes.
The overall operating budget for running the city anticipated revenues of $40.6 million with spending of $34.2 million. Capital improvements were budgeted at $50 million, against income of $50.7 million. The two budgets were expected to leave a surplus of $7,114.978. Debt would grow from $77.8 million to $104.9 million by drawing on the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ State Revolving Fund loan to complete the new wastewater treatment plant.
The budget noted that with the increase in utility rates, utility billing in the coming year would generate more revenue than sales tax, which was expected to grow by only about $50,000 in the coming year. Income from utilities would grow nearly 50 percent over 2025, after a 17 percent increase over 2024.
Almost no increase in the number of city employees was expected in the coming year.
Capital improvements by department included:
• Parks and recreation: $2.8 million ($2 million for J.R. Martin Park)
• Police: $577,500 ($450,000 for vehicles)
• Fire: $1,964,000 ($1,855,000 for the new fire truck, replacing a 1994 pumper)
• Water: $4,391,500 ($1.5 million for new cellular-enabled meter metering system)
• Wastewater: $33 million ($30.5 for wastewater treatment plant)
• Streets $4.6 million ($1.6 for widening Highway MM)
Looking forward, the budget projected construction of the new water tower and well by Convoy of Hope to serve the Brookline area, costing $15 million, in 2028 to 2030. A new Frisco Water Tower, costing the same amount, would be built by 2031.
Regional sports park on hold
Bob Ford, chief finance officer for the city, addressed recent questions about the status of the proposed regional sports park, listed as one of the major capital projects when the city sought two quarter-cent sales taxes in 2022 for the parks, one for operations and one for capital improvements. The regional sports park, anticipated to cost $40 million in two phases.
Ford explained that because the pool expansion at the Rush cost about $8 million and plans for the J.R. Martin Park ultimately cost $2.7 million, money from the sales taxes was exhausted. On top of that, the city spent $700,000 at Miller Park to build eight new pickleball courts and two new tennis courts to keep those services available while the older courts at the J.R. Martin Park were removed.
The bonds, purchased on the 2023 authorization, cost $788,000 a year in payments, on top of spending $350,000 a year on smaller park projects over the next 10 years. Phase 1 of the regional sports park, including baseball and soccer fields plus other amenities, would have cost $15 million. Adding that to the debt service on the bonds would have raised the city’s debt payments by $1.1 million for the next 23 years. Phase 2 was expected to cost another $25 million.
“Parks revenue is insufficient to cover the 2023 bond obligations and smaller capital projects,” Ford said. “The reality is tax revenues have grown slower than anticipated in 2022. Given that trend, parks operating earnings were budgeted at a loss for this year, before accounting for debt service and additional capital projects. Next year, it’s budgeted at a slight surplus.
“The regional sports park Phase 1 is only viable if parks operating earnings grow enough to cover the Series 2023 bond debt service and annual capital projects, leaving the other tax to cover any new debt to build the sports park. There is no funding plan for Phase 2. Without a funding source, the regional sports park will remain on hold until we can solve some of these questions.”
Employee handbook changes
Following the introduction of changes to the city’s employee handbook on Oct. 18, council members approved the proposals on Nov. 4.
Chief of Staff Lisa Addington told council members the changes reflect an effort to keep the handbook “relevant” in looking at employment trends across the area.
Substantial changes included:
• A change in vacation time that had boosted availability time to 56 hours. Addington noted that this would revise an earlier change from 24 hours. Effective Feb. 4, 32 hours would transfer from that total to cover closing city offices from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31 as a holiday break, taking those days out of the discretionary choir. Addington said the majority of staff take vacations at the end of December as city business slows.
“Emergency personnel” will still work and continue to have their service treated consistently with other holiday time. Public safety employees receive 32 hours as vacation pay. “Essential workers,” explained Bob Ford, would cover those needed to respond to emergencies or people who purchased a home and need services activated. Customers would have to call the city during the holiday break, leave a message, and a crew assigned to work under such conditions would respond. A letter going out in early December would go to the public explaining this process and other changes concerning electronic payments and billing, based on a new software system coming online in January. Additional reminders would follow in January and February as those changes come online.
“Freedom leave” as an administrative policy was reduced from up to three weeks in June to up to two weeks. Addington said the administrative team met in June and decided the shorter timeframe was more manageable and more realistic. She added that, “We felt this still accomplished the intent of Freedom Leave and staff also wanted to implement a city-wide mental health break during the holidays, where applicable.”
• The section about using bulletin boards was dropped. Addington noted, “We don’t use them anymore.”  
Staff reports
Bob Ford told council members that staff expected to move into the new city administration building, the term used instead of the new city hall, before the Christmas break. The first council meeting in January would be in the new facility after 18 months of work.
Ford noted Project Genesis, the upgrade of software, is nearing completion. Access to the old system from Tyler Technologies would remain through 2026 in case historic data was needed for the audit. The new payroll solution would go live with the last pay period of 2025, going out Jan. 8. The new utility billing platform would go live in early-to-mid February.
On other projects, Ford said Olsson Engineering should begin assessing the intersection at Hines and Hwy. ZZ in mid-November. An evaluation of the traffic volume would begin then. Upgrading of Phase 1 on the J.R. Martin Park was “progressing,” Ford continued. Grading was complete, as well as pouring curb and gutters. He expected the new parking lot would be done by the end of the month. Then construction would move to the new concession stand, market pavilion, and plaza area, anticipating substantial completion by June 1.  
The next council meeting has been scheduled for Dec. 9.