Republic City Council green lights subdivision work, annual tax levy passage to bring in $2.5 million in revenue

Republic City Council approved two subdivision additions, changed the term for the municipal judge, and passed its annual tax levy during its Aug. 25 meeting. 
Council members gave final approval to phase 4 of the Harper Ridge subdivision, a project of Bester Properties. Located at the northern edge of the city along Main Street, the subdivision was originally part of the preliminary plat for the Emerald Valley subdivision, which received approval on Oct. 26, 2021. Phase 4 divides almost 18 and a third acres into 43 medium density single-family residential lots. The property is bordered on the north by Cowling Street, with the county line to the east and Farm Road 81 to the west. Shaped like an isosceles triangle with long edge running from the northwest corner to the southeast corner, the subdivision calls for building Harper Ridge Drive along the longest edge, connecting to three north-south streets. Harper Ridge Drive ends in a cul-de-sac in the southwest corner. Most of the property south of Harper Ridge is set aside for stormwater retention. 
Chris Tabor, principal planner for the city, reported the subdivision will add 2,036 linear feet of new streets to the city, along with more than 2,100 linear feet of new water mains and more than 2,400 linear feet of new gravity sanitary sewer mains. 
Council members had no questions. The new subdivision will sit in Ward 2. 
Final approval was also given to the final plat for the Kirkwood subdivision, being developed by Kyle Kirk. The property was originally approved as part of Kirkwood Estates on Nov. 5, 2024. This subdivision, located on the northeast edge of town, takes up a little more than 29 acres and is bordered on the north by Hwy. 60. This northern piece is separated from most of the subdivision, a wooded rectangle divided on its northern edge by the east-west Farm Road 170. 
Tabor noted the first six lots are zoned for commercial use, and the rest for residential. Commercial properties will line the existing streets to the north and west. Vintage Street lies beyond the subdivision to the east, and Fortune Falls is located to the west. Residential properties will not have direct access to Hwy. 60, but will feed into a central street, Bailey Avenue, that accesses Farm Road 170 and the highway to the north. Houses will fit into two central cul-de-sacs surrounded by houses, each separated by an east-west street running between them, and another street encircling both, with houses all along the encircling street. 
The subdivision will add almost 7,400 linear feet of new streets to the city, almost 4,000 linear feet of new water mains, and more than 3,500 linear feet of sanitary sewer mains. 
Again, council members had no questions. Both readings of the plat received a unanimous vote of approval. The subdivision will sit in Ward 1.
 
Commercial rezoning
Council members also approved rezoning 210 S. Hampton Ave. as proposed in July. This mostly undeveloped property, measuring one acre, is bordered on the west by Hampton Avenue and is located northwest of Hwy. 60 and south of Mill Street. There are no streets inside the acre. 
The zoning changed the property from its original status as local commercial to general commercial. 
The business originally on the property closed after the surrounding land developed into general commercial, losing its original zoning status. Surrounded by residential property to the west and north, with commercial to the east and south, DK Property Holdings requested the change to commercial use for future marketability. 
 
Annual tax levy hearing
Council members approved the annual property tax levy for its three taxes supporting general operations, parks and recreation, and street lighting. Bob Ford, chief financial officer, walked council members through the formula for setting the levy in a workshop prior to the council session. 
Valuations for general operations rose by a little more than $100,000 for the year. The city expected to see revenues of close to $2.5 million, up from $2.3 million in the 2024-25 taxing cycle. That total has risen from just less than $2 million in 2023. State law limits revenue growth to 5 percent per year, though new property is added to what is taxed, but not to the overall assessed valuation total. 
Council members had no further questions in the open session. 
 
Reappointment of municipal judge
City attorney Justin Rogers took the opportunity of the necessary annual appointment of a municipal judge to direct council members to change the city code, making the judge a two-year position, as state law allows. Council members passed the change while they reappointed David Doran to the position. Again, no questions came from council members prior to the vote. 
Rogers also walked council members through the conflict of interest ordinance, required every two years for cities with an annual budget of more than $1 million. Passage was required on or before Sept. 15. The ordinance enables elected officials, candidates, the chief administrative officer, chief purchasing officer, and the full-time legal counsel to file a short-form disclosure of reportable transactions or interests in the previous calendar year, as required by state law. Without the ordinance, those persons would have to file the long form. 
 
Staff reports
Lisa Addington, chief of staff, filled in for City Administrator Colten Harris, in updating council members on current city activities. She noted the ribbon cutting for the new wastewater treatment plant will be held at the end of October. Progress continues on the city’s new website, which will be launched by the end of the year. Implementation of new software running city operations was also expected by year’s end. 
Addington warned council members that “Budget season is in full swing.” They should expect to see the budget packets in early October. She praised contractor Emory Sapp for moving up the timetable on completing the signalized intersection at Hwy. 60 and Stone Creek Drive, the first phase of the Hwy. MM realignment project, by Aug. 21. That reopened a major road artery before the opening of school. The Hwy. MM project is due for completion in May 2028. 
Congratulations were extended to the parks and recreation department for the “Got Mud?” Run on Aug. 22. More than 800 people participated in what has become a national event. 
Addington extended congratulations to Nick Board, the city’s data services manager, for being named one of the four finalists in the Springfield Technology Council’s annual Rising Star in Technology Award. The winner will be announced on Sept. 25. 
 
Mayor’s report
Mayor Eric Franklin reported the board of adjustments meeting on Sept. 3 and the city council meeting on Sept. 15 had both been cancelled. Upcoming meetings included a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on Sept. 14, and the city council meeting on Sept. 22. 
Franklin thanked the Republic Area Chamber of Commerce for holding its annual ROAR Business Expo. Both he and Harris took shifts in the dunk tank. The mayor recounted attending the Greene County Mayors Association meeting, where he heard Nicolette Zangara from Greene County Emergency Management speak as part of Emergency Management Awareness Month. Franklin also attended an open house at the Republic campus of Ozarks Technical College. He plans to attend the Ozarks Transportation Organization meeting on Sept. 17.
The ongoing public survey about city sidewalks, part of the city’s transition to requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act, can still benefit from additional participation. Franklin also encouraged the public to donate to the food drive underway. A drop-off box for donations is located at City Hall. Other sites are listed on the city’s website. 
Franklin added his appreciation for efforts by first responders to keep the public safe during the Mud Run. He praised public patience during work on Hwy. MM. The opening of school, he noted, gets everyone “back on schedule in Tiger Town.”