December 6, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
Property on Smith Road is being annexed into the City of Smithville.
During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the aldermen adopted a resolution to annex a large portion of property belonging to the Smith Road Properties Group Partners. The site is located on Smith Road between Estes Street, and Shay Street and across from Creekside Drive.
City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson said the Smithville Planning Commission recently met and voted to recommend to the city council that the property be annexed with a Plan of Services. “At some point they (owners) are probably looking at developing that, but I don’t know when. It’s near the county garage (county highway department) on what is known as the old Colvert farm,” said Hendrixson. A portion of the site belonging to the landowners is already in the city.
State law requires that all annexations include a Plan of Services (POS). The POS outlines those services, such as sewer, that will be made available to the land being annexed and the timeframe within which services and/or amenities will be provided.
The annexation resolution was adopted following a public hearing, but no one showed up to speak out either for or against.
In other business, the aldermen adopted a rezoning ordinance on first reading changing from residential to commercial property belonging to Jerry Hutchins at the corner of South College Street and East Bryant Street. Second and final reading will follow a public hearing at the next city council meeting on January 2.
City Administrator Hunter Hendrixson said the Smithville Planning Commission recently met and voted to recommend approval of the rezoning to the city council. “This property has been subdivided into two parcels and meets all the criteria to be commercial. What is going in there if anything, I have no idea but as far as the city is concerned it meets everything,” said Hendrixson.
The aldermen adopted on second and final reading budget amendments.
In the general fund, the city needs an extra $31,783 to cover costs of replacing the city hall roof for which the aldermen had budgeted $100,000; $14,000 for repairs or reconstruction of a used backhoe; and $27,151 to repair or replace an arm on a city sanitation truck. The total amount of the budget amendment for these projects comes to $72,934 to be taken from the unreserved general fund balance.
In the water and sewer fund, the budget amendment ordinance includes $50,000 needed for a sewer pump station upgrade on Jennings Lane. The money will be taken from the water and sewer funds retained earnings or reserves.
The aldermen postponed action until next month on the purchase of surveillance cameras at Green Brook Park.
Mayor Josh Miller said Green Brook Park has come under attack by vandals in recent years and surveillance cameras are needed there to monitor activity of that kind. He also commended Smithville Electric System for adding more streetlights in the park.
“A lot of people use that park especially in the spring and summer and people need to feel safe when they are there. I know the park needed more lighting and I thank Smithville Electric for doing that at my request,” said Mayor Miller.
Quotes have been obtained from two companies interested in selling a surveillance camera package to the city.
The aldermen also appointed Josh Williams, a pilot and airport hangar tenant, to fill a vacancy on the city’s airport advisory board.