Following weeks of amendments and public meetings over how the city will spend and make money, Columbia’s next fiscal year budget gained approval by the Columbia City Council on Monday night.
The council approved the budget with amendments in a 4-2 vote. Second Ward Councilperson Lisa Meyer and Fifth Ward Councilperson Don Waterman voted against approving the budget. Third Ward Councilperson Roy Lovelady was absent from the meeting.
The fiscal year 2025 budget increased spending by 3% from fiscal year 2024, according to Matthew Lue, the city's director of finance. The total proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year is roughly $563 million, according to a slide presented at the council.
City Manager De’Carlon Seewood said the city's growing population has contributed to a need for new infrastructure and staffing, which contributes to rising spending.
"What we need to do is make sure that we are mindful (of) how we're spending," Seewood said. "How do we ensure that we're 'building up' and not just 'adding to' (city funding)?"
Before amendments were proposed by the council and staff, city staff expected to make about $538 million and spend more than $558 million in the next fiscal year.
Seewood unveiled a draft budget to the council in late July, but he warned of potential shortfalls and cuts in coming years if revenue didn’t increase, according to previous Missourian reporting. He followed up at the Aug. 19 council meeting, saying he did not want to “raise the alarm” on cutting back spending yet.
The council approved several amendments to the draft budget in the past few weeks, including authorizing the city to hire four additional public transit drivers and adding $1 million from the city's reserve fund into pension funds for the police and fire departments.
The council also made a few additional changes to the budget Monday evening prior to voting on the budget.
The city will also continue to waive fares for public transportation, according to a council memo.
Federal grant funding
The council approved a funding agreement with two projects, which had previously been approved for federal American Rescue Plan Act grants, according to a council memo. Burrell, a mental health organization, will construct a nonprofit crisis center with $3 million from city ARPA funds.
The council also authorized Central Missouri Community Action to construct 14 affordable housing units in Columbia with almost $1 million from city ARPA funds.
Public comment on the Citizens Police Review Board
Reece Ellis, a Citizens Police Review Board member, spoke to the council about how the police watchdog will function following a decision from the last council meeting to strip the board of some of its responsibilities.
Ellis said he will complete his term on Nov. 1 but will not be renewing his position on the board. He said he was considering another term, but the council’s decision ultimately pushed him to leave the position.
“We’ve decided to join what I feel is an unnecessary retreat that aligns us with the decision that undermines the very principles of local governance and public accountability,” Ellis said. “And so it’s my firm belief that we could continue to operate under our previous ordinance, and it would not place us in conflict with state law.”
Ellis also asked the council to consider restoring the board’s previous authority.
The council passed the measure earlier this month to comply with a new state omnibus safety law. City Counselor Nancy Thompson said the council would need to limit the Citizens Police Review Board’s responsibilities to avoid legal troubles since the law banned certain roles for the board.
But Rep. David Tyson Smith, D-Columbia, said the state law did not target Columbia and that the responsibility rollback was unnecessary at this time, according to previous Missourian reporting.
Other agenda items
The council also voted on rezoning a one-family residential property to a mixed-use office property. The almost 5-acre property is located directly south of the intersection of Smith Drive and Dayspring Drive, according to a council memo.
After public comments and a recommendation from city staff to deny the rezoning proposal, the council defeated it with a 4-2 vote. Councilpersons Meyer and Waterman were the only two who voted in favor of rezoning.
Carroll, who is a former member of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission for the past five years, said she had concerns about the rezoning request and didn't see a strong case for approving it.
Additionally, the council unanimously approved the extension of the temporary shift of both driving lanes on East Walnut Street as well as the closure of both parking lanes and the south sidewalk from Oct. 31 to Nov. 29. The alley between Short Street and North Tenth Street will also be temporarily closed through Nov. 29. These changes are to accommodate the construction of a hotel tower in downtown Columbia, according to a council memo.
Near the start of the meeting, the council also voted on applicants for vacant positions on city boards and commissions. The following appointees will serve through March 1, 2026:
- Joseline Hernández Arroyo — Board of Health
- Vera Elwood — Commission on Cultural Affairs
- Barth Burgin, Aric Jarvis, Raman Puri, Scott Cristal, Heather Hargrove and Jamie Varvaro — Convention and Visitors Advisory Board
- Andrea Lisenby — Disabilities Commission
- Carrie Gartner — Historic Preservation Commission
- Michael Nguyen — Marijuana Facility License Review Board
- Angie Crumbliss — Personnel Advisory Board
- Joan Ferguson — Public Transit Advisory Commission
- Randal Meyer — Tax Increment Financing Commission
Missourian reporters Lola Jahant and Nicole Voss contributed to this report.
