City of Columbia, Missouri  
Meeting Minutes  
City Council  
City Hall  
Monday, March 17, 2025  
7:00 PM  
Regular  
Council Chamber  
701 E. Broadway  
Columbia, MO  
I. INTRODUCTORY ITEMS  
The City Council of the City of Columbia, Missouri met for a regular meeting at 7:00 p.m.  
on Monday, March 17, 2025, in the Council Chamber of the City of Columbia, Missouri.  
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited, and the roll was taken with the following results:  
Mayor BARBARA BUFFALOE, Council Member VALERIE CARROLL, Council Member  
LISA E.A. MEYER, Council Member ROY LOVELADY, Council Member NICK FOSTER,  
Council Member DON WATERMAN, and Council Member BETSY PETERS were  
present. City Manager De’Carlon Seewood, City Counselor Nancy Thompson, City Clerk  
Sheela Amin, and various Department Heads and staff members were also present.  
The minutes of the regular meeting of March 3, 2025 were approved unanimously by voice  
vote on a motion by Mayor Buffaloe and a second by Council Member Lovelady.  
Council Member Carroll asked that B41-25 be removed from the consent agenda.  
The agenda, including the consent agenda with B41-25 being moved to old business, was  
approved unanimously by voice vote on a motion by Mayor Buffaloe and a second by  
Council Member Foster.  
II. SPECIAL ITEMS  
SI4-25  
Swearing in of Paul Eisenstein as the Director of Economic Development  
for the City of Columbia.  
The City Clerk administered the oath of office to Paul Eisenstein as the Director of  
Economic Development for the City of Columbia.  
SI5-25  
Presentation of the Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Audit.  
Jonathan Nibarger, Senior Vice President with AGH, spoke regarding the financial audit  
recently conducted, and he and Finance Director Matthew Lue responded to Council  
questions and comments.  
III. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS  
BC3-25  
Board and Commission Applicants.  
Upon receiving the majority vote of the Council, the following individuals were appointed to  
the following Boards and Commissions.  
COLUMBIA SPORTS COMMISSION  
Marcks, Carter, Ward 5, Term to expire December 31, 2025  
COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ORGANIZATION BOARD  
Mitchell, Sabra, Ward 1, Term to expire December 1, 2027  
HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION  
Downing, Elizabeth, Ward 4, Term to expire December 31, 2027  
PUBLIC TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMISSION  
Johnson, Sarah, Boone County, Term to expire March 1, 2028  
Tell, Tammy, Ward 3, Term to expire March 1, 2028  
IV. SCHEDULED PUBLIC COMMENT  
SPC11-25  
Lucio Bitoy IV - Platitudes over policy: How Columbia 'honors diversity.'  
Lucio Bitoy IV withdrew his request to speak.  
SPC12-25  
Sutu Forte - Gans: "The way little of truth and love."  
Sutu Forte asked that the ordinance approved on January 6, 2025 involving the mountain  
bike tournament trail be recalled or amended to relocate the trail due to dangers  
associated with sinkholes, massive erosion, and the loss of life and serenity, and noted  
almost 300 people had indicated they had not been aware of the proposed trail project.  
V. PUBLIC HEARINGS  
PH9-25  
Consider the 2024 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report  
(CAPER).  
Discussion shown with R32-25.  
R32-25  
Approving the 2024 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation  
Report (CAPER).  
The public hearing was read by the City Clerk, and the resolution was read by the City  
Clerk.  
Housing and Neighborhood Services Director Becky Thompson provided a staff report,  
and responded to Council questions and comments.  
Mayor Buffaloe opened the public hearing.  
Renee Carter, a Second Ward resident, asked for clarification about how Services for  
Independent Living kept people in their homes, for the outcomes related to the 305  
students served by JobPoint, i.e., whether they had completed the program, obtained  
jobs, learned a skill, etc., and for the outcomes related to the 130 businesses supported  
by CMCA, and suggested those details be included in the report in the future.  
There being no further comment, Mayor Buffaloe closed the public hearing.  
The Council asked questions.  
R32-25 was read by the City Clerk, and the vote was recorded as follows: VOTING  
YES: BUFFALOE, CARROLL, MEYER, LOVELADY, FOSTER, WATERMAN, PETERS.  
VOTING NO: NO ONE. Resolution declared adopted, reading as follows:  
VI. OLD BUSINESS  
B38-25  
Granting a design adjustment relating to the proposed Final Plat of Arcadia  
Plat 10 to allow direct driveway connections to Roger I. Wilson Memorial  
Drive (Case No. 63-2025).  
Discussion shown with B39-25.  
B39-25  
Approving the Final Plat of “Arcadia Plat 10” located on the northwest  
corner of Brown School Road and Roger I. Wilson Memorial Drive;  
authorizing a performance contract (Case No. 63-2025).  
The bills were given second reading by the City Clerk.  
Community Development Director Tim Teddy provided a staff report, and he and City  
Counselor Nancy Thompson responded to Council questions and comments.  
Jay Gebhardt, a civil engineer and land surveyor with A Civil Group representing Drew  
Properties and the contract purchaser, provided a handout, explained the goal of the  
contract purchaser was to construct a medical office on the northern lot and to create two  
additional lots in the hopes of bringing likeminded medical services people to that part of  
Columbia, and noted they were technically only asking for one additional driveway and  
that the property abutting U.S. 63 would limit conflicts associated with opposing  
driveways.  
Pam Dodge,  
a representative of the group purchasing the property, indicated they  
intended to construct a private practice specialty medical office which had low volumes of  
traffic because they had outgrown their existing space, chose this location because it  
would be easily accessible to their patients, who tended to be older and lived north of  
town or in other areas of the State, hoped to bring in likeminded businesses, i.e., doctor’s  
offices, physical therapy services, etc., but wanted to allow for individual access since  
they did not know what the future would hold.  
Mary Denson, a First Ward resident, asked what strict meant when saying they were  
erring on the side of strict as it pertained to driveway spacing and wondered if higher or  
lower density developments were being prioritized.  
The Council asked questions and made comments.  
B38-25 was given third reading by the City Clerk with the vote recorded as  
follows: VOTING YES: BUFFALOE, CARROLL, MEYER, LOVELADY, FOSTER,  
WATERMAN, PETERS. VOTING NO: NO ONE. Bill declared enacted, reading as  
follows:  
B39-25 was given third reading by the City Clerk with the vote recorded as  
follows: VOTING YES: BUFFALOE, CARROLL, MEYER, LOVELADY, FOSTER,  
WATERMAN, PETERS. VOTING NO: NO ONE. Bill declared enacted, reading as  
follows:  
B41-25  
Authorizing an agreement for professional engineering services with  
George L. Crawford & Associates, Inc., d/b/a CBB, for a street and  
intersection pedestrian safety study; amending the FY 2025 Annual Budget  
by appropriating funds.  
The bill was given second reading by the City Clerk.  
Public Works Director Shane Creech provided a staff report, and he and City Counselor  
Nancy Thompson responded to Council questions and comments.  
Renee Carter, a Second Ward resident, asked how many people had actually been hit,  
injured, or killed while standing in a median, and City Counselor Nancy Thompson  
responded with some statistics.  
McKenzie Ortiz, 1619 Wilson Avenue, stated the statistics provided were not all  
associated with medians as the the call log provided by the Police Department, which  
was not comprehensive, only included one incident at a median, expressed concern for  
$96,000 of capital improvement funds going toward data analysis when those funds could  
be used for projects that had an immediate tangible impact on people’s lives, such as  
one of the 120 pending traffic calming projects, and felt this was a thinly veiled attempt to  
target homeless people versus pedestrian safety.  
The Council asked questions and made comments.  
B41-25 was given third reading by the City Clerk with the vote recorded as  
follows: VOTING YES: BUFFALOE, CARROLL, MEYER, LOVELADY, FOSTER,  
WATERMAN, PETERS. VOTING NO: NO ONE. Bill declared enacted, reading as  
follows:  
VII. CONSENT AGENDA  
The following bills were given second reading and the resolutions were read by the City  
Clerk.  
B36-25  
Amending the FY 2025 Annual Budget Appendix - Authorized Full Time  
Equivalent (FTE) position identification summary; amending the FY 2025  
Classification and Pay Plan by adding and reassigning classifications;  
amending Chapter 19 of the City Code relating to unclassified service  
positions.  
B37-25  
B40-25  
B42-25  
Voluntary annexation of property located on the north side of Highway KK  
and west of Villa Wood Court (5961 S. Highway KK); establishing  
permanent District R-1 (One-family Dwelling) zoning (Case No. 70-2025).  
Granting the issuance of a conditional use permit to Courtney Pulley to  
allow the operation of a short-term rental on property located at 5406  
Gemstone Way; providing a severability clause (Case No. 68-2025).  
Authorizing a subrecipient monitoring agreement with Boone County,  
Missouri relating to acceptance of the FY 2024 Justice Assistance Grant  
(JAG) Program Award to purchase replacement radios for the Police  
Department.  
R25-25  
R26-25  
R27-25  
R28-25  
Setting a public hearing: proposed construction of storm water  
improvements on Chadwick Drive, between Royal Lytham Drive and  
Fallwood Court.  
Setting a public hearing: proposed construction of street and sidewalk  
improvements along Garth Avenue, between Texas Avenue and Thurman  
Street.  
Setting a public hearing: proposed annexation of property located on the  
east side of Wyatt Lane and north of Mule Deer Drive (4100 N. Wyatt Lane)  
(Case No. 126-2025).  
Authorizing a HOME investment partnership program developer agreement  
with Central Missouri Community Action for the construction of fourteen  
(14) affordable housing units within the Providence Landing Subdivision  
located on the northeast corner of Hickman Avenue and Providence Road.  
R29-25  
R30-25  
Authorizing a tourism development sponsorship agreement with Columbia  
Art League for the 2025 Art in the Park event.  
Authorizing a special event operations agreement with FPC LIVE, LLC for  
Central Bank Downtown Live outdoor concert events on Ninth Street.  
The bills were given third reading and the resolutions were read by the City  
Clerk with the vote recorded as follows: VOTING YES: BUFFALOE, CARROLL,  
MEYER, LOVELADY, FOSTER, WATERMAN, PETERS. VOTING NO: NO ONE. Bills  
declared enacted and resolutions declared adopted, reading as follows:  
VIII. NEW BUSINESS  
R31-25  
Authorizing a special event operations agreement with Rader Hospitality  
Company, L.L.C. for the Stop Day Party - Sigmapalooza outdoor concert  
event.  
The resolution was read by the City Clerk.  
Convention and Visitors Director Amy Schneider and Assistant Convention and Visitors  
Director Julie Ausmus provided  
a staff report, and they, City Manager De’Carlon  
Seewood, and Police Chief Jill Schlude responded to Council questions and comments.  
Jamie Varvaro, the event organizer for Rader Hospitality, explained this event, which  
involved Dillon Frances, a national touring DJ, had been rescheduled from a date in  
October, indicated that they wanted to put on a successful and safe event, and noted it  
would be a ticketed event with fencing around the perimeter.  
The Council asked questions and made comments.  
R31-25 was read by the City Clerk, and the vote was recorded as follows: VOTING  
YES: BUFFALOE, CARROLL, MEYER, LOVELADY, FOSTER, WATERMAN, PETERS.  
VOTING NO: NO ONE. Resolution declared adopted, reading as follows:  
IX. INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING  
The following bills were introduced by the Mayor unless otherwise indicated, and all were  
given first reading.  
B43-25  
B44-25  
B45-25  
Approving the Final Plat of “Ewing Place, Plat No. 1” located on the  
northwest corner of Brown School Road and Highway 763 (1003 E. Brown  
School Road); authorizing a performance contract (Case No. 30-2025).  
Authorizing a financial assistance agreement with the Missouri Department  
of Natural Resources for the Benton-Stephens Neighborhood Historic  
Survey - Phase I.  
Authorizing replacement and improvement of public storm drainage  
infrastructure on Sexton Road and McBaine Avenue; calling for bids  
through the Purchasing Division or authorizing a contract for the work using  
a term and supply contractor.  
B46-25  
Authorizing medical directorship and business associate agreements with  
The Curators of the University of Missouri, on behalf of University of  
Missouri Columbia School of Medicine Department of Emergency  
Medicine, associated with services provided to employees of the City’s  
Fire Department.  
B47-25  
B48-25  
Authorizing an agreement for professional medical services with The  
Curators of the University of Missouri, on behalf of University of Missouri  
Health Care and University Physicians, for the diagnosis and treatment of  
City employee work-related injuries.  
Authorizing a master services and purchasing agreement with Axon  
Enterprise, Inc. for software, equipment, and technology services for the  
Police Department; amending the FY 2025 Annual Budget by  
appropriating funds.  
B49-25  
B50-25  
Authorizing Amendment No. 2 to the contract with the State of Missouri -  
Missouri Department of Corrections to provide tuberculosis screening and  
testing services.  
Amending the FY 2025 Annual Budget for second quarter appropriation of  
funds.  
X. REPORTS  
REP15-25  
FY25 Uncollectible Receivables and Adjustments.  
Finance Director Matthew Lue and Assistant Finance Director Jim McDonald provided a  
staff report, and they along with City Manager De’Carlon Seewood responded to Council  
questions and comments.  
REP16-25  
Monthly Finance Report.  
Finance Director Matthew Lue and Assistant Finance Director Jim McDonald provided a  
staff report, and responded to Council questions and comments.  
XI. GENERAL COMMENTS BY PUBLIC, COUNCIL AND STAFF  
Eugene Elkin, 3406 Range Line Street, understood some groups that come before the  
Council felt they were not being heard and provided those who were against the mountain  
bike trail as an example, stated concern for trees being removed as part of that project  
and the proposed Ash Street project, and suggested the Council visit those sites.  
Renee Carter, a Second Ward resident, suggested better data be obtained to measure  
outcomes, explained it would be helpful to know if the money provided was impacting  
outcomes, such as improvements in the level of poverty, versus just having the number of  
people served, and believed community members would feel better having those types of  
metrics.  
Sutu Forte, Bluff Dale Drive, invited the Council to walk the Gans Creek Wild Area with  
her and asked the Council to recall the ordinance that was passed in January allowing for  
a mountain bike trail in the Gans Creek area and to allow for a meeting between staff, the  
bicycle people, and the nature people to hopefully come up with a different location for the  
trail.  
Shannon, Boone County, stated she had attended a forum recently and understood a  
large percent of the City’s budget involved public safety, felt public safety was easily  
weaponized, noted there were other mutual aid infrastructures and systematic changes  
that could be made to address issues, provided stop day as an example of the need to  
redefine the event and respond in a manner differently than arresting people, and believed  
other city department employees should be funded similarly to the Police Department.  
The Council and staff discussed various topics to include referring the issue of design  
adjustments to the Planning and Zoning Commission and Community Development staff  
to discuss with their next round of Code updates in order to clarify whether all of the  
criteria had to be met or only considered, which staff agreed to include with future  
discussions on Code changes, the holding of the first Columbia Police Academy  
graduation, which involved fourteen graduates, and its significance in terms of  
conversations in the community and within the Police Department with regard to what  
they wanted to do and who they wanted to serve along with the investment in those  
officers to help ensure they came home safely, understanding that the City was in the  
process of interviewing park rangers to improve trail safety, Council Member Meyer  
preparing for a big surgery and recovery in April and indicating she looked forward to  
seeing everyone in May, the holding of the first City Summit, which had been well  
attended and had likely outgrown its space at City Hall, Council Member Lovelady being  
thankful for the invitation for his group to perform during the City Summit, the request for a  
report exploring the implementation of a ride home program for individuals in response to  
concerns raised about homelessness whereby transportation would be provided to  
individuals to the location from which they traveled to Columbia or another location after  
identifying family members who had agreed to receive them as this would provide needed  
support while reserving local resources for more local residents, the fact the municipal  
election was three weeks from tomorrow and that early voting started a week from  
tomorrow, encouraging everyone to vote, Council Member Peters explaining she did not  
intend to make a motion to stop the trails proposed in the Gans Creek Recreation Area  
as the trail that was proposed to cross the creek and be located near the rookery was  
being reevaluated and the other trail, which was proposed to be located in a field, was fine  
in her opinion, the fact the Administrator of the Office of Violence Prevention, D’Markus  
Thomas-Brown, would start on March 31, explaining that this Office would support  
community organizations to help move the ball but that it would not be a panacea that  
would eliminate community violence altogether, and the fact the City had increased its  
efforts with regard to community engagement with events like the City Summit, which had  
been two years in the making, along with the recent budget town halls and Let’s Talk  
Local events.  
XII. ADJOURNMENT  
The meeting was adjourned without objection at 9:32 p.m.