City of Columbia, Missouri
Meeting Minutes
City Council
Council Chamber
Columbia City Hall
701 E. Broadway
Monday, September 19, 2022
7:00 PM
Regular
I. INTRODUCTORY ITEMS
The City Council of the City of Columbia, Missouri met for
a regular meeting at
approximately 7:00 p.m. on Monday, September 19, 2022, 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: Council Member ROY LOVELADY, Council Member NICK
FOSTER, Council Member MATT PITZER, Council Member BETSY PETERS, Mayor
BARBARA BUFFALOE, and Council Member PAT FOWLER were present. Council
Member ANDREA WANER was absent. Acting Deputy City Manager Mike Griggs,
Assistant City Counselor Merilee Crockett, City Clerk Sheela Amin, and various
Department Heads and staff members were also present.
Mayor Buffaloe explained the minutes were not yet complete for the December 20, 2021,
January 3, 2022, January 18, 2022, February 7, 2022, February 21, 2022, March 7, 2022,
March 21, 2022, April 4, 2022, April 18, 2022, May 2, 2022, May 16, 2022, June 6, 2022,
June 21, 2022, July 5, 2022, July 18, 2022, August 1, 2022, August 15, 2022, and
September 6, 2022 regular council meetings, and the April 18, 2022 and August 13, 2022
special council meetings.
Upon her request Mayor Buffaloe made a motion for Council Member Peters to be
allowed to abstain from voting on those portions of PH27-22 and B214-22/B214-22A
which might be related to allocation of HUD and/or CDBG funding to VAC or any other
entity providing the same or similar services as VAC. Council Member Peters noted on
the Disclosure of Interest form that (1) she is a member of the governing body of the City
of Columbia, Missouri, and is the sole owner of Bowling Street, LLC; (2) the City of
Columbia, Missouri receives and distributes Community Development Block Grant
(“CDBG”) funding from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”)
and from time to time the City Council considers and approves funding recommendations
for CDBG and HUD eligible activities; (3) the Voluntary Action Center (“VAC”) is a
non-profit agency in Boone County, Missouri providing resources for basic and
emergency needs in the areas of health, employment, education and housing to
individuals so they can overcome economic hardships and maintain self-sufficiency, and
the VAC has announced an initiative to create an Opportunity Campus which has the
goal of transitioning homeless neighbors to being sheltered by providing safe temporary
shelter, transitional housing, affordable housing, meals, basic daily needs, and
wrap-around services to lift people up and out of homelessness and is a qualifying
sub-recipient of HUD CDBG funds for qualifying eligible activities; (4) the Opportunity
Campus being proposed by VAC includes the construction and operation of a new
approximately 25,000 square foot facility and it is anticipated VAC may seek HUD
funding for a portion of the construction and/or operation of the VAC Opportunity Campus;
(5) Bowling Street, LLC acquired a 5.65 acre tract of property at the northeast corner of
Bowling Lane and East Business Loop 70 (the “Property”) in December of 2021 for the
purchase price of $600,000; (6) after she acquired the Property, she was contacted by