city council

  Candidates for the Columbia City Council and School Board met today to discuss disability issues at a Forum at city hall.

Multiple Mid-Missouri disability services agencies hosted the forum to get the candidates talking about accessibility in the city. Community members submitted questions online, and the candidates discussed a range of issues, from playground accessibility, to inclusive hiring processes and expansion of the para transit system.

The Columbia City Council voted Monday night to increase the city’s renewable energy mandate. By 2018, Columbia Water and Light will now need to get 15 percent of its energy from renewable sources – up from 10 percent as spelled out in the renewable energy mandate passed by Columbia voters in 2004. The future goals were also increased to 25 percent by 2023 and 30 percent by 2029. The previous goal for 2023 was 15 percent and there was no goal set for 2029.

First Ward Councilmember Fred Schmidt was one of the councilmembers that voted to pass the change 5-2.

“The energy future and the environmental future calls for this – for doing something and I believe this is the right step. We don’t know what the future is going to hold, so we shoot for a multiplicity of sources,” Schmidt said.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia is working to recruit enough volunteers to keep its temporary homeless shelter open until Dec. 31 – a week and a half longer than originally planned.

A new city task force on violence will meet for the second time this week. The group was put together by Mayor Bob McDavid and is looking at ways to reduce violence in Columbia.

 The city of Kirksville is paying a fine to the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to keep up on water inspections. The city is being fined because they did not follow the inspection guidelines at its industrial water treatment sites for the last several years.

Members of Columbia’s city council gathered at the Activity and Recreation Center Friday to discuss the city’s strategic planning.

As of February, landlords in Columbia are required to maintain a list of all tenants. It’s part of a new occupancy limitation disclosure ordinance recently passed by the City Council.

That the ordinance was put in place partially to deal with several overcrowding issues concerning neighbors.

Columbia government officials met on Friday for the first of a two-day retreat.

A measure that would reduce property taxes and slightly increase sales tax is going to Jefferson City voters this August.

Watch the show and join the conversation on the Intersection website.

This week on Talking Politics we investigate the claims and accusations made during a surprisingly contentious race for Columbia's sixth ward city council seat.

The Springfield City Council is being asked to consider ordinances that would ban discrimination against gay people.

Columbia’s City Council unanimously voted to make downtown taxi stands and no-pick-up zones permanent on Monday night.  

olumbia City Council voted 5-to-2 Monday night to rezone the Regency mobile home park for a new student housing development.

The City Council has approved two new measures that affect the way evictions are carried out in Columbia.