By Gary J. Groman, a.k.a. The Ole Seagull
On July 17 the city of Branson’s board of aldermen held a work session to plan the agenda for its regular business meeting to be held on Monday, July 23. The complete final agenda for the July 23 meeting can be found on the city’s web site at www.cityofbranson.org/meetings. Specific items discussed at the planning workshop relating to items of general public interest, such as the raising of water and sewer rates and the serving of alcoholic beverages in general public access areas, are as follows.
The board will consider an ordinance change raising water rates 5 percent and sewer rates 15 percent. These rates will reflect the second year of increases in a five year water and sewer rate increase plan that was presented in September 2006 to reduce and eliminate the subsidization of water and sewer rates with funds from the Tourism/Capital Improvement Tax. If approved, the new rates will become effective with the October billing cycle.
There was a lengthy and, at times heated, discussion about the serving of alcoholic beverages, specifically beer, from kiosks at Branson Landing. The discussion revolved around the fact that the people purchasing those beverages were not restricted to a certain area while consuming them. Instead, they were permitted access to stroll virtually anywhere in the general public access areas of Branson Landing such as the Public Square, parking lots, the board walk, promenades, etc. without control or restriction.
Mayor Raeanne Presley pointed out that even as the work session was taking place that the situation at Branson Landing was in the process of being resolved and said, “I know that most of this discussion has revolved around the Landing but I believe that it could be a city wide issue.” She went on to point out that other malls etc. could seek to do the same thing that the Landing is doing and expressed her opinion that further discussion of the issue should relate to whether or not the city believes that it is appropriate to control it in some way.
Mayor Presley continued, “It is incumbent upon us to go out and search for the right information.” At the request of the mayor, Peter Lobdell, the State Supervisor of the Missouri Division of Alcohol & Tobacco Control and Joe Hodgin, the District Supervisor for the area that covers Branson, will be making a presentation at the Jul. 23 meeting to present information on some of the liquor control issues the community is facing.
Ozark Energy Partners L.L.C. will be making a presentation about their business and involvement with bringing natural gas to the area. The city of Branson’s city administrator, Terry Dody, pointed out that, as he understands it, the company is also interested in the city granting it a natural gas franchise. If Ozark Energy Partners L.L.C. were granted a franchise it would be the second granted by the city. At its Jul. 9 meeting the board of aldermen approved the assignment of the non exclusive natural gas franchise, which it approved and executed on Mar. 14, 2005, with Alliance Gas Energy, Inc., to Southern Missouri Natural Gas.
A presentation will be made by Dr. Montel Wilder of Branson Trolley & Transportation, Inc. regarding “a proposal that would bring a mass transit system to the area without any cost to the city itself” and to “entice the city to support this exciting plan in order to secure federal and state funding to assist in bringing the plan to fruition.” Mayor Presley expressed her belief, based on a brief talk with the initial group, that the system they will be presenting will be more of a bus system than a trolley system.
