A decade’s long tradition of holding the twice monthly regular meeting of Branson Board of Aldermen on the second and fourth Monday of the month has changed. With the approval of the Consent Agenda at its Sep. 8 meeting, the board authorized a change in the day of the week the meetings are held from Monday night to Tuesday night. The change is effective Oct. 1 and will start with the board’s first meeting in October scheduled for Tuesday Oct. 14.
The stated purpose of moving the meetings to Tuesday is to give the city staff, the board of aldermen, and the public enough time is “to review agendas prior to the regular meetings.
In other action the board gave final approval to the 5 percent increase in water rates and a 15 percent increase in sewer rates which will start with the October billing cycle. The rate increases are the third in a series of five annual increases, contained in a plan enacted by the board in September 2006. The plan was intended to reverse a trend of transferring funds from the Tourism and Capital Improvements tax and put the operating portion of the city’s sewer and water operation on a self sustaining basis.
The board also gave its initial approval to increasing certain Parks and Recreation Department fees. The fee increases are caused by increased maintenance and operational expenses that have exceeded the revenues and the desire of the city to make each program less dependent on subsidies from other city funds. Fees for the city’s Pitch “N” Putt 9 – hole golf course will increase from $6 to $10 for adults and from $4 to $6 for youth 18 and under while the daily fee for the Rec Plex aquatic center will increase $1 and the fee for renting the center goes up $25 from $100 to $125. The daily camping fees to rent an RV space in the city campground will go from $23 to $25.
Furnished Courtesy of the Branson Daily Independent https://bransoncourier.com/view_article.php?news_ID=41
