The Columbia City Council is expected to vote with the Columbia Interfaith Resource Center to purchase a 24-hour emergency shelter service at its meeting on Monday.
The Interfaith Resource Center is funded by the Colombian Interfaith Council, which brings together faith communities, non-profit organizations, and government agencies to deal with homelessness. In addition to emergency shelters, it also helps people get services and helps them escape homelessness.
The City Council had previously approved an appropriation of US$75,000 at its meeting on May 3 to expand the capacity of emergency shelters. It was established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2021-2022 winter budget.
The shelter will be dedicated to providing services for the homeless who are in isolation or quarantine.
Electric buses are questioned again
Also on Monday’s agenda, the Colombian Ministry of Public Works is requesting approval to purchase three compressed natural gas (CNG) buses for urban public transportation.
This request is part of Go COMO Transit's follow-up report on alternative fuels, which states that CNG buses will act as a “bridge” until the electric bus technology “proves it is completely reliable”.
CNG buses are low- or no-emission vehicles that meet the goals of the city's climate action and adaptation plan.
Go COMO also asked the city council to allow another year to monitor the performance of the city's four electric buses before purchasing more electric buses. A few years ago, the city rented nine poorly performing electric buses and returned them to the manufacturer.
The City Council is expected to hold a public hearing on the construction of Fire Station No. 10 at its Monday meeting. The proposed hearing will be held on December 6.
The Department of Public Works also asked the City Council to approve the purchase of properties for the new station near the intersection of St. Charles Road and E. Richland Road.
In a memo to the city council, the department stated that due to the development of eastern Colombia, the new station is necessary. The proposed location should allow for a more timely response to the fire, and the memo states that residents have lower insurance rates.
A stakeholder meeting of Fire Station 10 was held in October, and some owners expressed concerns.
The last city council meeting approved the construction of another new station, Fire Station 11. In 2018, the fire department risk assessment determined that based on the operation volume, eastern and southwestern Colombia will benefit from the new fire station.
On Monday, the committee will hear public opinions from Bill and Judy Weitkemper on the issue of main electricity meters and personal electricity meters.
The main table is usually used in apartment buildings or large office buildings to divert the sewage of multiple users through a pipe, while a separate table is more commonly used in single-family houses. Through master metering, building owners need to pay for water consumption instead of charging individual residents of the building.
According to a previous Missouri report, the basic rate paid for buildings with primary metering functions is much lower. Weitkemper has argued in the past that separate measurement, rather than primary measurement, would be fairer and bring additional income to the city.
Also on Monday, the city council is expected to approve the results of the November 2 special election, which will extend the local park sales tax by one-eighth. The tax will be implemented in the next 10 years.
The meeting will be held at the Daniel Boone City Building at 7pm on Monday evening and will be open to the public.