The West Plains City Council approved site development plans, addressed updated floodplain maps and passed several resolutions during its regular monthly meeting Monday night.
As part of the consent agenda, council members acknowledged a $7,000 tourism community grant awarded to support an upcoming National Junior College Athletic Association college rodeo event and approved the disposal of outdated finance department records.
Two site development plans were approved following recommendations from the West Plains Planning and Zoning Commission.
The first was for Scaggs Repair, a commercial property at 736 Missouri Ave., west of the current business site. The currently empty lot is zoned C-1 and plans include 9,125-square-foot building, a 10-space parking lot and 31,000 square feet of landscaped green space.
The second is a site development plan for Garner Phase III, approved for property at Bruce Smith Parkway and Garner Boulevard. Submitted by Housing Plus, the project features a 32-unit townhome community adjacent to the existing Garner development.
The site is zoned C-2 General Commercial, which permits multi-family residential development. The project includes two- and three-bedroom units, including two units with disability accommodations.
The consent agenda also included certified results from the Aug. 4 primary election, confirming the failure of a proposed city sales tax increase for an indoor sports complex. Verified totals showed 2,257 votes cast, with 385 in favor and 1,872 opposed. Additionally, three-year reappointments were approved for Haley Mitchell and Judy Tuma to the West Plains Civic Center Board.
Council members unanimously approved four resolutions.
The first was an agreement between the city and Rick and Tawnya Rothermich, giving the couple permission to keep land around the West Plains Municipal Airport cleared of brush and vegetation in exchange for haying rights. Neither party will exchange funds, and the city retains safety zone maintenance around the runway.
A second resolution authorizes Mayor Mike topliff or City Administrator Sam Anselm to apply for up to $500,000 in Delta Regional Authority grant funding through the States Economic Development Assistance Program. If awarded, the funds will complete improvements to a city-owned parking lot off First St. near the Provalus building. The city will provide an estimated $51,000 in-kind contribution for lighting materials.
An agreement with Woolpert Inc. for consulting and engineering services for a new airport fuel facility, slated for completion by year’s end, was the third resolution approved.
The final resolution passed authorized a contract not to exceed $35,000 with engineering firm Toth and Associates to assist the city in disputing draft flood insurance rate maps generated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and contractor WSP.
City Planning Director Emily Gibson explained that FEMA’s draft models failed to include two recently constructed retention basins designed specifically to mitigate flooding. Toth and Associates will assist the city in submitting updated hydrological data to push for map revisions, noting the maps were last updated in 2021.
Two ordinances were passed on second reading .
The first approved updates to Division 5 of the West Plains Municipal Code regarding the Tourist Development Advisory Council, while the second set the property tax rate at just under 31 cents per $100 of assessed valuation—a 0.9% increase over the 2025 rate designed to maintain stable municipal funding based on shifting property values.
Finally, the council passed first reading of an ordinance approving routine budget amendments.
During his administrative updates, Anselm reported that new playground equipment has been delivered to Butler Children’s Park on Broadway and will be installed this week. He added that two new pickleball courts and a shaded seating area near the West Plains Aquatic Park are complete.
