JACKSON CITY COMMENTARY: CONFERENCE ALLOWS FOR IDEA CHANGES

Several elected officials, city staff members and I recently attended the annual Missouri Municipal League legislative conference in Jefferson City. The conference is an opportunity to join other local leaders from across the state to share information, develop a closer rapport with area legislators and project a united legislative front for issues that affect cities in Missouri.

The conference provided a unique opportunity to learn more about issues pending in the legislature.

We discussed with legislators and peers a wide range of municipal issues. We attended seminars concerning: law enforcement issues, highway funding legislation, open meetings law changes, utility restructuring legislation, and street right of way legislation. There are bills pending concerning all these issues.

This year's conference was very informative and we will work hard to support the best interest of our local municipality as these bills progress in the Missouri House and Senate. The conference concluded with a luncheon where Gov. Bob Holden spoke to several hundred city representatives from all over the state.

Jackson has been approved as a Tree City USA for the sixth consecutive year. Our efforts to protect and preserve trees makes us eligible for cost-sharing programs such as "Branch Out Missouri." Jackson recently obtained a "Branch Out Missouri" tree grant to plant 63 new trees along a future walking trail in Litz Park. If you would like to become involved in our Tree City USA board, contact our Parks and Recreation Director Shane Anderson at 243-3568.

As most of you have read by now, MoDOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) has proposed a four-lane highway with a median, improvement to be done in three phases from the city police and fire complex to the Highway 34 intersection. I encourage the citizens to attend future public hearings on this proposal and give us (your elected officials) your opinions on the project. Right of way purchase in scheduled for 2003 and construction of phase one will be in 2002.

While the four-lane configuration does not seem debatable, where turn lanes, U-turn lanes, stoplights, etc. are placed will be.

The city of Jackson supports improvement to our local state transportation system. We feel with our growth we deserve these improvements and the sooner the better. However, we want the most driver, business, citizen-friendly road possible to be built. So let's work together with MoDOT to give them the input needed to satisfy as many of our concerns as possible.

If you have a question concerning this road improvement, call the local MoDOT office in Jackson or Sikeston. We will be watching closely and listening to your opinions as this needed highway improvement continues to take shape.

The council meets at 7:30 Monday nights at City Hall in Jackson. Your ideas and suggestions on how we can improve Jackson are always welcome.