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Council moves senior, disabled utility discount forward

Moberly Monitor-Index & Democrat - 3/5/2019

March 05-- Mar. 5--An increased utility discount for seniors and the disabled, and a medical marijuana dispensary zoning regulation were among the issues discussed at the Moberly City Council work session Monday.

A proposed ordinance would increase the discount available for seniors' and disabled persons' water and sewer bills. The new ordinance would increase the discount program by $3 per month, meaning those who qualify for the program could receive a $13 discount on their utility billing each month.

The discount increase is a response to the increased utility rates that were approved, Public Utilities Director Mary West-Calcagno said. The rate increase is an estimated $3 per month extra for the average user, which should balance out with the discount cap increase, however, the program is not utilized to its full potential, she said.

"The city currently has a program in place, but it's not well utilized," West-Calcagno said. "Any disabled person, if they have been declared disabled by social security, or anyone over the age of 65, that meets low-income guidelines are able to get a discount on their bill. ... (The proposed ordinance) is not changing any of the requirements or parameters, it's just increasing that cap."

Interested customers can contact the Moberly Public Utilities office to check if they qualify for the discount program. The council moved the proposal forward for final approval at its next meeting.

The Planning and Zoning Commission requested a text amendment to the zoning code to reflect the statewide changes involving medical marijuana dispensaries. The council discussed the amendment application and moved it forward for final approval. Under the new state law, which voters approved on the Nov. 6 ballot, municipalities and counties cannot prevent medical marijuana dispensaries from setting up an establishment, but they can regulate a specific zoning area for potential dispensaries.

"We can't say, 'No, you can't come into town,'" Public Works Director Tom Sanders said. "We can't ban dispensaries, growers or manufacturing facilities. We can zone them accordingly, with your typical zoning regulations. ... By putting this in place, we would regulate where they are going to be in the future."

The proposed application suggests that dispensaries only be allowed in the B-2 retail zone, which is the downtown district. There can only be one dispensary per 30,000 people, which would mean any dispensary or medical marijuana industry that came to Moberly would account for all of Randolph County, Sanders said.

"We're not going to have an overabundance of (dispensaries)," Sanders said. "There is going to be a very competitive process... at lot of money spent on them. They are going to be high-end facilities. It's not going to be something you would think of as an unwanted facility in the community."

The proposed ordinance will also require that any dispensary could not be within 100 feet of a public park, school, church or or a licensed daycare facility.

Bids for new fire department bay doors were also reviewed by the council. Moberly Fire Chief George Albert suggested the council eventually approve an agreement with Glenn's Garage for a total project cost of $15,932. The department's bay doors have not been replaced since the structure was built in the late 1970s, Albert said.

The bid Albert suggested cost more than several of the other bids, but the doors have a higher insulation value, which would eventually offset the cost, he said. The doors will be more energy efficient and will have two full rows of glass panels, instead of the current design of multiple, separate panes. The bid was moved forward for final approval at the next council meeting.

The council also reviewed the annual Taste of Missouri Wine Stroll to support Safe Passage. If approved, an ordinance would be temporarily lifted to allow for the consumption of alcohol at the Aug. 17 event. Alcohol must be limited to event glasses only and will be in a designated area downtown.

The event planning committee and volunteers will provide event glasses and check participants' IDs. There have been no issues over the past three years that the event has been held, and it has been beneficial to the downtown area and Safe Passage, according to Moberly Police Chief Troy Link. Between 700-1,100 participants are expected to attend, based on previous numbers. Three food vendors, 13 alcohol vendors and 10 craft vendors are also expected.

The Moberly Fraternal Order of Eagles Ladies Auxiliary requested that a small portion of Porter Street be closed during the Soar with Safety event June 1, which was moved forward at the work session.

ecliburn@moberlymonitor.com

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