Joplin Sees Worst Building Year in a Decade

It should come as no surprise that new construction is down significantly during the current economic recession.  Joplin's numbers only confirm that things are not good for construction.  According to the Joplin Globe, Joplin reported its worst year for construction in at least a decade. The permits indicate that the value of new business and new home construction was down by half, compared with the previous year.

The Globe's article comments on current projects underway in the city:

Construction has been sluggish in Joplin since the recession began, with few seven-figure projects filed by the private sector, but October included three permits valued at more than $1 million. One of those was at Joplin Regional Airport for a new electrical vault building for lighting controls for the airfield, as well as signage and striping. The largest was $5.1 million for work on the Gryphon Building at 1027 S. Main St. It was filed by Neal Group Construction.

Despite the numbers, some contractors remain optimistic.  September saw an uptick in new home construction.

For people in the need for construction, it remains a buyer's market.  Local cities (and ultimately the taxpayers) have benefited from the construction slowdown as builders are being very aggressive on bids to try to capture what little work is out there.

Manufacturing Inventories Fall in September

The US Census Bureau is reporting this morning that manufacturing and trade inventories dropped in September 0.4% from August and 0.3% from September, 2008.  Sales and shipments fell 0.3% from August and 0.6% from September 2008.  The inventory to sales ratio was 1.32, event with September 2008.  This ratio means it would take 1.32 months for factories to exhaust stockpiles.

The rate of inventory accumulation plays a key role in determining the current pace of economic growth and often provides useful clues about the future pace of growth as well. For example, if inventories are accumulating at a rapid pace, such that inventory sales ratios are rising, it may portend a slowing of growth in the near future as firms cut production to bring inventories back into line with sales. Vice versa, if inventories are growing slowly or actually falling, it may signal a future pickup in production

Fairview Mayor In Hot Water

Fairview, MO mayor Sid Oliver is facing charges of official misconduct after allegedly receiving thousands of dollars in compensation for services from the city.  Those payments exceed the statutory limits of 105.454 RsMO.  That section of the law limits compensation for elected officials to $500 per transaction or $5000 per year.  There are exceptions for services awarded through a competitive bid process.

According to the NDN, Oliver received $10,403 in February of 2007 and $7,272 in February of 2008 for services including building upkeep and gravel spreading.  He is also accused of pressuring water department officials to waive fees for him and his two stepsons.

While it will be up to county prosecutor Jake Skouby and the court system to work through the allegations, the statutes for elected officials for compensation and nepotism are on the books for a reason.  I applaud Sheriff Copeland for making sure elected officials are staying on the right side of the law.

The complete NDN article can be found here.

Newton County Sees Sales Tax Increase

Newton County officials on Thursday reported last month's sales tax revenues were up $9700 ($360K vs $351K) over last year.  It marked the first month in 12 that revenues were not declining.  Overall, the county is down 5% for the year.  Officials had planned on (and budgeted for) 2% growth in revenues for the year.  Despite the uptick, County Commissioner Jerry Carter is anticipating December to be $450,000, down from $502,653 last year. 

According to Carter, next year's budget plan is flat.  Budgets are due November 17th.

Round and Round we go...this Friday

City officials have announced that the round-a-bout and South St. bridge project will be open to the public sometime tomorrow evening.  Crews are installing signs today in preparation for opening tomorrow.

This opening comes two weeks after the official dedication and ribbon cutting ceremonies held on October 30th.

This information comes solely from the Neosho Daily News site.  The article is here.

Australia and China Seeing Economic Improvements

Even though the US economy is still struggling under the weight of the current recession, some countries are starting to see some positive signs.  According to today's NY Times, Australia just reported employment grew for the second month in a row (Sept. and October).  Experts expect the Australian unemployment rate will peak just below 6 percent (compare that to the current 10.2% in the US).  The central bank has also been raising interest rates.

In China, the real estate sector is surging.  Property sales and new construction were up and investment in real estate rose 18.9% for the first 10 months of the year.  Economists pay attention to the property data because real estate, which is dominated by private firms, accounts for more than 20 percent of fixed-asset investment, the main engine of Chinese growth in recent years.

While Chinese exports are down over 20%, increases in domestic retail sales have exploded by over 30%.

As the largest country in the world, China has a population estimated at 1.338 billion.  Australia ranks 54th with an estimated 21.262 million.

Webb Supt. to Retire

Webb City's current superintendent, Dr. Ron Lankford, announced his retirement at last night's Webb City school board meeting.  My hat's off to Dr. Lankford for all of the work he's done at Webb during his 33 years of service, 12 of them as superintendent.  In addition to a number of awards received by the district, Dr. Lankford was also named Superintendent of the Year by the Missouri Association of School Administrators.

Read the Globe article here.

Sales Tax Updates - Huh?

The Springfield Business Journal is reporting that Springfield saw encouraging numbers from its sales tax revenues this month.  The city's November sales tax check totaled $2.1 million.  That number is flat from the same time in 2008, but much better than previous months that had seen double-digit declines.  For the year, the city's tax revenues are down 9.7% ($1.5 million.)  In October, Springfield cut $1 million from its general revenue fund budget due to sales tax shortfalls earlier in the year. 

I've received no 'official' updates on Neosho's numbers since the budget conversations in September.  My quick search of the Neosho Daily site yielded no other insight.  Word on the street is that November's check was about $150,000 above expectations.  Unfortunately, I have nothing to confirm or deny that.

Did you know yesterday was Patch Tuesday?

We've all heard of special days:  Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, etc.  But how about Patch Tuesday?  While you won't find it on most calendars, Patch Tuesday comes thanks to Microsoft.  It is the day (the second Tuesday of every month) that Microsoft releases security patches for its operating systems and other software.

Yesterday's patch is especially noteworthy because of the issue it addresses - remote code execution.  It's becoming more and more likely that attacks can come from simply visiting the wrong website - no file to download, no button to click...just a visit to the wrong site.

So beware of going of the reservation during your web surfing.  Stay where you know you are safe.  And by the way...download the updates and install them!

A full article can be found here.

Joplin Council has five seats open in April

As April 2010 elections continue to take shape, voters in Joplin will have the opportunity to chose five council members this time around (a majority for those doing the math).  Joplin is governed by its Home Rule Charter and has a council-manager form of government.  The Joplin city council is composed of nine councilmen - four from zones and five at large.  Each council member serves a four year term.  This election will see seats of two zone members and three at-large members up for grabs.

Three of the five incumbents have already announced their intent to run (Zone 1-Gary Shaw, Zone 4- Michael Seibert, and At-Large-Mike Woolston).  Two other incumbents have not yet decided.

Joplin's council is compensated at a rate of $5 per meeting, not to exceed $100 per year.

Neosho has two seats open on its five member council.  Mayor Jeff Werneke and councilman Warren Langland have both submitted their petitions and are on the April ballot.

Quiet Zone Preparations Underway

Work on the Quiet Zone upgrades are in the works on the north side of town. New barriers and arms are being installed on Old Scenic/Jefferson. The photo is from Front St. Looking east.  Similar barriers and crossing gates will be required at all crossing as part of the upgrade.  Some streets, incluing Front St. onto Jefferson and Smith Ave. onto College, will become right-turn only once the upgrades are in place.

Mobile blogging is now active. Isn't technology great!

Tweet About Mold Causes Lawsuit

What happens what someone Tweets about things that others say aren't true?  Well, in this case, it results in a lawsuit.  A Chicago woman recently made a comment about mold in her apartment saying "Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it's okay."

Feeling the comments were incorrect and harmful, the management firm for the apartments has responded with a lawsuit.  The Chicago Suntimes reports the response was because "...her alleged Twitter posts "maliciously and wrongfully" slammed her apartment at 4242 N. Sheridan and the company managing it."

It will be interesting to see how this turns out.  Free speech does has its limits.

Duties as a Dancer's Dad

After a quick lunch at the MSSU tail gate party today, I turned my attention west as I travelled to Tulsa for an evening of dancing.  (I'm not the one dancing - if you've ever seen my try, you'd already know that).  My daughter's dance class is competing in a dance competition put on by Co. Dance (http://www.codance.com/ if you're interested.)  Co. Dance, based in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, IL, will host a total of 19 regional competitions across the US this season.

It's always a fun time to see hundreds of talented and gifted children and young adults perform and showoff their skills.  Tonight should be no exception.

So for you dads out there with only boys, this is my "football" weekend.  But instead of pads and helments, we've got tutus and makeup.  Eitherway, it's just another day of being a dad...and I really enjoy it.

Trust vs. Turmoil

Seven months have past since the voters of Neosho entrusted me with the position of councilman.  In April, 1135 voters in Neosho showed their support, making me their top pick in the April 2009 council election.  I'd like to think that support, in part, shows the voter's trust and confidence in me to use common sense and good judgement to make decisions that are good for Neosho and its residents.

During the past week, there has been some turmoil related to city's planned disposal of old and outdated documents.  Some have alleged a coverup, some have even alleged fraud.  Quite a myriad of opinions to say the least.

In an effort to avoid the appearance of coverup or impropriety, I lobbied on the side of postponing the disposal of some of them to allow time for the other side to ensure nothing secret or incriminating was included.  That, now, has created its own turmoil.

Details aside, I've tried to reconcile the issue and step back and look at the broader issues at hand.  I've boiled it down to a rather simple question - do you (the citizens of Neosho) trust me when I tell you that this particular disposal isn't the issue it is being made out to be?  Do you trust that I've looked into it, know the 'why's' and 'how comes' of this request, and can make an informed and credible decision?

I appreciate those who comment about the lack of trust in government.  But the past will always be there.  No one can change it.  What can be changed is how things are done today.  I've got another 2 1/2 years to affect change in Neosho.  At that point, the voters can decide if they feel I've done a good job or if I need to go.  But for now, I'll continue to make decisions that I feel make sense for Neosho, make good on my commitments as a councilman, and support those in city government who work everyday to do their best for you and me.

Destruction is a very harsh word - How about disposal instead?

"Council to Discuss Destroying Documents" - that's how the Neosho Daily News prefaced last night's city council meeting.  No wonder we drew such a crowd - it must be Ollie North all over again - right?  Well, not really.

What was at issue was nothing more than a courtesy notification to the council of the city's intent to dispose of records no longer required "by law" to be retained.  But because the city had done a poor job in the past of adhering to a schedule, the action had the appearance of impropriety and cover up.  After all, if you haven't destroyed documents for 10 or 20 years, why now?

Record retention is something all cities struggle with.  It takes time to organize them.  It takes time to box and store them.  It takes space to keep them.  Luckily, the Missouri statues give cities clear guidance to help keep our records in order while managing the amount of time we are required to keep them.  The city has, in turn, adopted a document retention policy that covers how the city handles record retention and disposal - all in accordance with the law.

Ultimately, we elected to dispose only of court and police records in the short run.  That kept the peace for now.  And honestly, if we've kept them for this long, a few more weeks sure won't hurt.  But we can't keep everything for eternity.  Laws and policies are in place for a reason.  Use them and be consistent.

Local School Bond Passage - What's it mean?

Voters in Webb City and Carl Junction both approved school bond initiatives last night for building improvements. Pierce City wasn't as lucky as voters defeated a proposed measure there.

Does this mean that even in a bad economy, voters really do support education? Well, sort of, but not exactly.

Voters in Webb and Carl both approved issues that require no "increases" in the tax levy. In other words, because of their existing levies, they are able to re-roll their new bond amounts (in this case $2 million for Webb and $1 million for Carl) into their existing levy coverage. Tax payers in those districts won't see any increases in their yearly taxes, but they will ultimately pay those taxes for a longer period to "pay" for the improvements.

It was different in Pierce City. That bond issues was a true tax "increase" by proposing a levy increase equivalent to $0.33/$100 in assessed valuation.

This distinction shows the challenges that smaller schools with no debt service levy already in place are facing. It's a lot easier to extend a tax than it is to raise one. But once it is in place, it can be very beneficial...just ask Webb and Carl.

Jasper County officials told to hold down spending

Today's Joplin Globe website highlights comments from Jasper County officials regarding continued budget issues in the county. County Auditor Richard Webster also mentioned that no pay raises for county officials are anticipated. When ask about increases in the 2010 budget, he replied “I don’t see how there can be any increases, in any shape or form, next year,”

It appears the county is facing the same challenges and shortfalls as other cities and counties around the area.

Neosho recently cut budgets by 13% and pay by 3% across the board starting October 1st.

You can read the full article here.

Round and Round we go...almost

Last Friday, the city of Neosho held the official ribbon cutting for the new South St. overpass. City officials expect the new road to be open sometime this week after final details are addressed. According to the Neosho Daily, what remains are "...lines need to be painted on the roadway, signage put up, grading and grass seeding done and lighting installed."

I took a few minutes on Sunday to walk the bridge and observe the overall site. Overall, I do like it. Having a bridge cross-over to avoid railroad delays will most certainly benefit me at some point. But some view the costs associated with the project (including the non-monetary costs of losing Park and Daugherty) to outweigh the benefits. Time shall tell.

3 Down - Who's Next

With Citigroup's planned bankruptcy announcement late last night, we're now up to three in the number of companies that accepted bailout funds to avoid just this event. The bailout had infused $50 billion to Citigroup since December 2008.

Citigroup joins a distinct list of other poorly-run/mismanaged companies such as Chrysler and GM, who have taken OUR money to simply prolong the inevitable.

My compliments to everyone who dreamed up this wonderful bailout idea. Looks like it's really paying off.