The Parkville Board of Aldermen has given the preliminary go-ahead for the formation of a new community improvement district (CID) in the Creekside development at Interstate 435 and Highway 45.
The board unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance establishing the Meadows at Creekside Community Improvement District at the Tuesday, Feb. 5 meeting. Final approval is expected at the Tuesday, Feb. 19 meeting. A public hearing was held, with no public comments.
The CID covers a residential development within the larger Creekside development, and does not create a sales tax. Instead, the CID proposal includes a special assessment for each completed apartment unit and single-family home built within the district. Money collected will fund public improvements — including covering costs previously incurred by the failed neighborhood improvement districts in the area.
According to the staff report prepared by director of community development Stephen Lachky, listed project costs — which total about $10.5 million — include $4.8 million in NID costs.
“These funds are proposed to be dedicated to payment to the City of Parkville for the acquisition of the approximately 70 acres the city owns where the Meadows at Creekside development is proposed,” the report states. “If approved, the city intends to utilize these funds to help retire debt associated with the Brink Meyer Road and Brush Creek Neighborhood Improvement Districts.”
Later in the meeting, the board also discussed the costs associated with the 17 Sunshine Law requests filed by the Citizens for a Better Parkville group.
City administrator Joe Parente said so far, personnel costs for city staff has been estimated at $19,032. When open records requests are received, the city estimates the costs involved, and said so far Citizens for a Better Parkville founder Jason Maki has paid about $5,300.
Parente said so far, the city has turned over more than 25,000 records, and while Maki will likely not be billed $19,000, final costs are not yet known.
When asked by aldermen if services to city residents may be suffering due to time spent on records requests, Parente said staff have worked to take care of residents’ needs first, while also responding to the requests. However, he said, some projects may have been postponed to instead handle the Sunshine requests.
When asked by mayor Nan Johnston about the complaint filed last month by Maki’s attorney against Parkville with the Missouri Attorney General, Parente said they had yet to be contacted by anyone with the attorney general’s office.