OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Columbia City Council Regular Meeting - October 6, 2025

Video Archive — Tuesday, October 7, 2025
BodyColumbia, Missouri
SessionVideo Archive
DateTuesday, October 7, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:12:46

Transcript — Verbatim
0:10

Well, good evening.

0:11

I'd like to call to order our Monday, October 6th, 2025 regular Columbia City Council meeting.

0:17

I invite all those who are able to please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:42

Sheila, will you please call roll?

0:44

Miss Buffalo here.

0:46

Miss Carroll?

0:47

Here.

0:47

Miss Elwood?

0:48

Here.

0:49

Miss Sample?

0:50

Here.

0:50

Mr.

0:51

Foster.

0:51

Here.

0:52

Mr.

0:52

Waterman.

0:53

Miss Peters.

0:54

Here.

0:56

Well, thank you for joining us this evening.

0:58

This is our first Columbia City Council meeting since the events of the weekend of homecoming from Mizzou.

1:05

So I'd like for all to please join me and uh a moment of silence in remembrance of Ayana Williams and her bright light.

1:37

Thank you.

1:40

Well, the public have multiple opportunities to engage and speak with at Columbia City Council meetings.

1:50

And at the end of the meeting.

1:58

If you're an individual commenting, you'll get three minutes.

2:01

If you're an organization that's affected by the legislation being discussed, you can request five minutes.

2:06

I do ask that you help me acknowledge that so that our fellows can change the shot clock there that will tell you your timer left for that.

2:13

I do ask also that people be respectful of both the time limits and one another.

2:19

We don't always have to agree on everything, but we will respect each other as individuals and humans and neighbors.

2:25

Demonstrations that might intimidate your neighbors from speaking are not allowed at council meetings.

2:30

I want people to address issues, not individuals, and refrain from personal attacks, including on city staff.

2:36

If there are disrupt disruptions, they'll be addressed with a warning, and if necessary, removal and recess.

2:53

Second.

2:54

Second by Betsy Peters.

2:55

All those in favor say aye.

2:56

Aye.

2:57

Any opposed?

2:58

All right, next up for our agenda.

3:00

Um, does anyone have any changes to the agenda?

3:03

Seeing none, I'll make a motion to approve the agenda as posted.

3:06

Do we have a second?

3:07

Second.

3:08

Seconded by Betsy again.

3:09

All those in favor say aye.

3:10

Aye.

3:11

Aye.

3:11

Uh and then next, uh, as mayor, I'm gonna do uh point of personal privilege.

3:16

I'd like to invite police chief Schlute forward to discuss the recent shooting downtown and what efforts have been done already for improved safety and future actions expected.

3:25

Thank you, Chief.

3:35

Good evening.

3:36

So I'm gonna go over quite a bit of information.

3:38

I'll try to make it um as much in chronic chronological order as I possibly can.

3:48

So as far as downtown, and I'm gonna repeat myself probably a little bit, but that's okay.

3:54

We actually started pulling data points from what was going on downtown earlier this summer.

4:00

So we recognize we had had some issues with increased violence, specifically gun violence in the downtown area.

4:07

And we tracked those incidents and kind of that culminated into looking at what's going on primarily after bar close of the eleven incidents we recognized.

4:17

Um, the vast majority of those were after bar closing time.

4:20

We'd have it kind of a hot spot in the Broadway and 9th and 10th area that shifted over into the 800 block of Walnut Street.

4:28

Uh so June 8th, um, we started in earnest putting more officers downtown in response to this.

4:36

And we really tried to focus them on not only dealing with obviously big things, calls for service that normally come out, like fights and disturbances, but also trying to start doing lower level enforcement so that we can really kind of set the tone for what kind of behavior we should be having downtown.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety███████████████████████23%
Violence Prevention███████████████15%
Zoning█████████████13%
Transportation Safety████████████12%
Public Engagement████████8%
Procedural████4%
Public Works████4%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Columbia City Council Regular Meeting - October 6, 2025

The Columbia City Council met on Monday, October 6, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Council Chamber. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe presided. Council Member Don Waterman was absent. The meeting included special presentations, public hearings, old business, consent agenda approval, and extensive public and council discussion on community violence and safety.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (6-0): B242-25 (voluntary annexation, R-2 zoning), B244-25 and B245-25 (short-term rental conditional use permits), B246-25 (rezoning to R-1), B248-25 (electric water heater agreement with Housing Authority), B249-25 (radio tower cooperative agreement with Boone County), B250-25 (sewer conveyances), B251-25 (airport budget amendment of $3,000), B252-25 (public health services amendment), B253-25 (animal control amendment), B254-25 (teen connection project amendment), B255-25 (affiliation agreement with MU Health Care), R135-25 (employee benefits contracts), R136-25 (Integrated Resource Plan amendment), R137-25 (Leidos engineering contract), R138-25 (sidewalk renovation amendment), R139-25 (recyclable materials agreement).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Matthew Schacht (Vidwest representative): Expressed concern over the City ending funding for PEG channels, noting community media's role in providing safe, creative outlets. Stated that people shooting with cameras are not shooting with guns.
  • Bonnie Steinmetz (COMO Renewal Project): Opposed proposed increases in taxes and fees, citing rising personnel costs and spending on items like a pedestrian safety study. Questioned the necessity of expenditures given poverty rates.

Discussion Items

  • Point of Personal Privilege – Police Chief Jill Schlude: Provided an update on downtown safety efforts since June 2025. Reported a 31% increase in arrests and 20% decrease in response times (July/August comparison). Noted 27 extra officers from MUPD and Highway Patrol after Homecoming weekend. Highlighted 202 traffic stops and 27 custodial arrests over the weekend. Raised concerns about legal concealed carry complicating enforcement.
  • Presentation of Capture CoMo Finalists: Recognized Sultana Afroj (1st place, 133 votes), Nathan Jesse (96 votes), and Megan Montesinos (67 votes) for their photos featured in the FY 2026 budget.
  • Swearing-in of Directors: Clint Smith (Community Development) and William Rataj (Housing and Neighborhood Services) were sworn in.
  • Public Hearing – West Broadway Sidewalk (PH29-25): Proposed 2,100 ft of 5-ft sidewalk on south side between Maplewood Drive and West Boulevard, funded 80% by MoDOT TAP grant ($616,000 total). Several residents opposed citing rushed process, narrow setbacks, and minimal pedestrian use. Others supported for accessibility and connectivity. Council debated sidewalk width (3 ft vs 5 ft) and flexibility. Motion to proceed passed 5-1 (Peters opposed).
  • Public Hearing – Albert-Oakland Aquatic Center (PH30-25 / B247-25): $4 million renovation for mechanical systems, pool liner, zero-entry, shade structures. Funded via park sales tax, designated loan fund ($1.2M), and capital project interest ($2.5M). Design-build contract authorized. Public speakers supported. Unanimously approved.
  • Legislative Priorities (PR134-25): Adopted priorities for 2026 session. Amended to include support for requiring lost/stolen guns be reported to law enforcement within 72 hours. Approved 6-0.
  • Annexation/Zoning (B243-25): Voluntary annexation of 0.89 acres at Clark Lane and Lakewood Drive; requested M-C (Mixed-use Corridor) zoning. Staff and Planning & Zoning recommended M-N (Neighborhood Mixed-use) due to transitional concerns. Applicant argued M-C supports auto-oriented development at a major intersection. Council debated traffic and compatibility. Approved 4-2 (Carroll and Elwood opposed).
  • Office of Violence Prevention Strategic Plan Update: Administrator D'Markus Thomas-Brown presented a 240-day plan focused on trauma-informed care, community coordination, and data-driven strategies. Reported meetings with 30+ organizations. Requested two additional staff positions by FY 2027 (continuity coordinator and violence interrupters). Council discussed urgency and timeline for hiring.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes: West Broadway sidewalk motion passed 5-1; Albert-Oakland project approved unanimously; legislative priorities adopted 6-0; annexation/zoning passed 4-2; consent agenda approved 6-0.
  • Amendments: Added gun theft reporting requirement to legislative priorities.
  • Directives: Council requested review of ADU regulations by Planning and Zoning Commission (direction from Council Member Carroll). Requested update on 2014 Mayor's Task Force on Community Violence recommendations.
  • Appointments: Renee Hall appointed to Business Loop CID Board (term ending April 19, 2027) without objection.
  • Public Comment: Extensive comments on violence prevention, mental health, local control, and criticism of MU President Choi's statements. Council members offered reflections on leadership, grief, and community unity.
  • Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 11:12 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Well, good evening. I'd like to call to order our Monday, October 6th, 2025 regular Columbia City Council meeting. I invite all those who are able to please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Sheila, will you please call roll? Miss Buffalo here. Miss Carroll? Here. Miss Elwood? Here. Miss Sample? Here. Mr. Foster. Here. Mr. Waterman. Miss Peters. Here. Well, thank you for joining us this evening. This is our first Columbia City Council meeting since the events of the weekend of homecoming from Mizzou. So I'd like for all to please join me and uh a moment of silence in remembrance of Ayana Williams and her bright light. Thank you. Well, the public have multiple opportunities to engage and speak with at Columbia City Council meetings. And at the end of the meeting. If you're an individual commenting, you'll get three minutes. If you're an organization that's affected by the legislation being discussed, you can request five minutes. I do ask that you help me acknowledge that so that our fellows can change the shot clock there that will tell you your timer left for that. I do ask also that people be respectful of both the time limits and one another. We don't always have to agree on everything, but we will respect each other as individuals and humans and neighbors. Demonstrations that might intimidate your neighbors from speaking are not allowed at council meetings. I want people to address issues, not individuals, and refrain from personal attacks, including on city staff. If there are disrupt disruptions, they'll be addressed with a warning, and if necessary, removal and recess. Second. Second by Betsy Peters. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right, next up for our agenda. Um, does anyone have any changes to the agenda? Seeing none, I'll make a motion to approve the agenda as posted. Do we have a second? Second. Seconded by Betsy again. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Uh and then next, uh, as mayor, I'm gonna do uh point of personal privilege. I'd like to invite police chief Schlute forward to discuss the recent shooting downtown and what efforts have been done already for improved safety and future actions expected. Thank you, Chief. Good evening.

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