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Record of Proceedings

City Council Meeting Summary, January 14, 2026

Video Archive — Wednesday, January 14, 2026
BodyColumbia, Missouri
SessionVideo Archive
DateWednesday, January 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 20:16

Original source
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6:48

I suppose we should actually start our meeting.

6:55

Because Richard is so far away, we're gonna start with Richard.

6:59

And then we're gonna move a lot of seats and go to Steph, and then we'll be uh Richard, go ahead.

7:04

Yeah, I'm I'm Richard Jerome with the Columbia Police Department and uh assistant chief of professional standards.

7:10

Steph Yochum, Human Rights Commission.

7:18

Charles Zug University of Missouri.

7:20

Um Doug Hunt, board member.

7:22

Steve Jeffery, board member.

7:24

Lynn Bergen, board member.

7:26

Stephanie Coleman, board member.

7:28

Earl Krause, City Law Department.

7:30

St.

7:30

Oliver, City Manager Fellow.

7:32

Stephanie Brown City Manager's Office.

7:36

Right.

7:37

Um let's we're our next item is the approval of the agenda.

7:41

Is there anything any are there any changes that people would like to see to the agenda?

7:46

If not, I'll entertain a motion to approve the agenda as written.

7:50

So move.

7:51

I'll second it.

7:54

All right.

7:56

Uh all those in favor signify by saying aye.

8:02

Same sign.

8:03

No.

8:04

Okay.

8:05

Um approval of minutes.

8:07

I I think we've got um I've had all had a chance to look at this, and they were uh pretty straightforward, I thought.

8:14

So we'll we'll do them one at a time though.

8:16

So let's vote to approve the draft open session minutes for December tenth.

8:22

I'll make a motion for that.

8:24

I'll second.

8:25

Moved and seconded to approve those minutes.

8:27

All those in favor say aye.

8:29

Aye.

8:29

Aye, aye.

8:30

Opposed.

8:31

Okay.

8:32

And then we'll do to the draft closed session minutes from December tenth.

8:36

Is there a motion to approve?

8:39

I'll make a motion.

8:40

Coleman.

8:41

Second, Jeffrey.

8:44

It's been moved and second to approve the uh closed session minutes.

8:48

All those in favor say aye.

9:20

All right.

9:21

Is there I'm I'm trying to try to think, is there anything up there now?

9:25

I you know, people are having trouble with the videos occasionally.

9:28

Have we got some that we have access to now that we could try on our computers if we're having trouble?

9:33

When I checked it, most of it had fallen off.

9:35

It falls off after is it thirty days 30 days.

9:38

Uh there's a couple of items in there uh that were there as of today.

9:41

I think it had to do with maybe an extension um from that appeal in that case.

9:46

Uh so if you wanted to get in the next few days and see if you can see those two items, that'll be fine, but we won't have to do that.

10:00

Yeah, and I think the real test will be the next time we have an appeal when there's a lot of videos and things.

10:02

Right.

10:02

Um, and we would encourage everyone at that point to sign in well before the meeting, try it out, open some things, make sure you can view them and you can hear it and you can see it and that sort of thing.

10:12

And then let us know right away if there's problems so we can try to address it before the meeting.

10:17

Absolutely.

10:18

Is there any possible way we could get a summary of the volume we should be expecting?

10:24

Because even still on that cat last case, some people were missing, some weren't.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████████38%
Public Engagement████████████████████████████28%
Cybersecurity Planning██████████████████18%
Human Rights████████████████16%
Summary of Proceedings

January 14, 2026 City Council Meeting

The January 14, 2026, meeting was a brief 15-minute session focused on routine administrative approvals and updates. The council approved the draft minutes from December 10th and the 2025 annual report. A significant portion of the meeting addressed technical challenges regarding access to video evidence in the Axon system and the Human Rights Commission's formal transmission of opposition to a proposed pedestrian ordinance.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the draft open session minutes for December 10.
  • Approved the draft closed session minutes for December 10.
  • Approved the 2025 Annual Report as written.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Staff (Earl Krause, City Law Dept): Expressed concern that the proposed pedestrian ordinance is problematic, stating it could restrict where people are allowed to move, rest, and exist. The staff characterized the four-month delay in addressing this issue as a waste of time, noting that preventative measures could have been implemented instead.
  • Staff (Steph Yochum, Human Rights Commission): Stated that statistics show people getting injured are not in the middle of the street but are crossing walkways. Expressing frustration with the lack of progress, the staff member characterized the ongoing debate about the ordinance as largely a waste of time compared to other preventative measures.

Discussion Items

  • Video Evidence Access: Members discussed recurring issues with accessing body-worn camera footage via the Axon system. It was noted that files may fall off the system after thirty days and that the system requires re-logging to maintain an active session due to security features. Richard Jerome (Columbia Police Department) clarified that credentials expire approximately every 185 days, requiring individual user password updates, which the system does not force automatically without a login attempt.
  • Annual Report Strategy: A member noted that the annual report included recommendations to revise the city code limiting board access. It was decided that submitting the report constituted a formal step to bring this issue to the City Council. The plan was to present these items at the February 2nd City Council meeting to facilitate a discussion on repealing restrictions enacted the previous year.
  • HREP Grants: A reminder was issued regarding the Human Rights Enhancement Program, which offers $500 grants to public or private agencies for events or activities advancing human rights understanding.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Adjourn: Passed unanimously. The meeting concluded at approximately 12:15 PM.
  • Next Meeting Scheduled: The next meeting is set for February 11, 2026.
  • Referrals: The 2025 Annual Report, including recommendations for city code revision, is scheduled to be presented to the City Council on February 2, 2026.
  • Administrative Action: The Human Rights Commission has formally submitted a letter to the city opposing the proposed pedestrian ordinance.

Meeting Transcript

I suppose we should actually start our meeting. Because Richard is so far away, we're gonna start with Richard. And then we're gonna move a lot of seats and go to Steph, and then we'll be uh Richard, go ahead. Yeah, I'm I'm Richard Jerome with the Columbia Police Department and uh assistant chief of professional standards. Steph Yochum, Human Rights Commission. Charles Zug University of Missouri. Um Doug Hunt, board member. Steve Jeffery, board member. Lynn Bergen, board member. Stephanie Coleman, board member. Earl Krause, City Law Department. St. Oliver, City Manager Fellow. Stephanie Brown City Manager's Office. Right. Um let's we're our next item is the approval of the agenda. Is there anything any are there any changes that people would like to see to the agenda? If not, I'll entertain a motion to approve the agenda as written. So move. I'll second it. All right. Uh all those in favor signify by saying aye. Same sign. No. Okay. Um approval of minutes. I I think we've got um I've had all had a chance to look at this, and they were uh pretty straightforward, I thought. So we'll we'll do them one at a time though. So let's vote to approve the draft open session minutes for December tenth. I'll make a motion for that. I'll second. Moved and seconded to approve those minutes. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye, aye. Opposed. Okay. And then we'll do to the draft closed session minutes from December tenth. Is there a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Coleman. Second, Jeffrey. It's been moved and second to approve the uh closed session minutes. All those in favor say aye. All right. Is there I'm I'm trying to try to think, is there anything up there now? I you know, people are having trouble with the videos occasionally. Have we got some that we have access to now that we could try on our computers if we're having trouble? When I checked it, most of it had fallen off. It falls off after is it thirty days 30 days.

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