All right, good evening.

Welcome to this special meeting of the Columbia City Council on April 20th, 2026.

I'd like to ask our city clerk to please call the roll.

Ms.

Peters.

Here.

Miss Buffalo.

Here.

Miss Carroll.

Here.

Miss Elwood?

Here.

Ms.

Sample.

Mr.

Foster.

Here.

Mr.

Waterman.

Here.

All right.

So first on our agenda of the special item is resolution 6826.

Sheila, would you please read resolution 6826?

Council Bill 6826 is a resolution declaring the results of the municipal election held in the City of Columbia on April 7, 2026.

So this is a resolution that recognizes the election results and is primarily done for historical or record keeping purposes.

So we don't have a staff report per se or any discussion on it.

So I'll just ask Sheila to please call role on resolution 6826.

Council Bill 6826, Ms.

Peters.

Yes.

Ms.

Buffalo.

Yes.

Ms.

Carroll?

Yes.

Ms.

Elwood?

Yes.

Mr.

Foster.

Yes.

Mr.

Waterman.

Yes.

All right.

So up first we have recognition and comments of our outgoing council member.

So I'll ask Don Waterman if he has some remarks to make.

I do.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I was joking with Nick what I should have.

I was thinking about going and getting a printed copy of the old budget and saying, here, here's my comments.

So Nick told me they'd probably drag me out if I tried that.

So anyway, in all seriousness.

My time on council was also an opportunity to meet new people, make new friends, develop relationship, make connections, even with those who disagree with me.

It's also an opportunity to learn from other communities through the chamber's leadership visit.

Missouri Municipal League and their regional meetings, the newly elected officials training, which Christina, if you can, I really would recommend going.

It's held here in Columbia, so that makes it a little easier.

And the National League of Cities annual meeting.

From the leadership visit, one of the things we took from that was a recently approved downtown ambassador program.

From the Missouri Municipal League newly elected officials training.

One thing you will learn from the various organizations is that the problems Columbia is addressing are far from unique.

Budget safety, housing, homeless, infrastructure, issues facing every municipality.

We're not alone.

Look outside and see what has worked for others.

During my three years, there have been a number of accomplishments.

The transmission line is moving forward again.

And opening the discussion about the public safety sales tax.

For Christina, you will quickly find out city governance is a lot harder than it looks from the outside.

This there is so much to learn.

And you will for my for the moment, fellow council members, keep your foot on the gas with the transmission line and the public safety sales tax.

There will be noise.

Cut through the noise and keep them moving.

As for my future plans, I will be looking for ways to continue to serve this great city of Columbia, the city we all call home.

To close, I want to thank my fellow council members for being willing to talk and discuss issues, for being open to developing personal relationships as well.

Thank you to the city staff for answering my numerous questions and providing the information I've asked for, as well as the occasional frank conversation when the need arose.

And finally, thank you to my wife Amy for putting up with the long Mondays, the weekends reading and preparing for council meetings, and all the other inconveniences that come along with being a member of council.

Thank you.

Thank you, Don.

We'll now ask uh for DeCarlin uh and Don to join at the podium, please.

So we have a few uh we have a few recognitions to give.

So first up is our resolution of appreciation, which is signed by all your fellow council members.

And read this one.

So this one reads whereas Don Waterman was elected council member of the fifth ward on April 4th, 2023, and whereas he has ably represented his constituency and the citizens of Columbia during his tenure of office.

And whereas his dedication to this office entailed many hours of extra duty in addition to the hours spent at regular and special city council meetings.

And now, therefore, I be it resolved that the city council extends its heartfelt thanks to Mr.

Waterman for his dedicated public service and his commitment to keeping Columbia a viable city.

And we wish him the best in the future.

And it's signed by all of your council members.

There's Jason.

I like how he's also being my Vanna.

Thank you, Don.

We also have a heritage tree.

That little thing has the certificate and stuff in it.

Basically, contact Don.

That's what it's giving us.

Hi Gabe.

That's all you.

Okay.

That one's for you.

Cosmo Bethel.

All right, we got it.

Already done.

All right, and then you want to do the next one.

Of course, we have style, but no.

It's a stained glass.

And so it's stained glass with the city logo.

So that's for you.

Thank you.

One of the things we've started to do for city council members is that we want to give them a piece of art.

Something that says Columbia.

So for a few weeks of work from the program.

One more soup.

There you go.

I'll now ask for uh Valerie Carroll to come down and for the city clerk to get the oath of office.

Okay.

I Valerie, Carol.

Do you solemnly swear?

Do solemnly swear.

That I possess all qualifications.

That I possess all qualifications.

For the office of first board council member.

For the office of first ward council member.

For the city of Columbia, Missouri.

For the City of Columbia, Missouri.

That I am not subject.

That I'm not subject.

To any of the disqualifications.

To any of the disqualifications set forth in the charter.

Set forth in the charter.

Of the City of Columbia.

Of the City of Columbia.

That I will support the Constitution.

That I will support the Constitution.

And laws of the United States.

And of the state of Missouri.

And of the state of Missouri.

And the charter and ordinances.

And the charter and ordinances.

Of the City of Columbia.

And that I will faithfully discharge.

And that I will faithfully discharge the duties of my office.

The duties of my office.

So help me God.

So help me God.

All right.

Congratulations.

And then we have the official commission.

So this is uh to all who shall see these presents, greetings.

Know you that has been certified that Valerie Carroll was on the seventh day of April 2026, duly elected first ward council member within the city of Columbia, Missouri, in the County of Boone in the state of Missouri.

So I'll give this one for you.

Hi, Christina Hartman.

You solemnly swear.

To solemnly swear that I possess all qualifications.

That I possess all qualifications.

For the office of fifth ward for the office of fifth ward council member.

For the city of Columbia, Missouri.

For the City of Columbia, Missouri.

That I am not subject.

That I'm not subject.

To any of the disqualifications.

To any of the disqualifications.

Set forth in the charter.

Set forth in the charter.

Of the city of Columbia.

In the City of Columbia.

That I will support the I will that I will support the Constitution.

And laws of the United States.

And the laws of the United States.

And of the state of Missouri.

And the state of Missouri.

And the charter and ordinances.

In the charter and ordinances.

Of the city of Columbia.

Of the City of Columbia.

And that I will faithfully disport.

And that I will faithfully discharge.

The duties of my office.

The duties of my office.

So help me God.

So help me God.

Congratulations.

Thank you, but that's the first one.

So now I have for you your commission.

This is your official commission signed by the mayor and attested by the city clerk.

It says to all who shall see these presents, greetings.

Know ye that it having been certified that Christina Hartman was on the seventh day of April 2026, duly elected, the fifth ward council member within and for the City of Columbia in the County of Boone in the state of Missouri.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Welcome for the state.

Come join us up top.

Thank you.

Now it's time for comments by our newly elected, re-elected council members.

So I'll start with Valerie Carroll.

Valerie, would you like to say a few words and or introduce any guests in the audience?

Oh.

Sure.

I suppose I'll introduce two guests sitting over there.

Um my kids, Oliver and Adley, my niece is here with me, and they're very excited.

Um it's been a bit unreal being sworn in the second time for a job that I'm already doing.

Um I'm grateful for the opportunity to pause and reflect on the work of City Council and the needs of the first ward.

It's never lost on me.

What an amazing responsibility, voters and trust to their elected respon to their elected representatives.

Um for me, um, approaching this role for the second time.

It's an amazing honor.

Um, and it's a good time to um reflect and renew on my commitment to serve.

Um you run for the first time, it's all excitement and hubbub and platform building and cheers.

Um running the second time with full knowledge of what the role is, what your duties are in detail.

Um it's pretty humbling.

Um, and I'm so thankful that I've gotten to do this twice.

For me, the work ahead is to continue to center the voices of residents to make sure that we are hearing from constituents accurately and that their stories are repeated in this room.

I have some thank yous.

First, I want to thank my wonderful husband Joshua and my kids.

They know the sacrifices that it takes to serve in this capacity.

And they're the ones that supported me through it.

They make the sacrifices too.

And I am grateful for the support of my family and my community.

I couldn't do this without you.

I also want to thank Sharon, James, Maria, Susan, my best friend Heather.

These are people that helped me campaigning.

These are people that help advise me through tricky situations.

And give me their friendship and support when we have difficult decisions or even easy decisions that are in a difficult context.

And I'm thankful for that as well.

I'm excited about the opportunity to complete many of the challenge that we started.

And I'm looking to bring some of the choices that we made on the affordable housing study to fruition to see the results from the work that was laid, not just by myself, but by representatives before me and staff members who contribute to the work every day.

Thanks.

Thank you, Valerie, and welcome back.

Now asked Christina Hartman if you have any uh comments or special guests in the audience that you want to acknowledge.

I do have a lot of special guests, but I'll just uh stick to my family here.

So I have Paul Hartman, my husband, Eliana Hartman, my daughter, and Leo Hartman here with me.

And uh they have definitely supported me throughout this uh new journey and been very kind to me while uh adjusting to new schedules.

Um but I want to thank everyone that came out to support me in so many different ways from people willing to go out and talk with me and help me understand all the things because as you guys know, Columbia is huge, and there's a lot of different issues that affect all of us.

And so making sure that I understood that and people being willing to come up and voice their concerns about that really means a lot to me.

And um having people like uh Devin and Brian being being able to stand up and say, Christina, you need to think about this or think about that, and so really helping me support me throughout the journey of becoming a council person.

So I really appreciate that.

And then I also want to thank the council and those that came before me to really set the stage of what Columbia looks like and how we've built Columbia together and over time.

So it's been a great, it's a great city, and so I just want to make sure I continue that legacy of having a good city that where everybody can uh grow, live, and be happy and uh be uh well off all together.

So I'll keep my comments to that.

Thank you.

Thank you, and welcome.

We appreciate having here.

Thankful to have um all of you here, even those who didn't speak yet this evening.

Still thankful.

Um we have a few appointments, but before we get to go into the next room for our reception.

Um so first um will be the appointment of our mayor pro tem currently serving uh is Councilmember Foster, who uh said he would be willing to continue to serve.

So I'll make a motion uh to have uh Nick Foster be the mayor pro tem.

Do I have a second?

Second, second by Valerie.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Appreciate that.

Um next, we have two um appointees to uh boards or commissions that don't have another time during the year, so we usually just cover them during this time.

Um the first is the New Century Fund Board.

This is historically um served by the mayor, and I'm willing to continue to go to this once a year meeting.

Um so I'll make a motion to continue the mayor to continue to serve on the um City of Columbia New Century Fund Board.

Do we have a second?

Second.

Second by Nick.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

Um, up next then is our CAM stakeholder committee.

This one is currently uh held by Betsy Peters.

Betsy said she'd be willing to still do that, knowing that there are experts in the room who are actually doing the work.

That's what she said earlier.

That is the truth.

Um so I'll make a motion to appoint uh councilmember Peters to the CAM stakeholder committee.

Do we have a second?

Second.

Second by uh Vera.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right, are there any other items wish to consider?

All right, I'll go ahead and adjourn us and invite everyone to join us in conference room 1A1B uh for reception.

And then we'll come back at 7 o'clock for our regular meeting.

So don't go far.

All right.

That'll be fun.