Joplin City Council Informal Session - October 19, 2026

The Joplin City Council held an informal session on October 19, 2026. It received the monthly financial reports and a two-part homelessness response update from city staff and Director Lane Burgess, followed by council questions. No formal votes were taken. Board and commission appointments were deferred to new business.

Financial Reports

• Finance staff reported October sales tax, reflecting August sales, was down 4% for the month but up 2.72% for the year, above budget, on a cash basis with two more months still to be recorded. Use tax was up 8.8% for the month and 7.4% for the year. Marijuana tax was up 3% for the month and about 9.9% for the fiscal year.
• Ms. Haas presented fourth-quarter and year-to-date comparisons for the city's top 100 sales-tax businesses. Fourth-quarter changes included discount stores down, grocery and furniture stores up a little, restaurants and construction/home improvement down a little, motor vehicles, telephones, hotels and motels, and convenience stores up, North Park Crossing about even, 1717 down, and general retail up quite a bit. Year-to-date comparisons differed in some categories, including discount stores and general retail up.
• A council member asked whether discount stores include Walmart; Ms. Haas said sales-tax data is proprietary and she tries not to mention specific stores.
• General fund financials through September showed operating revenue over budget by about $549,000, operating expenditures under budget by about $387,000, one-time revenue under budget by about $2 million, and one-time expenditures under budget by about $3.2 million. The budget projection showed a planned loss of about $905,000 for capital replacement. Total encumbrances were $4.4 million, including the large fire truck expenditure.
• Mr. Cows asked about a 307% marijuana tax monthly increase; Ms. Haas attributed it to a remitter timing issue, noting the three previous months were down, and the fiscal year remained up 9.9%.

Homelessness Response Update

• Mr. Robine reviewed city efforts tied to the 2024 Community Plan to Address Homelessness. Council approved $125,000 annually for five years, now two years in, to fund the director of homelessness response and operational expenses.
• City staff meet monthly across departments and work on ordinances, public safety, encampment cleanups, HUD funding allocation, coalition co-chairing, and the regional commission. Recent highlights included the police co-responder unit with Ozark Center, updated trespass affidavit renewals, the Clean Slate Expungement Clinic, a Freeman Health System grant opportunity involving the fire department, and encampment cleanups including Fourth and Murphy, 19th and Delaware, and Joplin Creek.
• Planning and neighborhood services are developing an administrative abatement process and a vacant and dangerous buildings ordinance. Parks adopted a behavior policy and is beginning security lighting and camera installations across approved parks this month.
• Director Lane Burgess described regional commission work: expanding membership, supporting the coalition's governance charter, instituting committees, and pursuing funding. His position's monthly budget expenditure was $10,386, with a $124,632 annual total from the city's authorized $125,000 per year.
• Burgess highlighted the Salvation Army Opportunity Center, which brings more than 20 providers into one rotating location, as well as system-of-care committee work, community paramedicine efforts, and data improvements. A community dashboard is live on the coalition's website, and an app is being developed to connect people to resources. He said additional resources may be needed to fully improve data collection.
• In response to Mr. Cows, Burgess explained HMIS is a mandatory but HUD-limited system, its administrator is underfunded, and federal funding is uncertain.
• Mr. Jackson asked about supporting expanded public transportation, including a trolley route to the Social Security Office and License Bureau. Burgess expressed full support, calling transportation the "lifeblood" connecting people to jobs and stability.
• Mr. Jackson raised affordable housing and the voucher program. Burgess agreed there is both an affordability issue and a landlord engagement issue, and said that was identified in a strategy meeting last Friday. Asked about tax abatements for landlords accepting vouchers, Burgess said he did not know and would need to explore the model.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes were taken at the informal session.
• The council received the financial and homelessness updates without action.
• Boards and commission appointments were deferred to new business.
• The council took a 15-minute break and planned to resume at 6 p.m.