OZARK, MO — Christian County bought 40 acres on Hwy 14 west of B & B Theater/Big Whiskeys to develop a new government plaza now in the works.
Presiding Commissioner Lynn Morris said the county bought the land free and clear in 2020. The previous county commission had the idea of developing a government plaza to house all county offices in one location, with a uniform design. Pretty snazzy idea!
Groundbreaking in late September was held for phase one, which includes utility infrastructure, sewer, water, et cetera, which Morris says will be completed by Spring. READ MORE HERE!
Whoa now, what’s all this new government plaza gonna cost?
Morris says to the folks fussin’ about money… don’t you worry now! The county plans to sell two vacant lots for commercial real estate profit and pay for future development of the remaining 20 acres. “The property is worth three times what was paid for it,” Morris says, assuring the county will have plenty of money without having to borrow for quite some time.
A house currently sits on the property, used to store county equipment. You can see the emergency management truck parked there, so it looks like someone’s home in time for supper!
A new Christian County Resource Management Department, (currently at 1106 W. Jackson near Sonic) which houses Building Regulations, Planning and Development, Environmental Services, and Recycling and office space for approximately 25 county employees, will be the first building project on the new property.
But, in keeping with financial responsibility, Morris says a new occupant will be vetted and locked in before the move to the new building. “We don’t want any building sitting empty. We’re a Class One county; we’re going to continue to look like one.”
(Too bad that can’t be true in Sparta! Downtown looks like a ghost town!)
Free government $$$ hard at work, oh goody!
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money and covid relief funds are helping with the land purchase and early stages of development, Morris said. All fine for now, but money don’t grow on no trees. Ol’ Daddy Biden dished out $1.9 trillion of our federal tax dollars like he was Santy Claus back in March, 2021. That gave all these county and municipal governments spending cash for stuff like water, sewer, and broadband internet improvements. Woo-ee! Money is fun to spend, ’til there ain’t no more, Joe!
Now, now, money ain’t the root of all evil!
Before CCT Publisher Johnny Rooster gets a cartload of hate e-mail about criticizing the government money spending, it’s always a blessing as well to be able to have money to spend on improvements. After all, we can’t just sit around not accommodating our growth.
Morris says Christian County was the number one fastest growingest biggest increasingest populationist county in the state ’til the Big, Bad Recession of ’08, but now it’s slowed all the way down to number 2. (It isn’t always best to be the fastest growing, ‘cuz stuff gets too crowded anyway. Just lookit the traffic around Kum & Go and Rapid Roberts on CC at 5 p.m. during the week. Sheesh almighty! Between you and me, I wouldn’t care if we didn’t see no new folks movin’ in at all! Justy sayin’! I been here in this county since 1976. Ozark had like 167 people and a few dogs and cats runnin’ ’round with the possums and squirrels back then!
If Ol’ Daddy Joe gave me a cartload of loot, I’d build me a gathering place on my property and invite folks to an incredible entertainment experience. Guess what? I’m lookin’ to do just that, even without a government bailout or a building! Watch me, you’ll see. And yes, you’re all invited to the show!
Smart move by the county
The idea of selling off two sections of the new land next to the soon to be expanded highway 14 is smart. I like the way Morris thinks. I believe he can make it work.
“The land values have probably gone up three times the amount paid for it,” Morris said, adding that he didn’t know the purchase price because that was handled by a previous commission. I noted this same comment earlier in this article. But, Morris said it at least three times during our conversation, so it must bear repeating. Yes, it must bear repeating.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Like all local government agencies, and businesses, a Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on the new property in late September. I had other things to do. Don’t like going to ceremonies and uppity-wuppity gatherings. But, all the right folks was there. Chamber, economic development representatives, former commissioners Ralph Phillips, Mike Roberts, and Bill Barnett were present, as well as media members, a bunch of elected officials, and such, attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
Morris congratulated the previous commission for having the forethought to buy the land.
“The fiber of the people here are generous and hardworking, and that’s why we are growing,” Morris said. “We are outgrowing all of our buildings. That’s why we are thinking about how to accommodate the growth.”
The new government plaza will serve the community for 50 years down the road, Morris added. Now that’s impressive! My roof only lasted 20 years!
PHASE ONE, FIRST STEP
County management and county engineer space. A new, qualitied buyer for the existing building at 1106 W. Jackson will be sought during construction to make a seamless transition.
County will have management building appraised and sold at appraisal price.
PHASE ONE, SECOND STEP
A new recycle center is to be put on the new property. The current recycle center is in a flood plain near the Finley River. But having a riverfront property will appeal to the right buyer.
PHASE ONE, THIRD STEP
Build a storage/maintenance building. “Our county crews save us a lot of money yearly because they are good at repairing and doing their own maintenance,” Morris said.
Additional ideas for new property
Also a half-mile walking track will be installed. A grant will make a shredded rubber walkway possible.
A small amphitheater, stage and seating will be developed for public use.
PHASE TWO
New medical clinic will be built. “Health care costs for the county employees are going up 20 plus percent this year,” Morris said. “It’s very difficult to maintain our expenses. Currently, county employees pay $40 for office calls, $100 at urgent care out of pocket.”
Having a new medical clinic will allow the 230 county employees to not have a copay, according to Morris. “We hope to get both Cox and Mercy networks.”
Outside agencies will have a copay but can use the medical clinic. That would include other municipalities, such as Ozark, Nixa, Clever, Sparta, etc.
PHASE THREE
The entire project is projected to take 10 to 12 years.
The county courthouse on the square will be the last to move.
“The history and heritage of the existing courthouse must be preserved. One idea was to consider the first floor as a nice restaurant and the upper floors for loft style condos,” Morris told the CCT.
“The decisions were started before me, and will continue after my term,” he added. “I’m grateful for the help of others.”
“It will be difficult to say how much everything will cost, but for the first phase, we don’t anticipate having to borrow money,” he reiterated.
*Selling the two parcels of land will definitely help along the way.
*The government plaza will be something citizens can be proud of.
*We will have a lot of parking access that we currently don’t have.
*The government plaza does not include a jail or courts facility.
What about a new jail?
Morris agreed that the county does need a new jail, and there are ideas on how to make money on a jail system. “The way to make money is to house more federal inmates than local inmates. Because the funding by the federal government is what makes it feasible.”
“Someday the federal government may cut their fees; but for now, it is a profitable venture. We may turn it into a juvenile center after a new jail is built in the future.”
But that’s another topic for another day…
TAX LEVY FREEZE
“We opted to not use our tax levy increase this year…. because it sends the message to not try to tax people more during challenging economic times,” Morris added.
REAL ESTATE PROPERTY TAX FREEZE APPROVED FOR SENIORS AGE 62 PLUS
Morris said the county will freeze real estate tax for older residents. “With new younger people moving in, it will cover the loss in tax monies.”
All the new tax rules take effect next year.
Morris doesn’t want to increase taxes because the county only gets a meager $12 for every $2,000 in tax dollars collected. “I’m with (the residents) on not wanting to raise taxes.”