COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council on Monday evening voted 5-0 to change its water rates. According to council documents, the water ordinance would increase revenue by $3.6 million, or 12%, and would take effect with the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1. The council will decide on changing electric rates at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) With less than a month before the 2026 fiscal budget is expected to be approved, the City Council will hold the second of three public hearings at City Hall as staff brace for a tighter budget after expected tax revenue fell 3% short last year. The 2026 budget projects roughly $560 million
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia’s recycling center is completely demolished, and city workers are testing equipment for a reopening. However, assistant utilities director Tom Ratterman said Friday that workers are restoring power to the equipment. He said that it should be complete in two to three weeks. “We tested it with a generator,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Department of Public Works at Wednesday’s Parking Commission meeting said it would recommend the City Council to raise downtown parking meter prices to $1 per hour. On-street parking is currently 60 cents per hour from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Columbia Public Works spokesman John Ogan wrote in an
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Homeowners living near the site of a planned subdivision in east Columbia are raising concerns about traffic and other issues. Troy Miller Properties LLC is asking the City of Columbia to approve a development plan for 77 new housing units on 24.13 acres off East Broadway near the Brooks subdivision. The Columbia
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council tabled a vote on proposed water rate increases for fiscal year 2026. The council discussed the proposal during Monday nights meeting and heard public comments. According to the city, the proposed changes would increase water utility revenue by 12%. However, despite the increase City of Columbia expects water bills
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia agreed to amend its existing agreement with the transportation service First Last Mile to include the company in a pilot “ride home” program aimed at assisting members of the city’s homeless population. The city inked a deal with First Last Mile in January 2024, using a portion of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Fire Department leaders say services won’t be cut despite a 1% drop in the department’s fiscal 2026 budget. The city is predicting it will bring in around $560 million in revenue for fiscal 2026, for around $600 million in spending, leaving a deficit of $40 million, nearly double the city’s deficit
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Donations continue to come in for both of Columbia’s candidates in the Second Ward special election. Election Day is Aug. 5 and both candidates have filed their eight-day-before-the-election report. Elwood’s has totaled $19,245.54 in donations this election and currently has $7,306.21 on hand; while Rice raised $7,519.30 this election and currently has
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia will hold more town halls about the fiscal year 2026 budget on Monday, Aug. 11, according to a Monday press release from the city. The release says the meeting will run from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. in conference rooms 1A/1B at city hall. The same information
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia will begin building a new roundabout Monday on a road that draws heavy commuter traffic. The $2.4 million project to build a roundabout at West Route K and West Old Plank Road aims to improve safety and traffic flow at the intersection, which has a skewed angle that
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia and local union LiUNA 955 remain locked in wage negotiations, with the next bargaining session scheduled for July 24. The union has criticized the city for only offering a 1% cost-of-living adjustment. Talks have been ongoing since April as union members continue to push for higher wages, citing
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The quarterly report filing for the Missouri Ethics Commission shows a few high-dollar donations being made in Columbia’s Ward 2 race. Campaigns for Vera Elwood and Ken Rice submitted reports for the July 15 quarterly filing. Rice’s was submitted on July 10, while Elwood’s was submitted on July 14. Documents show that
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Water and Light discussed changing the water rate during a budget meeting on Wednesday. The rate increase would increase revenue 12% — or $3.6 million — in fiscal year 2026 that should also lower prices for near two-thirds of residential water customers. The change would increase the base rate of meters
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Solid Waste Assistant Utilities Director Tom Ratermann is encouraging the public to listen to new guidelines a day after the city announced it would begin recycling some materials. Columbia’s recycling trucks will collect some materials and bring them to Jefferson City. The effort is part of the city’s first major step
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Realtors hosted a forum for the candidates for Columbia’s Second Ward on Wednesday. Candidates Ken Rice and Vera Elwood each took questions. The special election for the vacant Ward 2 seat will be held Aug. 5.
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Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said Tuesday that he’s looking into the City of Columbia’s policies and practices related to diversity, equity and inclusion. It’s not the first time Bailey has intervened in Columbia’s local issues. In 2023, he wrote a letter to Columbia Public Schools demanding firings or resignations after students attended an event
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A complaint filed against University of Missouri head football coach Eli Drinkwitz has been thrown out due to a lack of commissioners on the Missouri Ethics Commission. The complaint filed by Anthony Willroth, of Hold CoMo Accountable, stemmed from an Oct. 22 appearance on the weekly radio show “Tiger Talk” in which
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Trump administration could declare the City of Columbia in violation of a federal executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, city leaders say. Such a determination could result in the suspension of federal funding, termination of existing contracts and demands for repayment of previously awarded federal funds. Fifth Ward Councilman
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Realtors will hold a candidate forum next month with the two people running for the open Ward 2 seat on the Columbia City Council. A press release from the board says that the forum will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 16 at the Board of Realtors
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