Local Politics Archives

Boone County commission candidates face off at Columbia Realtors forum

September 19, 2024 5:29 PM Mitchell Kaminski

The Columbia Board of Realtors is hosting a Candidate Forum on Thursday for the four candidates vying for the two Boone County commissioner seats up for grabs.

More than 5,600 Boone County seniors apply for tax exemption, deadline is Oct. 1

September 18, 2024 2:13 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) With two weeks left to apply, more than 5,600 Boone County seniors have asked for a property tax break, according to a press release from the Boone County Commission. A state law allowing a property tax freeze for seniors went into effect Aug. 28, 2023. The freeze has to be put into effect by

Columbia City Council passes $563 million budget for 2025 fiscal year

September 16, 2024 5:06 PM Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) After months of discussion, the Columbia City Council passed the 2025 fiscal year budget during Monday night’s meeting. The new budget passed with a 5-2 vote, with the two “no” votes coming from Ward 2 Councilwoman Lisa Meyer and Ward 5 Councilman Donald Waterman The council held a work session on July

New Republican candidate enters Missouri House race in Boone County

September 12, 2024 2:47 PM Matthew Sanders

The local Republican Party picked a new candidate in a Boone County state House race just in time to get him on the November ballot.

MU students support abortion question appearing on the November ballot

September 10, 2024 7:46 PM Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Some University of Missouri students say the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision to put a question about abortion access back on the November ballot was the right move. The court overturned a lower court’s decision that would have removed a question regarding legalizing abortion from the Nov. 5 ballot on Tuesday. The decision

Battle over abortion rights measure intensifies as Columbia, KC, St. Louis mayors fight for ballot inclusion

September 9, 2024 7:40 PM Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) With a ballot deadline looming, mayors of some of Missouri’s largest cities have submitted their arguments for why a decertified measure that would legalize abortion should appear on the ballot. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, St. Louis Mayor Tishuara Jones, Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, and St. Louis County Director Sam Page submitted

Columbia working on changes to city code amid new law impacting Citizens Police Review Board

August 28, 2024 7:22 PM Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is working on updating its city code to comply with a new law that officially went into effect on Wednesday, that will limit the power of the Citizens Police Review Board. Senate Bill 754, which was signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson in July, focuses on modifying

City of California accepts police chief’s resignation during special meeting

August 23, 2024 6:22 PM Matthew Sanders, Euphenie Andre

California’s Board of Aldermen planned to have a special meeting Friday to talk about issues in the small town’s police department.

Public safety, airport renovations prioritized in Jefferson City’s 2025 budget

August 22, 2024 10:43 PM Euphenie Andre

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Jefferson City Council held a work session Thursday evening to discuss the fiscal year 2025 budget. Mayor Ron Fitzwater presented his $86.4 million budget plan to the council members, marking the first time the city has used the OpenGov software for financial planning. “So it’s the first year that we’ve

Columbia delegates say DNC has sent message of hope and vision

August 21, 2024 7:55 PM Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Paul Harper said he arrived in Chicago for his first Democratic National Convention on Sunday without any pre-conceived notions of what to expect. Heading into the third night of the convention on Wednesday, Harper described the energy in the room as “exciting” and said he’s appreciative of the chance to witness history.

Campaign to bring casino to Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks sues to get measure on ballot

August 20, 2024 11:43 AM Associated Press

Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A campaign to bring a casino to the Missouri tourist destination of the Lake of the Ozarks is suing to bring the proposal before voters. The secretary of state’s office last week said the campaign did not collect enough voter signatures for the constitutional amendment to go on

Boone County gets more than 3,000 applications for senior property tax breaks

August 15, 2024 3:42 PM Matthew Sanders

The Boone County Collector’s Office said Thursday that it had received about 3,200 applications from seniors seeking a property tax break.

City officials discuss uses for Capital Improvement Sales Tax after Prop 1 passes

August 7, 2024 6:53 PM Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia voters on Tuesday approved the continuation of the one-fourth-of-one-percent Capital Improvement Sales Tax. The approval will extend the sales tax for another 10 years. The current sales tax is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025. According to the City of Columbia’s website, $94,350,000 would go toward public works, $15,450,000 would go

Bush beats Basinger in 50th District Democratic race

August 6, 2024 5:09 PM Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Gregg Bush defeated Jeff Basinger on Tuesday to become the Democratic nominee for the 50th District seat in the Missouri House. Bush won by fewer than 600 votes (1,736-1,152) and will take on Republican nominee Joshua Blakeman in the November election. Blakeman ran unopposed in the Republican primary. The district includes much