Columbia City Manager delivers 2018 State of the City address, wants to increase property tax

UPDATE 5:32 P.M. : In the 2018 State of the City address, City Manager Mike Matthes touted Columbia’s low property taxes, paving the way for his idea, a property tax increase on a future ballot.

“We’re a very low-tax city, we use the most efficient and effective means that we can find,” Matthes said.

He said he does not have a specific number in mind to raise the property tax but said, “Our community is starving for more community policing and better roads, unfortunately there are just fewer dollars to do that and there will be less each year until we either pay sales tax on internet purchases or switch to a property tax.”

This State of the City address comes about a week after a judge said Matthes knowingly violated Missouri’s Sunshine Law when he denied documents to the Columbia Police Officer’s Association.

ABC 17 News asked Matthes about the investigation after his address.

“Sometimes you just pay it and protest it later, sometimes you’re so outraged by the result you say no we’re going to appeal that, and that’s the decision-making process we’re in,” Matthes said.

Matthes gave insight onto how the sunshine request process works internally.

He said attorneys “give input to the person whose received the request, that person then follows that recommendation, so that’s the process.”

When asked if this same process was followed for denying CPOA documents, he replied “We tend to follow our process religiously, that’s all I can say.”

Mayor of Columbia Brian Treece also weighed in on the investigation.

“I want to make sure that does not happen again and we’re reviewing not just his instance but all of our processes to make sure that the public has a right to know information they’ve paid for,” Treece said.

“The court doesn’t follow my sense of urgency,” Matthes said. There’s “at least weeks if not months left on this process.”

Matthes said the unemployment rate for African Americans are in the “single digits for the first time that we have found.”

Matthes’ presentation showed 73 percent of residents are satisfied (or very satisfied) with the quality of city services in Columbia, compared to the 46 percent on average for Missouri and Kansas.

“We’re a very low-tax city,” Matthes said. “We charge half the property tax than most cities in Missouri.”

Matthes expects the city’s police, fire departments and parks and rec to join the list of other accredited organizations in the city. They are the only departments not accredited.

“Over the last four years, the calls we handle in the police department dropped by over 800,” said Matthes. The numbers also showed that 47 percent of residents are satisfied with police efforts to prevent crime

“From the total citywide drop in the number of crimes, 45 percent of the drop occurred in the communities with community policing,” said Matthes.

The City will begin construction on the new police department at the corner of Rangeline and International Drive, according to Matthes.

Matthes said the reason we have lower pay and lower level of staffing than many cities is because of our low property taxes.

Matthes also noted, “Our city is starving [for better roads],” but said the dollars don’t match the need.

ORIGINAL STORY: City Manager Mike Matthes will deliver the 2018 State of the City address in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

The address is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m.

You can watch the address live by going to our event livestream page or our Facebook page.