City Council Ward 3: Chris Hombs v. Hayes Murray

BDN: One of the most discussed issues over the last year has been the Kemper Village development. Do you agree with the way the city handled the project? Please explain your reasoning.

Chris Hombs: I'm unable to answer this due to ongoing litigation.

Hayes Murray: Kemper Gardens is easily the worst move made by the city of Boonville in the last 50 years and the communication leading up to the decision was in my opinion utterly abysmal. Putting a public housing project where a golf course used to be, in the heart of the city, practically on top of the Katy Trail is foolish on so many levels it's actually hard to know which one to be upset about first. I am tremendously disappointed in the mayor's flag-waving sponsorship of this and anyone associated with assisting in this action. I will vote at any and all turns to dismantle and reverse the development. I consider the development nothing short of an all out assault on property values of those citizens surrounding the former golf course and feel the city has cheerfully thrown them to the wolves.

BDN: There has also been discussion on the rules and procedures used at council meetings. If elected, would you make any changes to how business is conducted at meetings? Please explain your reasoning.

H.M.: The current format is adversarial at best in its format and to me unacceptable. Visitors should not have to stand 30 feet from the city council, parked behind a podium, with no one allowed to have a discussion back and forth. I would have a table and comfortable chair brought in for folks, they would be seated much closer to the council and discussion would be encouraged at all times. I would leave the time limit in place to keep things moving, but this attitude of treating citizens as second rate to what the city does is frankly insulting.

C.H.: The public comment period is designed to allow the public to bring an issue before the council.The appropriate council member or staff person can then respond in time to the person with the issue.I don't think any change is necessary at this time.

BDN: The city invested heavily in the last year in capital projects and reached agreements on future investments: a fire station, a swimming and recreation center, a proposed tourism hub, etc. Do you oppose the city's spending money on any of these projects? Please explain your reasoning.

C.H.: Investing in capital  projects is one of the functions of city government. The swimming pool is a quality of life project that makes Boonville a better place to live. The fire station improves the safety of the town by allowing for larger trucks and improved training areas. I see the tourism hub as an investment in job creation and a chance to increase sales tax from outside our area. I think these are all good investments.

H.M.:The fire station is a move that on the face of it makes sense i.e. a growing population requiring a better equipped fire department to go to their aid. The problem however is the project is dramatically over budget and continuing in that direction. I further am missing how an oversized garage, essentially, and an attached 2000 square foot structure more or less run what I am told is almost two million dollars. When you can build a home in Columbia with every feature you can think of, 6000 square feet, three car garage for under half that amount, I am left wondering who signed off on that contract. One further thought would be while it's great the fire department is getting a new building, what good does that do them when they are trying to effect a rescue? The building won't be coming along for the ride and I haven't heard of any new equipment they are due to get on par with the building investment.
The pool is nice, and helps encourage people to want to live in Boonville. It's also dramatically over-budget. Long story short, there is no reason I could be given why in the initial formulation of the contract for these developments these cost overruns couldn't have been halted in their tracks. As a Realtor, I feel you have a much harder time with parties associated in a deal getting into trouble if a contract puts a stop to nonsense before it starts. The city to me is spending money as fast as they get it and not remotely utilizing careful overwatch on where it goes.


BDN:The DREAM initiative is nearing completion. Proposals have included implementing stricter code enforcement to improve the look of downtown Boonville. Would you support such enforcement? What are your ideas for downtown?

C.H.: I believe code enforcement is important in all areas and should be done.Overall the downtown is in good shape. Several of the building owners have done a lot of work to improve the appearance of their property and it has helped .I would like to see the downtown area become a vibrant part of the city.

H.M.: I think a re-design of downtown Boonville in a number of ways is a welcome thing and the DREAM initiative goes towards that. Personally, I would like the city to move towards a style of commerce similar to what Branson has with its new shopping development, ie the main road would become dedicated to foot traffic only and parking would be built very close on the outside of that area. Right now, it is extremely difficult to encourage new businesses to come to that area when the best they are going to get is a couple parking spaces for customers.  I would further favor offering assistance to businesses seeking to improve the exterior of their businesses with upgraded signage, painting and so forth. The thinking there being that is one of the most visible parts of Boonville; if you want people to come to town and seriously consider spending money as customers or tourists, there is a certain level of atmosphere they will expect. Chipped paint and hand drawn signs detract from that and the city could in a cost effective manner assist there if the owners desired.

BDN: Though the agreement has not yet been completed a year after it was announced, assuming the city does gain control of the Katy Bridge, what role would you like to see the city take on the structure?'

C.H.: The City of Boonville should only be the agency for ownership, a separate organization should be in charge of operation with all funds coming from private, state or federal sources.

H.M.: The same role that I would see Boonville taking in any proposed purchase of a couple of B-2 bombers: None.
As if the fire station, swimming pool and Kemper Gardens weren't enough to see how much the current leadership could hammer the city with either poor planning or spending issues (or both), now they're off to wanting a bridge. And not just any bridge. A bridge that no one uses, is completely unnecessary to our transportation infrastructure and oh by the way will cost several million -- to just make it structurally sound-- never mind the cost to maintain. I happen to love history, but the cost to take that behemoth over is ridiculous and I will vote it down.


BDN: Are you comfortable with the agreement with Moberly Area Economic Development Corporation and how do you think the city should progress in attracting industrial development? Please explain your reasoning.

H.M.: I think agreeing to pay an entity $300,000 with no guarantee of return and no exit clause for Boonville is a great deal assuming you are the entity getting the 300K and not Boonville.
Further, you can hardly sell what you don't have. I am unaware of any shovel-ready sites the city currently could offer major manufacturing companies, so why we are paying someone money to promote what we lack escapes me. I am aware we recently lost out on a major opportunity for just such a circumstance to Moberly, based on them being ready for the development and a lack thereof from Boonville. The described opportunity would have represented a 600 job opportunity and would have been a game changer (finally, in the right direction) for the town.
To sum up, I would move the city to establish feasible, ready to go sites for companies to have a reason to come to Boonville for. That is money well spent and would go towards protecting the future of the town with jobs, increased tax revenue and a reduced reliance on one entity for the vast majority of our funds ie the Isle of Capri. I am hugely grateful we have them, but wisdom dictates diversification and if something catastrophic were to occur to that source of money, the city would be found in a very unenviable position (volunteer police department, anyone?)

C.H.: The agreement with Moberly Area Economic Development Corporation is an excellent opportunity to utilize the services of a superior group while bearing  only part of the cost. I think the results of our affiliation will be great. Combined with the work of our Industrial Development Authority and Kate Fjell on staff we are going the right direction.

BDN: Generally speaking, what ideas do you have for improving the city of Boonville?

H.M.: I've called Boonville home for 16 years now. There are so many good things in this town and I feel the city could realize and further them-- but that has got to start with planning and always an eye on careful spending. To that end, I would vote to:
-halt and dismantle Kemper Gardens
-make (the Kemper Military School property) a junior college;
-improve (the city’s)  water supply;
-allow citizens to vote down city council actions;
-(improve) communication between city and residents.
Finally, the city should expand its role in assistance to our schools.