City Council hears first reading of floodplain bill

SIKESTON – On Monday, Nov. 6, Sikeston City Council held its regular meeting and heard the first reading of a bill that, if approved at the next council meeting, would update floodplain regulations as required by the State Emergency Management Agency.

According to Barry Blevins, community development director for the city of Sikeston, the update is due to several changes in state statutes and Federal Emergency Management Agency regulations. 

“The bill is in line with regulations of what we can do as a community to be able to build and continue to protect our flood zones and also to keep from over flooding our neighbors,” Blevins said.

Blevins said if they don’t follow the regulations and let people decide to build into the city’s flood zones, it could eventually cause more harm than good. 

“All the bill is saying is that we need to stay within our boundaries; we need to stay within the regulations, and we will police and protect our citizens and our National Flood Insurance Program staff,” Blevins said.

The City Council approved a bill that will change the fees charged to cable providers for using public rights-of-way.

Currently, cities can charge no more than 5 percent of their gross revenue for the use of rights-of-way. According to Amanda Groves, city treasurer, the city earns between $185,000 and $190,000 per year. Groves said a new law passed in August reduces the amount municipalities can charge by 0.5 percent per year until 2027. It will then be capped at 2.5 percent of gross revenue.

Over the next five years, this change will reduce the city’s revenue collection by $272,047 from what it currently collects. The city will not lose money; they will simply earn that much less than they would at the current rate.

The City Council approved a bill to combine tracts one and two of South Main Montgomery Plaza Subdivision into one parcel, as well as a request to vacate two utility easements on lot one of the subdivision. 

The request to remove the south boundary line of tract three of the South Main Montgomery Plaza Subdivision, combining two parcels into one, was also approved by Council.