Section 67.487

Title VI COUNTY, TOWNSHIP AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISION GOVERNMENT

Chapter 67

Effective - 27 Jun 2000, 2 histories, see footnote   (history) 

  67.487.  Community comeback plan, notification, development, distribution, annual revision and adoption — reports and audits required — advisory committee to be established by the board. — 1. Within fourteen days of the first meeting of the first board appointed following the effective date of the ordinance, the board shall notify by mail the chief elected officials of all municipalities wholly within the county, the chief elected official of the county and all the members of the governing body of the county of the requirement to conduct a planning process and adopt a community comeback plan.

  2. The board shall solicit full citizen, county and municipal involvement in developing the plan. The board shall conduct public hearings throughout the county to seek input regarding the plan, and may convene meetings with the appropriate staff of the county and municipalities in order to seek input and to coordinate the logistics of producing the plan. A copy of the plan shall be sent to the chief elected official of every municipality wholly within the county, the chief elected official of the county and each member of the governing body of the county.

  3. The board and the governing body of the county shall annually revise and adopt a plan.

  4. Each plan shall include a map of the county, as well as a text enumerating the efforts expected each year in the various subregions of the county. Each plan shall address the factors that are causing or are likely to cause one or more of the following:

  (1) Assessed values below the county average;

  (2) Median household incomes below the county median;

  (3) An unemployment rate above the county average;

  (4) A reduction in the number of jobs with an emphasis upon those jobs paying average or above-average salaries;

  (5) Failure to keep pace with the average growth rate in home values in the metropolitan area or county; and

  (6) A high vacancy rate among residential, commercial and industrial properties.

  5. Each plan shall include an analysis of the condition of the housing stock in the various subregions of the county, a market analysis of the home-buying market with a focus on the impediments to attracting home buyers to those subregions and an analysis of the physical infrastructure needs that prevent economic growth.

  6. The board may consider the following factors when determining the appropriate areas and strategies for investment:

  (1) Buildings that are unsafe or unhealthy for occupancy due to code violations, dilapidation, defective design, faulty utilities or any other negative conditions;

  (2) Factors that prevent or substantially hinder the economically viable use of buildings or lots, such as substandard design, inadequate size, lack of parking or any other conditions;

  (3) Incompatible uses that prevent economic development;

  (4) Subdivided lots of irregular form and shape and inadequate size for proper usefulness that have multiple ownership;

  (5) Depreciated or stagnant property values, including properties that contain hazardous wastes;

  (6) Abnormally high business vacancies, abnormally low lease rates, high turnover rates, abandoned buildings, or excessive vacant lots within an area developed for urban use and served by utilities;

  (7) The existence of conditions that are not conducive to public safety; and

  (8) The lack of necessary commercial facilities normally found in neighborhoods.

  7. Each plan shall outline specific strategies to address the problems facing the various subregions and neighborhoods within the county. The plan shall also discuss the partnerships that can be made with federal, state and local governments, as well as businesses, labor organizations, nonprofit groups, religious and other groups and citizens to help implement the plan. These strategies shall include estimated costs and time lines for completion.

  8. The board shall produce an annual report focusing on the accomplishments of the trust relative to the goals set forth in the plan, the goals for the next year and the challenges facing the trust. The annual report shall be given to the chief elected officials of all the municipalities wholly within the county, the chief elected official of the county, the members of the governing board of the county and the public libraries within the county, and shall be posted on the county Internet web site.

  9. Every year, the board shall commission an independent financial audit, the report of which shall be distributed in the same manner as the annual report pursuant to subsection 8 of this section.

  10. Every five years, the board shall commission an independent management audit. The management audit shall include a comprehensive analysis of development trends, factors and practices along with specific recommendations to improve the trust's ability to achieve its mission. The management audit shall be reviewed by the advisory committee which may offer constructive advice on enhancing practices in order to achieve the goals of the program. The management audit shall be distributed in the same manner as the annual report pursuant to subsection 8 of this section. The board is authorized to take any necessary and proper steps to address the issues and recommendations contained within the management audit.

  11. (1) The board shall establish an eleven-member advisory committee that shall meet four times each year and shall advise petitioners, staff and the board. The advisory committee members shall be appointed by the county executive. At least six of the advisory committee's members shall be nominated by the municipal league within the county and at least three shall be nominated by the members of the governing body of the county. No advisory committee member shall receive compensation for performance of duties as a committee member.

  (2) At least one of the advisory committee members shall be a university professor well-versed in regional development issues. At least two of the advisory committee members shall be municipal officials from communities that have undertaken redevelopment programs as part of larger planning efforts. At least one of the advisory committee members shall be an attorney with experience in redevelopment activities. At least two of the advisory committee members shall be residents of priority comeback communities who have been active in advocating effective redevelopment policies. At least one of the advisory committee members shall be a private professional familiar with the factors influencing business location decisions. At least one of the advisory committee members shall be an individual familiar with education and training practices and workforce needs, with an understanding of how labor availability impacts business location decisions. At least one of the advisory committee members shall be a planner from the private sector knowledgeable in the area of strategic planning and the principles of multiyear rolling plans.

  (3) The advisory committee shall promptly notify the county executive of the pending expiration of any member's term or any vacancy on the advisory committee. A member whose term has expired shall continue to serve until his or her successor is appointed and qualified.

  (4) The board shall establish the advisory committee by resolution at the board's first meeting. The board shall, within ten days of the passage of the resolution establishing the advisory committee, send by United States mail written notice of the passage of the resolution to the county's municipal league and the members of the governing body of the county. The municipal league and the members of the governing board of the county shall, within forty-five days of the passage of the resolution establishing the advisory committee or within fourteen days of being notified of a vacancy by the county executive, submit its list of nominees to the county executive. The county executive shall appoint members within sixty days of the passage of the resolution or within thirty days of being notified by the committee of a vacancy on the advisory committee. If a list of nominees is not submitted by the time specified, the county executive shall appoint the members using the criteria set forth in this section before the sixtieth day from the passage of the resolution or before the thirtieth day from being notified of a vacancy on the existing advisory committee.

  (5) At the advisory committee's first meeting, the members shall choose by lot the length of their terms. Two shall serve for one year, three for two years, three for three years and three for four years. All succeeding committee members shall serve for four years. Terms shall end on December thirty-first of the respective year.

  (6) The committee members shall be subject to the regulation of conflicts of interest as defined in sections 105.450 to 105.498, RSMo, and to the requirements for open meetings and records pursuant to chapter 610, RSMo.

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(L. 2000 H.B. 1238)

Effective 6-27-00