Another attempt at passing an internet sales tax was among the topics taken up Monday by the Poplar Bluff City Council during their first meeting at the Black River Coliseum.
Discussion also included the possible demolition of the Second Street complex that previously held the police department, city court and city hall operations.
Council members will decide May 21 if they will place a use tax measure on August ballots. The tax on internet purchases from out-of-state companies failed by 12 votes in August 2017.
Loss of this sales tax revenue will continue to hurt the city as internet purchases grow, said city manager Mark Massingham.
"I feel like we'd be irresponsible if we didn't try this again," he said.
Other cities bring in more than $30,000 a month in revenue from this, said Mayor Susan McVey. It could help provide raises for employees and meet other city needs, she said.
The use tax would be the same as that set for brick-and-mortar businesses within city limits. It would change if sales tax for those businesses change.
"It's a way of trying to even the score, to make sure everybody is paying their part and the city is not losing funds that they need," said McVey.
The city cannot use city funds to promote the ballot measure and will form a committee to assist with it, Massingham said. Anyone interested in helping is welcome, he said.
Meetings for city council, city boards and Municipal Court will be held in Room 4 at the rear of the Coliseum until decisions are made concerning a new city building, officials have said.
City hall and the police department are currently located at rented facilities.
Attempts by the council to reach a consensus on the purchase or construction of a new building have been unsuccessful since 2015.
The Second Street building has a number of problems, including a failing roof and electrical and plumbing problems.
The city will be working with the state's Brownfield Voluntary Cleanup program to apply for some grant funds for demolition of the building, said Massingham.
The program provides oversight of voluntary cleanup of properties contaminated with hazardous substances. Many of the sites are not heavily contaminated, and are contaminated by sources not addressed by any of the Department of Natural Resources' regulatory programs, according to the state.
Working with the Brownfield program can earn some sites certification that the property has been cleaned up to standards acceptable by the state.
No information concerning the time frame or what type of clean up would be needed was available at press time. The building was previously used as a hospital and clinic.
The move to the Coliseum was the result of a team effort by many people to get the work done in a short time period, Massingham said. The street department, employees from Municipal Court, IT worker Michael Pry, Bobby Godwin and Coliseum staff, including Greg Smith, all helped, with city clerk Pam Kearbey coordinating, he said.
The city will also be accepting applications through Wednesday for those interested in being appointed to a city board. Openings are available on the airport, animal control, arts, Coliseum, building standards, disabilities advisory, downtown, electrical, housing, HVACR, historical, library, utility, park, planning and zoning, plumbing, tree and other boards.