City Commission and Staff Working to Simplify Process Zoning Ordinances
The Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission, working with the City Planning Division, are in the process of finding ways to simplify the development process through zoning code modifications. Any changes to city code will need to go before the full city council and will need to work its way through the proper vetting process in the weeks ahead. The city staff will be working with all interested parties to find consensus and push forward the call by our elected leaders to see increased housing affordability in our community.
Some suggested changes would include reducing the front setback requirements in residential areas; reducing the minimum lot sizes and lot widths in residential areas; and updates to the PUD and subdivision plat review process to speed up the development timelines.
Smith, Seaman and Moehlman to leave their City Positions this month
In August, it was announced that Clint Smith, Jefferson City Planning and Protective Services Department Director would be leaving his post to return to Columbia as their Community Development Director.
Eric Seaman, Jefferson City Wastewater Division Director is set to retire on September 12th. Seaman has held his position for over twenty years.
Ryan Moehlman, Jefferson City Attorney, submitted his resignation to be effective October 24, 2025. Moehlman has held this position for almost a decade.
The city is currently working to replace these positions and has posted job listings for these and some additional vacancies in their divisions
Jefferson City Continues to push their Housing Incentive Program
In April, the City Council created a new housing incentive program to address the affordable housing shortages in our community. This program allows developers to seek and receive a $5,000 city reimbursement for every unit added that qualifies. The first round of funding was provided to six developers for 112 new housing units in the amount of $560,000. The city is in the process of another round of applications, and the construction of affordable workforce housing remains a top priority of Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater and the City Council. More information can be found here.
Missouri House Committee Continues Discussion on Nuclear Energy Future
The House Utilities Committee met Wednesday August 20th to consider several in-person and remote presentations regarding nuclear energy and the potential for Missouri. This is the second meeting so far over the interim by the House Committee.
Emily Wilbur, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Director of Division of Energy, provided a brief presentation and informed committee members the state is one of seven picked to work with the National Governors Association to develop a plan to address the crucial need for nuclear energy and present to Governor Kehoe by the end of year. Additionally, it was noted that the Department continues to work with various colleges such as S&T, and State Tech to address workforce concerns and needs.
Jon Greives, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Acting Division Director provided informational testimony on the NRC and highlighted that NRC was established to regulate commercial nuclear power plants, research and test reactors, nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and radioactive materials used in medicine, academia, and industry. With the passage of the Advance Act of 2024, this has provided for expedited approval of combined license applications, streamlining reviews for micro-reactors, expanding and enabling deployment at brownfield sites, exploring how nuclear power can be effectively used for non-electric applications, as well as providing for reduced hourly fees for advanced reactor applicants.
Joe Boland, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Director of Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority provided historical background on the Department and informed committee members that authority was created by the General Assembly in 1972 as a governmental instrumentality of the state and they are governed by a five-member board which is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. The authority is a quasi-governmental agency that provides financial and technical assistance and to date the Division has assisted Missouri communities’organizations and businesses by providing over 6.2 billion in bond financing and more than 51 million in direct financial assistance for projects that have supported infrastructure upgrades, energy efficiency, pollution prevention, technical assistance, research, and environmental education. It was noted that the one takeaway from today’s presentations is that funding for nuclear energy projects is really going to come from two sources, and that private investment or government assistance, or in most it’s going to be both.
There’s a lot of perceived risk associated with investing in nuclear power. So, any involvement by the state, whether it’s streamlined permitting or just providing financial assistance of some kind, would be seen as a very large positive indicator for any outside potential investor. State involvement could be designed to reduce that perceived risk, which in turn will more investors while reducing the cost of the project at the same time. So, there are multiple ways the state could help mitigate that risk and reduce overall costs and of course legislative action could be required for some of these options, or at least to streamline them. Boland concluded his presentation by suggesting the committee review current statute language and consider amending to remove any doubt whether we could help finance nuclear or not.