Month: October 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council on Monday night approved its $86,836,166budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Revenue for the city is expected to match expenditures.

The total budget decreased by nearly $10 million from the 2025 “actual” budget, though it’s a very similar number to the adopted 2025 budget, according to information from the city.

The city is seeing a roughly $6 million increase from the “actual 2025 budget,” a $700,000 increase in materials and supplies and a roughly $5.4 million decrease in contractual services.

The 2026 budget also does not have “Other Non-Operating Expenses” described, compared to 2025’s $833,196.

There was also a $1.3 million decrease in capital purchases, while capital projects is expected to have a more than $11 million decrease.

The city’s police department is seeing a roughly $800,000 increase ($9.7 million) from the 2025 budget ($8.9 million). Personnel services makes up the bulk of the increase, with 2026’s budget seeing $8.5 million compared to 2025’s actual budget of $7.5 million, though it’s similar to the adopted budget from 2025. More than half of that total comes from salaries.

The city is also spending roughly $100,000 more on a school resource officer in 2026 ($988,101 compared to 2025’s $885,864).

The fire department is also expected to get about $800,000 more in 2026 ($10.7 million) than it did in 2025 ($9.9 million), with a bulk of the increase also coming from salaries.

Courtesy of Jefferson City.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Employment and education center Job Point hopes to establish a charter school in Boone County.

The organization has submitted a letter of intent to the state-run Missouri Charter Public School Commission, which will be voted on Thursday.

If approved, Job Point will be invited to apply to establish a charter school.

Job Point has been in operation since 1965 and provides services like affordable housing, disability services and job assistance. The center helps connect people to certification and technical skill programs.

Losing federal funds is Job Point’s YouthBuild program, which provides on-site construction training to at-risk and low-income youth aged 16 to 24.

“This would be doing what we’re doing, just finding a way to keep it going,” Job Point President and CEO John Scalise said.

According to Job Point, YouthBuild has nationally served over 200,000 young people who have built over 36,000 affordable housing units. The organization claims 75% of U.S. YouthBuild participants have reported earning a diploma or credential, and 45% reported transitioning to jobs or postsecondary education.

Scalise adds that the program has sees around 80 students annually. Job Point also partners with Hallsville, Southern Boone and Columbia Public Schools through the program.

“A lot of the youth that we’re working with may be dealing with some significant adult life situations, even though they’re still youth, and don’t have the time to spend in school,” Scalise said.

Scalise said in an email to ABC 17 News that operating as a charter school would be a viable option for continuing the program because of federal funding issues through the Department of Labor.

“The grant funds are in the last cycle and will be used by 2028,” Scalise said. “There presently are no funded future grants for YouthBuild. We see this change as an opportunity to pursue opening the Charter School.”

According to Job Point’s letter of intent, the YouthBuild Workforce Charter School of Columbia will “pair YouthBuild’s existing vocational training and educational programs with the Missouri Option Program (MO-Options) for high school graduation.”

YouthBuild will help provide vocational and construction training, while MO-Options helps students navigate high school diploma and career guidance.

The letter states that students who are at-risk or have dropped out of high school will be the focus of enrollment. During its first five years of operation, the school will serve students in grades 9 through 12, with plans to eventually offer technical school apprenticeships for individuals beyond high school once it reaches full capacity. The charter school will also continue its current partnership with local public schools.

“What they have told us so far shows us that it is worth our time to take a look at a proposal from them, and we don’t do that with everybody,” MCPSC spokesperson Jeff Rainford said.

Job Point expects to have an enrollment of 45 students in the first year, 95 in the fifth year of operation, and over 200 students when at capacity.

YouthBuild has also partnered with charter schools in other states, including California, where it operates 18 school sites.

According to Job Point, the YouthBuild program has a $600,000 annual budget. The organization expects operating costs to increase when partnering with MO-Options.

YouthBuild Workforce Charter School is currently the only application submitted from the Columbia/Boone County area.

The charter school commission sponsors 21 charter schools in the state, primarily in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas. Six schools have an approved letter of intent and are in various stages of the application process.

Democratic Representative Kathy Steinhoff of Columbia is supportive of Job Point’s work but hopes the center works with Columbia Public Schools to be a sponsor.

“When the school district is the sponsor, the locally elected school board continues to make the decisions about local funds and is accountable to the public,” Steinhoff said.

The YouthBuild charter school would open for the 2027 school year.

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Olivia Hayes

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man accused in a domestic shooting was denied bond Wednesday.

Michael Anthony Davis, 40, will remain in the Cole County Jail after Cole County Judge Joseph Shetler ruled against allowing him out on bond. Davis is charged with first-degree domestic assault, three counts of armed criminal action and one count each of first-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon.

The probable cause statement says Jefferson City police were investigating a crash in the 1800 block of Highway 50/63 East when they heard multiple shots being fired nearby.

Two women with life-threatening gunshot wounds were found in a vehicle in a wooded area in the 110 block of Cordell St., the statement says. They were brought to University Hospital in Columbia.

A witness described seeing a woman arguing with Davis, and Davis allegedly pulled out a long gun, the statement says. The witness did not see shots being fired, but they heard several shots in a row, the statement says. Police found roughly 30 shell casings in the 900 block of Harding Street, and Davis was arrested shortly after.

Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson confirmed one of the woman was the wife of Davis, the other woman was her friend. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that there have been more than 200 victims of domestic violence in Jefferson City in 2025 so far, 75% of those victims were women.

Thompson said cases of domestic abuse can come with their own type of challenges.

“You’ll have individuals in those cases who are caught up in the cycle of domestic violence. There’s a certain type of manipulation that goes on by the defendant and that can make it very difficult sometimes,” Thompson said.

He explained the different ways the prosecutor’s office could approach a domestic assault case.

“We do the best we can. We try to, when we may not have a cooperative victim, go with evidence based prosecution. Photographs of injuries, witness statements, things like that,” Thompson said.

Lori Haney, Executive Director for Citizens Against Spousal Abuse – Sedalia, says the cycle of domestic abuse starts with emotional abuse.

“Trying to control what the victim wears, where they may go, who they communicate with, losing resources, losing their job, losing access to transportation, access to money,” Haney said.

She explained how things can escalate even further from there.

“Then, you have that explosive phase where that abuse incident or incidents occurs and then there’s kind of a calming down period where an abuser may even feel remorseful and apologetic,” Haney said.

Haney said that have a safety plan is the first step to getting away from an abusive situation.

“Legal documents and identification are your first and foremost priority,” Haney said. “From there, where is going to be a safe place to go and I really have to highly recommend contacting victim service agencies in and around your area.”

Thompson said the prosecutors office has resources for those experiencing domestic abuse. He said local and county law enforcement in the area can also help victims find available resources.

Davis appeared through video call from Cole County Jail Wednesday and was read his charges. Davis did not have an attorney present.

Judge Joseph Shetler said Davis was a danger to the community due to the nature of the charges. Davis is scheduled for another bond review on Friday and a hearing on Oct. 30.

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