Category: kmiz-local-news

Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

With Jefferson City facing a budget shortfall, city officials have told departments to prepare to make changes to their proposals if a proposed public safety sales tax fails at the ballot box in November.

Mayor Ron Fitzwater presented his proposed fiscal year 2027 budget to the City Council on Wednesday, outlining a balanced $88.4 million spending plan that includes a $45.4 million General Fund and a 2.5% pay increase for city employees. That’s a roughly $2 million increase from last year’s budget.

The city is required to present a balanced budget, with total proposed revenues matching total expenditures at $88.4 million.

The proposed budget comes as the city prepares for a potential $400,000 shortfall tied to the public safety sales tax. City Administrator Steve Crane said the city would either have to find another source of revenue or make cuts if voters reject the tax in November.

If the tax passes, the city would be able to maintain its current level of funding. If it fails, police and fire officials have been notified they will need to make changes to their proposed budgets.

Ward 4 Councilman Chris Leuckel said the outcome of the November vote could have implications beyond public safety.

“It’s impactful, hugely impactful. Really, not only does it have an impact from a public safety standpoint, but if it doesn’t pass, then it affects general revenue, and general revenue then affects the rest of the city budget. So it’s significant for sure,” Leuckel said. 

Personnel costs make up the largest portion of the proposed General Fund budget, accounting for $33.2 million, or about 73% of the $45.4 million total.

The budget also includes a 6% increase in health and dental insurance costs for employees, along with the proposed 2.5% pay increase.

Leuckel said continuing to invest in city employees is a major priority despite the financial constraints.

“It’s extremely important to take care of our staff and put our best foot forward with them,” Leuckel told ABC 17 News. “Two and a half [percent raise] doesn’t quite keep up with inflation, but it’s certainly better than zero and we continue to try to figure out ways to meet all demands, and personnel is a big part of that demand and it’s a big part of the budget of 73%, in fact. It’s a rising cost, we all deal with it. But mainly we will continue to invest in our most prized resource, and that’s our people.”

Police and fire account for the largest portions of General Fund departmental spending. The police department is budgeted for $14.1 million, or about 31%, while the fire department is budgeted for $10.8 million, or 23%. Public Works accounts for $8.4 million, or about 18.6%.

Last year, police spending made up $13.9 million and fire services were budgeted at $10.7 million, previous reporting shows.

Sales tax is the largest source of General Fund revenue at $15 million, accounting for about 33% of the fund. Other major sources include franchise and utility taxes at $7.8 million, property taxes at $6.3 million, fees and charges at $4.9 million and transfers at $4.4 million.

Across all city funds, sales tax is projected to generate $29.7 million, or about 33.6% of total revenue. Fees and charges account for $27.1 million, or about 30.6%.

The city has changed how it develops its annual budget in recent years, moving away from the previous “pink sheet” process and using new budgeting software.

Under the new system, departments initially enter the expenses and funding requests they believe they need before city officials review and reduce the requests over the following several weeks.

Leuckel said the new process has made it easier for the council to understand the city’s finances and track decisions made by previous councils.

“I’ve been witness to both, and this is much, much easier to work through. All the historical data that we’re building with our new software will allow councils from now on to be able to go back and look at a given year as to what happened financially or some reasons why or some inputs why and allow them to see historically why councils made the moves and transitions the way that they did,” Leuckel explained. 

The budget committee unanimously moved forward with the revenue projections Wednesday. However, Leuckel said the city still faces significant financial needs despite the balanced proposal.

“We’ve all got shortfalls, we know that. There’s a lot of unfunded things out there, $12 million worth, and there are some things that are needed, frankly. But you got to balance the budget and we had to make some tough decisions,” Leuckel said. 

Compared with last year’s budget, the city’s overall financial outlook remains relatively flat.

“Obviously, there’s not much difference based on forecasts from last year to this year, but pretty similar,” Leuckel told ABC 17 News. “That part’s really basically flat. It’s not much different.”

The City Council will continue reviewing the proposed budget in the coming weeks, with council members serving as the Budget Committee during the annual budget process.

Public hearings will also be held to allow residents to comment on the annual budget, property tax levy and Gross Receipts Utility Tax rate.

The City Council must approve the annual property tax levy by Aug. 31, with the ordinance then submitted to Cole and Callaway counties as required by state law.

The full council is expected to vote on the final budget ordinance at the end of the budget process. The council can amend the budget throughout the process before final passage.

Jefferson City’s new fiscal year begins Nov. 1.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jackson, Missouri, man was seriously injured in a crash on Tuesday evening on Hagar Street, about 3.5 miles southwest of Bevier in Macon County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the man rode his Yamaha Banchee westbound and lost control of it as it overturned. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the report.

He was brought to University Hospital by ambulance. The ATV had minor damage. MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri residents could face up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine due to a new school bus safety law.

Missouri’s new school bus safety law — SB 1421 — takes effect Aug. 28 and significantly increases fines and license penalties for drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses with flashing red lights and extended stop arms.

According to the law, the new penalties for illegally passing a stopped school bus are:

First offense: Fine of $500 to $1,000, five points added to your driver’s license, and a court-ordered 90-day license suspension.

Second offense (within five years): Fine of $1,000 to $2,000, five points, and a 90-day license suspension.

Third or subsequent offense (within five years): Fine of $1,000 to $3,000, five points, and a 180-day license suspension.

If a child is physically injured: Class E felony, up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

If a child is seriously physically injured: Class D felony, up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

No driver’s license points are automatically attached to the ticket under current state law, and the standard fine for a first-time stop violation is about $130.

The new law also allows school districts to install and operate school bus safety cameras. These cameras would be used to detect stop-arm violations. The law requires that any video not used for enforcement action be deleted after 180 days.

Any image or video captured by a school safety bus may be introduced by a prosecuting attorney as evidence in a judicial proceeding.

Missouri State Sen. Nick Schroer (R-St. Charles County) sponsored the bill.

JoDonn Chaney, spokesperson at the Missouri Department of Revenue, said these convictions will show up on your record automatically.

“So within seven days from the time that there is a court conviction, it will be on your license … Now it could certainly be quicker than that. It’s in real time. So once we receive the information from the court, it will automatically be on your record,” said Chaney.

Chaney said that if you receive a violation for five points, it will trigger a point warning letter from the Department of Revenue.

If a person receives eight points within 18 months, they will get a 30-day license suspension.

“If they have multiple points, if they have over eight points, if that five-point violation, if that accumulates to over eight points, then their license, if that eight points happens within 18 months, then they will receive a 30-day suspension,” said Chaney.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Five people have applied for the open Columbia Board of Education seat, the school district shared on its website on Monday.

Keary D. Husain, Linda Evans, Erica Perry, Paul Wagner and Michael R. Zweifel filed for the seat formerly held by Jeanne Snodgrass, who stepped down last month because she is moving. Husain and Zweifel have previously run for a school board seat.

The Board of Education will discuss applications and finalize its top applicants on Thursday and will hold a special session at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3 to interview and pick the new board member, according to information on the district’s website.

The appointed board member will be sworn in on Monday, Sept. 14.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Family members of former University of Missouri student Riley Strain on Tuesday filed a notice of appeal in the wrongful death lawsuit that was fully dismissed last month.

Strain died during a fraternity trip to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2024. Strain’s family sued the Delta Chi fraternity and its members, claiming the chapter did not follow its protocols for keeping members safe.

Strain was kicked out of a bar the night of March 8, 2024, and video showed him walking through downtown Nashville by himself, previous reporting shows.

His body was later discovered floating in the Cumberland River on March 22, 2024. Strain’s autopsy and toxicology report showed that alcohol contributed to his accidental drowning. Nashville police stated that “no foul-play-related trauma was observed” after Strain’s body was found.

Multiple rounds of dismissals occurred for the defendants in the case, with a December ruling stating “ [The court] is unaware of any court in the United States which has recognized the existence of a so-called ‘special relationship’ that might give rise to a claim for damages based on a duty owed by one adult fraternity member to another due to their shared status as ‘fraternity brothers.”

The notice of appeal challenges the judge’s claim: “Whether the Circuit Court erred in dismissing plaintiffs’ First Amended Petition on a motion for judgment on the pleadings that pied theories of liability against each defendant other than a ‘special relationship’, including theories of general negligence, agency, and abandonment,” the notice says.

It also challenges the liability claims. The notice was filed in the Western District of Missouri.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County judge ruled Wednesday that the Missouri secretary of state was right to reject an initiative petition seeking to check the General Assembly’s power to change voter-approved policy.

Daniel Green issued the ruling a day after the parties argued in court. Three Missouri residents, including Jamie Howard of Jefferson City, sued Secretary of State Denny Hoskins on Aug. 6, and the case was expedited so it could be wrapped up before next month’s deadline to certify the November ballot.

The initiative petition would ask voters to implement changes to the Missouri Constitution limiting legislators’ powers to curb policy approved by voters. The legislature last year repealed a measure approved by voters that required employers to provide sick leave, and Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the legislation.

Judge Daniel Green wrote that the initiative petition was overly broad, violating Missouri’s provision that ballot measures deal with just one subject.

“Initiative 2026-106 makes sweeping reforms affecting multiple provisions of the Missouri Constitution,” Green wrote.

Green wrote that the measure also violates the U.S. Constitution by limiting the people’s ability to reconsider laws that have been approved.

The plaintiffs also filed a notice that they would appeal the decision on Wednesday.

JUDGMENTDownload

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Melissa Houston

CAMDENTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

Camden County has opened its first Safe Haven baby box outside of the Mid County Fire Protection District station in Camdenton.

Community members and first responders gathered Wednesday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the safety box and conduct a final inspection of its alert system.

The box allows parents in a crisis to anonymously surrender infants, who will be taken and cared for by first responders.

State Rep. Jeff Vernetti, R-Camdenton, helped spearhead the project after learning about and getting inspired by the organization’s efforts nationwide.

“I had heard the term, but I had no idea that the actual box function part of it was a thing people did,” said Vernetti. “I didn’t know that it saved as many babies as it did, and I knew that we just didn’t have a lot in Missouri, so I just thought it’d be a perfect fit for this community.”

Vernetti said he raised approximately $17,000 from local businesses to purchase and ship the device. Local contractors donated their resources to install the box at the station.

To meet program guidelines, the box must be installed in a fire station staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The unit is temperature-controlled and automatically alerts emergency personnel inside as soon as a child is placed inside. To protect the anonymity of the parent, no cameras are permitted to face the exterior door.

Vernetti said this baby box is a great opportunity to help out the community and plans to install a second device for the Lake of the Ozarks region at the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District later this year.

“This community is very inspiring,” Vernetti said. “People will always step forward here for families, people in need, but especially kids.”

The installation marks the 14th Safe Haven Baby Box in Missouri.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other felonies on Monday in connection with a 2025 deadly crash in McBaine.

Donald Legleiter, 37, pleaded guilty in Boone County to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, first-degree property damage and leaving the scene of an accident. He will be sentenced at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28. He is being held at the Boone County Jail.

He was previously charged with second-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of first-degree property damage and a count of tampering with evidence.

The crash occurred on Allen Street in McBaine on July 14, 2025. Previous reporting indicates Legleiter had backed up in his SUV and run over a motorcycle with Jeffrie W. Cash on it.

Legleiter allegedly drove from the scene and abandoned the 2024 Toyota Highlander in a bean field, according to court documents in previous reporting.

Cash died from his injuries on July 17, 2025.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was arrested and charged after he allegedly tried to steal a gun from the Grindstone Parkway Walmart on Tuesday.

James Zoeller, 30, of Columbia, was charged with first-degree burglary and stealing a gun. He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $50,000 bond. A court appearance was held on Wednesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says two employees saw Zoeller break into the gun case and take a hunting rifle. One employee stated they saw Zoeller use a red item to smash the glass case, the statement says. Zoeller allegedly held the gun and told an employee, “I’m going to be taking this,” the statement says.

Police wrote that video showed Zoeller using a red dolly to break the glass cabinet before grabbing the gun.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Thousands of University of Missouri students and their families are arriving in Columbia this week ahead of the start of the fall semester.

Wednesday and Thursday are two of Mizzou’s main move-in days. Most students moving into university residence halls are scheduled to arrive on those days, according to Mizzou Housing.

The university’s fall semester begins Monday, with classes starting at 8 a.m.

Before classes begin, families are making their way across campus with cars packed with students’ belongings, creating heavier traffic around residence halls and other parts of the university and the City of Columbia.

The University of Missouri Police Department posted traffic maps ahead of move-in showing temporary closures and traffic redirections for Wednesday and Thursday. Police said officers will also be on campus helping manage traffic during the move-in period.

Students living in university housing can schedule move-in appointments. Mizzou Housing says the designated time slots allow the university to know when students are expected to arrive and are intended to help students avoid long wait times during the process.

Drivers traveling around campus should expect heavier traffic as students continue moving in Thursday and should follow posted signs and directions from officers.

Move-in also coincides with MU’s Welcome Week activities. Events are scheduled throughout the week as new and returning students settle into campus before classes begin.

University of Missouri Police Department Public Information Officer Andrea Morrow-Coronin said about 2,400 students were expected to move in Wednesday, with slightly fewer expected Thursday.

Police have officers stationed at intersections around campus to help direct traffic and answer questions. Some roads were also closed or temporarily changed to one-way traffic as families moved students into residence halls.

“We do have some road closures, and we have turned some of the streets into one way, but everyone is, moving along very quickly today and very cooperative. And so we haven’t really had many issues with traffic today,” Morrow-Coronin said.

While police said traffic around campus was moving smoothly for much of the day, some students said they noticed a difference as they made their way into Columbia.

Mizzou student Nadiyya Carbaidwala said traffic picked up as she got closer to campus.

“For sure. I remember being on the exit ramp for like 20 minutes. It was really long, probably not that long, but it was really long. And then, yeah, all the roads felt busier and just like people not really knowing where to go, including myself,” Carbaidwala said.

The influx of cars can also create another challenge for emergency responders.

Columbia Assistant Fire Chief Zachary Grace said the department has been coordinating with the university ahead of move-in and takes changing traffic patterns into account when crews are dispatched near campus.

Grace said crews may avoid certain roads or take alternate routes when traffic patterns make it more difficult for large fire apparatus to get through.

“So routes, you know, are always a big thing. If we don’t have to, respond to, say, Rollins in the one way, then yeah, we’re going to avoid Rollins or, you know, we may go down to Stadium Boulevard and come around to Providence. That way, instead of making a cut through. So it definitely has the potential or the chance to add, you know, 30s to a minute to our response times,” Grace said.

Grace said the return of students also means more calls for the department. He compared the roughly 32,000 people coming onto campus during the school year to adding a city slightly smaller than Jefferson City to Columbia for part of the year.

Fire officials are asking drivers to keep fire lanes and hydrants clear and to move to the right when possible if an emergency vehicle is approaching.

Safety was also on the minds of some students and parents moving in Wednesday.

Carbaidwala said recent incidents in Columbia have made her think more carefully about trips downtown.

“It does have me a little bit worried. It does, kind of restrict how much I kind of want to go like downtown or like how late I want to go,” Carbaidwala said.

She said she plans to stay with groups when she goes out and make sure other people know where she is.

University of Missouri Police said the department is encouraging students to sign up for university alerts and use the Mizzou Safe app. Morrow-Coronin also said university police participate in a downtown initiative that helps patrol the area on weekends.

Move-in continues through Thursday before fall classes begin Monday, Aug. 24

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