Governor Jay Nixon's budget requests are being met with skepticism from the GOP-controlled Legislation. Nixon has requested $140 million to spend from general revenue, most of it going towards Medicaid needs. Budget chairman Kurt Schaefer from Columbia says they are unlikely to give Governor Nixon any extra money to spend since he's withholding $500 million elsewhere in the 2015 budget.
In Jackson, the citizen's advisory committee will give their final recommendation on the future of Cape County facilities today. Board member have said at two public meetings that they favor Option C, which would build a 176-space parking garage in uptown Jackson. A new courthouse on North Missouri and Washington streets would also be built. Funding has been an issue, but tomorrow a public hearing will be held to discuss where it will come from.
At 7:30 am Wednesday, the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 2021 Independence Street in Cape will open, providing the city another option for groceries and pharmacy. It's a 41,000 square foot store that provides 95 jobs for the area; once it opens Wednesday morning, it'll be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Ameren Missouri requested a rate increase in July to help the company with improvements and investments; today at Noon at the Osage Centre in Cape, you can attend a public meeting to offer input on their request to raise electric rates. Ameren Missouri serves about 1.2 million customers, and if their increase request is met, it would raise monthly bills by about $10 per residence. A decision by the state commission board is expected by May.
