Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike takes a look at how the City of Columbia spent a $3.2 million more to purchase energy from renewable sources than it would have had to pay just buying from the market, shares news of a massive new hi-rise student housing complex planned near the MU campus, has an update on the I-70 work, and introduces the three candidates for the open fourth ward seat on the city council.

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike shares some opinion about the city of Columbia’s failure to engage with the public before walking it into the need for a one-cent sales tax increase, explains Amendment 5, the proposal to phase out the state income tax, and reviews the Columbia Police Department’s newly-issued 2025 report.  

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike takes a long look at the City of Columbia’s financial condition and how recent spending growth, utility indecision, public safety needs, pension obligations and management decisions have converged into a tax proposal and utility rate increases that are reshaping the cost of living in Columbia.

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike explains the dustup between Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins over Missouri’s newly-drawn congressional maps and the Aug. 4 primary election, Columbia utility advisors expressing concern about the quality of the city of Columbia’s forecasts for upcoming utility rates, previews the three -candidate race for a Boone County associate circuit judge seat, and shares a visit to Cooper’s Landing where Richard King is getting ready to open his new facilities on the iconic site.  

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike explains the threat of a lawsuit against the City of Columbia over the constitutionality of its revenue guarantees to airlines, takes a look at the city’s planned $2.57 million North Village Park, bring you up-to-date on I-70 construction, discusses the big rate increases the city has planned for trash pickup and has a final update on the city’s plan Monday to ask voters for a one-cent sales tax increase meeting Monday.

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike explains the Columbia city council’s two-week delay on a vote to place a sales tax increase on the August ballot; has an update on Boone Health’s new cardiology clinic, has the latest details on Columbia Public Schools’ lawsuit over Boone County charter schools, explains the city council’s unusual procedure for setting a public hearing on binding arbitration for employees, and introduces The Retreat at Columbia, a new 194-unit multi-family development moving through city hall.

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike gets to the bottom of the story about the break-up between Boone Health and the Missouri Heart Center, has an update on Columbia Public Schools lawsuit to stop public charter schools in Boone County, the latest on the demolition of the Providence Rd. bridge over I-70, and a looming crisis over load capacity at the City of Columbia’s electric utility.  

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Mike discusses the city of Columbia’s use of revenue guarantees to airlines at Columbia Regional Airport, the city’s planned new one-cent sales tax for public safety, façade panels falling off a downtown student high rise, the electric utility trying to recover costs related to power purchases, and the Boone Health breakup with its cardiologists. 

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week, Columbia Regional Airport is growing much faster than expected, and that’s forcing city leaders to confront new costs, new staffing demands and bigger infrastructure demands. Mike talked with airport Manager Mike Parks after a city council work session to discuss the airport. Also this week, an update on the Boone Health breakup with Missouri Heart Center, MoDOT construction disruption in Columbia, and the city’s board of adjustment denying a height variance for a hotel in northeast Columbia. 

Mike's quick, weekly no-nonsense look at civic affairs in Columbia and Boone County, Missouri. This week it's another look at the break up at Boone Health between the hospital and its cardiologists with new documents and details, a review of the race for the Ward 5 seat on the Columbia city council and a conversation with the winning candidate, Christina Hartman, Boone County returning $1 million in marijuana sales tax to the state, the Columbia City Council’s move to crack down on problem landlords, the planned new safety ambassadors downtown, and the chaos about to ensue  as MoDOT starts ramping up I-70 construction this weekend.